MSc Business and Organisational Psychology
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Key information
- Mode of delivery
- Online
- Start date
- Open enrolment
- Duration
- Flexible
- Qualification
- MSc
Contact
Contact our enquiries team
Contact usOverview
This fully-accredited online MSc in Business and Organisational Psychology, from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University, is designed to provide a critical understanding of human behaviour in the workplace. This programme helps you understand what makes individuals thrive at work, enhances organisational performance, and develops skills to create a healthier work environment.
Created by experts in our psychology department, the MSc in Business and Organisational Psychology offers an in-depth understanding of the psychological principles that drive positive workplace performance. Graduates gain comprehensive knowledge of psychological theory, evidence, and methods relevant to business practices. This degree equips you with the skills and personal qualities necessary to successfully apply your knowledge in a business career.
Fully accredited by the Association for Business Psychology (ABP), the UK’s professional body for business psychology, the programme meets rigorous academic and professional standards, ensuring its quality and relevance to industry.
Degree duration
We understand that life can be unpredictable, and we want to ensure that our programme is as flexible as possible to accommodate your needs. Therefore, it is possible for you to study anytime, anywhere. We believe this flexibility will enable you to achieve your educational goals without compromising your other commitments.
On average it will take 200 hours to complete each course. You can enrol at any time, begin your studies when you are ready, and pick up courses as you go – meaning you can structure your studies in a way that fits around your schedule. It also means that you are in control of your schedule and decide whether you want to speed up, slow down, or take a break at any point in your studies. Throughout the programme, regardless of your schedule, you will be able to learn alongside a diverse and global community of students and professionals and interact with peers and tutors in forums.
Who should study this degree?
This degree has been tailored to meet the needs of those working towards a number of job roles, this includes a business psychology practitioner, human resource manager, organisational development manager, management consultant or leadership consultant.
This degree has been designed to equip graduates with the knowledge and understanding of psychological theory, evidence, and methods relevant to business practice.
Meet the Business and Organisational Psychology team
Dr Cakil Agnew
Dr Cakil Agnew is the Programme Director of the MSc in Business and Organisational Psychology. Dr Agnew was awarded her PhD in Psychology from the University of Aberdeen in 2010. Her doctoral research, supervised by Prof Rhona Flin and Dr Kathryn Mearns, examined how staff perceptions related to safety issues are linked to safety behaviours and to the consequences both for the workers and the patients in a healthcare domain.
Following her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Industrial Psychology Research Centre at the University of Aberdeen. Her work here focused on the leadership behaviours of senior charge nurses as team leaders in relation to safety-related outcomes.
Online learning delivery
Studying this programme will allow you to learn in a collaborative and social environment with your global cohort. With guidance from your experienced tutors, you will read and interrogate the underpinning theory and research and apply critical thinking to prepare you for weekly focused tasks. You will get hands-on and creative to find innovative solutions to real world problems, supported by audio and video designed to help you explore key concepts and enhance your learning. Your course activities and assessments will encourage you to step into the shoes of practitioners, giving you the skills to integrate business psychology into your current or future career.
Live Online Tutorials
Need a deadline to help motivate you to start your studies? Now is the time to sign up to your first course for MSc Business & Organisational Psychology.
We’ve just released our next round of Live Online Tutorials, hosted by Greg Fantham, Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences. Discuss topics with Greg and other students, troubleshoot problems, and collaborate with peers from around the world in the comfort of your own home.
You have until 26 May 2025 to sign up to Live Online Tuition for the following courses:
- Leadership and Leadership Development
- Culture in Organisations
- Leading and Managing Diversity
Information Pack
Tutorials run weekly (with one week off for each). If you miss a tutorial, the recording is available on-demand so you can catch up at a time that suits you. But students find they get the most out of each session by attending live.
To receive the full timetable, detailed session information, and registration instructions, simply email our enrolment team and request the Live Online Tuition Information Pack for your chosen course.
Prepare for your next assessment
Over 140 years ago, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus found that regular revision helps us retain information. The more preparation you do, the better you are likely to perform on the day. By dedicating a fixed time each week for five weeks to study and you’ll be one step closer to achieving your goal of completing your degree. With the next assessment diet just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start preparing.
Upcoming assessment dates:
- Leadership and Leadership Development – Wednesday 30 July
- Culture in Organisations – Monday 28 July
- Leading and Managing Diversity – Monday 28 July
Course content
Year 1
The MSc Business and Organisational Psychology aims to offer you an in-depth understanding of the psychological mechanisms that drive positive behaviours and performance in workplace behaviour and gain the managerial skills that will allow you to enhance and improve performance of teams and individuals.
