Key information
The MSc Business Psychology programme at Heriot-Watt University is the most established master’s degree of its kind in Europe, as it has a well-earned reputation for producing graduates who can improve the performance and behaviour of individuals and teams.
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time, Part Time
- Degree qualification
- MSc
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 1 year
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Start date
- September, January
During this master’s degree, you’ll deepen your knowledge of the psychological mechanisms that drive positive behaviours and performances in the workplace. Our MSc Business Psychology programme will equip you with an effective blend of knowledge drawn from the specialist fields of psychology, management and leadership. You’ll develop commercial awareness and an understanding of global organisations which will allow you to recognise the impact of the economy, technological advances, globalisation and the changing labour market on the psychology of a workplace and the performance of individuals and teams.
You’ll learn key skills that will help you thrive in several job roles including business psychology practitioner, human resources manager, organisational development manager, coaching consultant, management consultant or leadership consultant.
Each course will equip you with highly employable skills and expertise in the following areas:
- coaching
- leadership
- diversity
- organisational change
- organisational culture
- marketing and consumer behaviour
- human-machine interaction in the workplace
You’ll study the areas of psychology that directly apply to business settings and will explore some of the key psychological research methods that can be practised in the workplace. By viewing the workplace through a psychological perspective and by developing your analytical, critical thinking and reflection skills, you’ll learn to recognise and improve seemingly intangible aspects of the workplace which, when appropriately managed, can directly improve business performance in terms of job satisfaction, wellbeing, leadership, organisational commitment, organisational culture, performance and productivity.
Your student experience
Our MSc Business Psychology degree is taught by experienced, leading academics who, in many cases, have published the research which shapes their disciplines and written the books and journal papers which will guide your learning. Many academics balance teaching time with continued professional practice as coaches, practitioner psychologists, and management consultants. They bring their real-world experience and expertise to the classroom.
Go Global
With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
Inter-Campus Transfer: Dubai
Course content
September Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory September
- Introduction to Human Factors
- Coaching Psychology
- Organisational Culture
- Social and Organisational Change
Mandatory January
- Diversity
- Psychology for Marketing
- Psychology of Leadership
- Research Methods
Mandatory May
- Independent Project in Psychology
January Intake - Edinburgh
Mandatory January
- Diversity
- Research Methods
- Psychology for Marketing
- Psychology of Leadership
Mandatory September
- Introduction to Human Factors
- Coaching Psychology
- Social and Organisational Change
- Organisational Culture
Mandatory Second January
- Independent Project in Psychology
Programme Video
Psychology at Heriot-Watt
Student testimonials
Jonathan Weinberg-Elliot
MSc Business Psychology, Improver and Founder at Team Improvus
My experience at Heriot-Watt was made by the people around me. The most significant thing I learned during my postgraduate study is self-reflection and Kolb's cycle of learning. For if we do not look inwards as well as outwards, we will never know how to get better and follow learning through into action.
Fees and funding
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £10,528 | £5,264 |
| International | £21,192 | £10,596 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Additional information
Note: the fees indicated above will apply if you begin your studies in September. If you choose to join us in January instead, the fees below will apply.
January 2025 intake tuition fees
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £9,152 | £4,576 |
| International | £20,376 | £10,188 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland).
Scholarships and bursaries
Postgraduate 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. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject. Whilst we can consider applicants from a wide range of academic backgrounds such as psychology, sociology, politics, business, linguistics, journalism, we hope to see demonstrable evidence of numeracy through statistics or maths.
We hope to see evidence of having undertaken an empirical research project or research design and analysis module.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Employability
Potential career paths
- Business psychology practitioner
- Human resources manager
- Organisational development manager
- Coaching consultant
- Management consultant
- Leadership consultant
Student life
Explore facilities, and chat to staff and students