The degree comprises of eight courses plus a Business Psychology project. Each course is assessed by coursework. Upon successful completion of all courses and the project, you will join our global network of alumni and business professionals.
Degree structure
- Culture in Organisations
- Leadership and Leadership Development
- Organisational Change and Development
- Workplace Design and Human Factors
- Coaching in the Workplace
- Leading and Managing Diversity
- Selection and Assessment in the Workplace
- Data Analysis for Psychology
- Business Psychology Project
This is a new programme and is being continually enhanced, therefore it may be subject to change.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
View fees for this course.
Additional fee information
The MSc degree comprises of eight courses and a Business Psychology project. You can study on a course-by-course basis and pay as you learn, or sign up for multiple courses at once.
Standard fee
Per course: £1,285
Full programme: £10, 280
Emerging Economies fee
Per course: £835
Full programme: £6,680
All course fees include one assessment attempt. Each attempt after this point will be charged at £160.
Additional information is available within our Frequently Asked Questions.
Emerging Economies Scholarship
Edinburgh Business School is committed to ensuring our courses and programmes remain accessible to students no matter where they live. Therefore, we offer an Emerging Economies Scholarship in certain areas. To check if you are eligible, visit the fees page.
Scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Each year, hundreds of students enhance their educational experience through a variety of Heriot-Watt and externally funded scholarships, including opportunities funded by the University's generous alumni community, based all over the world.
View our full range of postgraduate scholarships.
20% Fee Reduction
Students on our online Edinburgh Business School programmes benefit from a 20% fee reduction when purchasing all courses upfront for their programme of choice*.
Take advantage and enrol today.
* This does not apply to PG Cert, PG DIP or DBA programmes.
Alumni Discount
If you are a Heriot-Watt alumnus, you qualify for 20% off your programme fees. For more information on how to claim for your alumni discount contact hwonlineapps@hw.ac.uk
Please note that these discounts cannot be applied simultaneously.
Entry requirements
Typically, you will hold a recognised first or second-class honours degree, or equivalent professional qualification. Students whose native language is not English and who have not been educated previously in the English language must provide evidence of their English language proficiency.
Rewarding previous study
Edinburgh Business School recognises that some students entering our online MBA or MSc programmes will have completed prior academic study in subjects that align closely to certain EBS courses. Therefore, you may be eligible to be granted exemption for a maximum of 20 credits. A validation fee of £160 is payable on each exemption/credit transfer. Find more information in the FAQs.
If you would like to enquire about your eligibility, please complete an
Exemption Application Form.
English language requirements
If English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to confirm your ability to meet the English Language Requirements for this programme.
A minimum of IELTS 6.0 or equivalent is required, with all elements passed at 5.5 or above. If you do not have IELTS 6.0, we offer a range of English Language Courses to help you meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing your studies.
"The content is consistently applicable to my work and I often find myself making connections between the material and actual events in my organisation. I’m also fascinated by how the programme introduces concepts that explain behavioural or organisational patterns I’ve noticed for years but never had names for – like resistance to change or decision-making biases. These insights not only increase my self-awareness but also help me support others more effectively."
Head of HR and Talent Acquisition Manager at Bayer and MSc Business and Organisational Psychology student
Why Heriot-Watt?
Flexibility and affordability
Study at a time and pace that suits you, and even while you work. HW Online offers pay-as-you-study courses and fees inclusive of exams and study materials, meaning you can focus on success, not extra costs.
Your career
Employers around the world actively seek out our graduates because they are work-ready. All our degrees are career-focused and relevant to the needs of industry. Around 95% of our students are in employment or further study within six months of graduating.
Online events
We host online events throughout the year, giving you the opportunity to speak to our academic teaching staff, meet students, find out what it is like to study using our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and discover how to enrol.
Lifelong connections
Upon completing your studies you will automatically join the UK's oldest alumni association The Watt Club, with 147k members worldwide.
We are accredited by the following organisations
At Heriot-Watt University we develop degrees that are relevant for the world of work. We work with Professional bodies and Institutes to gain appropriate Accreditations and Professional Memberships for your industry. Find out below how this degree aligns to industry.
Association for Business Psychology (ABP)
This MSc is fully accredited by the Association for Business Psychology (ABP), the UK’s professional body for business psychology. Accreditation by the ABP confirms that the programme meets rigorous academic and professional standards, assuring its quality and relevance to industry. It also enhances the employability and credibility of our graduates in business and organisational psychology roles.