MSc Business Psychology
Skip to section
Key information
- Location
- Edinburgh
- Mode of delivery
- On-campus
- Delivery type
- Full-time, Part-time
- Start date
- September, January
- Duration
- 1 year
- Qualification
- MSc
Contact
Contact our enquiries team
Contact usOverview
The Masters in Business Psychology at Heriot-Watt University is the most established MSc of its kind in Europe, enjoying a well-earned reputation for producing graduates who can improve the performance and behaviour of individuals and teams.
Business psychology is a discipline often referred to as occupational psychology and organisational psychology.
The MSc Business Psychology will give you an in-depth understanding of the psychological mechanisms that drive positive behaviours and performances in the workplace.
Whether you're coming from an industry position or directly from an undergraduate degree, this long-established programme of study will equip you with an effective blend of knowledge drawn from the specialist fields of psychology, management and leadership.
The content on this one-year masters degree programme has been tailored to meet the needs of those working towards a number of job roles, such as business psychology practitioner, human resources manager, organisational development manager, coaching consultant, management consultant or leadership consultant.
You will develop commercial awareness and an understanding of global organisations which will allow you to recognise the impact of the economy, politics, globalisation and the changing labour market on the psychology of a workplace and performance of individuals and teams.
The skills to improve performance
During the MSc Business Psychology you will explore different aspects of the psychological mechanisms behind workplace behaviour and gain the managerial skills that will allow you to enhance and improve performance of teams and individuals. You will build expertise in:
- coaching
- leadership
- diversity
- employment legislation
- organisational change
- organisational culture
- marketing and consumer behaviour.
You will study the areas of psychology that directly apply to business settings, and 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 will 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.
Specifically-designed group tasks and presentations will allow you to develop your interpersonal and communication skills, giving you the platform to implement your expertise and directly improve the performance of diverse groups of individuals and teams at any level within an organisation.
Throughout this programme you will learn from a unique blend of research-led academic teaching and industry-focused practical exercises. For example, on the Psychology of Coaching course you will develop knowledge in the theoretical frameworks of this area of psychology whilst gaining practical insights into the tools and techniques of lecturers who are experienced coaching practitioners and consultants.
Specialist pathways
In addition to pure business psychology, Heriot-Watt University offers two specialist business psychology pathways at our Edinburgh campus:
MSc Business Psychology with Human Resource Management
Business psychology graduates often build extremely rewarding careers in human resource management within a range of industries. This is why Heriot-Watt has created this specialist programme which blends our world-class teaching and expertise in both disciplines to create a specialist, dual-focus programme.
MSc Business Psychology with Intercultural Communication
This new specialist pathway has been introduced to help undergraduates from the Arts and Humanities, Business Management and Psychology programme to position themselves as highly-employable candidates for multinational, global organisations. This MSc combines business psychology's specialist focus on leadership, diversity, organisational culture, and change with intercultural communication's focus on written and verbal communication skills in cross-cultural, professional business contexts. The development of these specialisms will put graduates in the perfect position to make a positive impact on the performance, communication and culture of global organisations.
Guest lectures and educational trips
At Heriot-Watt University we ensure that you understand how the knowledge and skills you learn in class can be applied to the real world. On Business Psychology you will learn from psychology, leadership and coaching researchers and practitioners who share their research findings and practical experiences with you directly.
Dr Brian O'Neill, an occupational psychologist and leadership development consultant shares his expertise with guest lectures and seminars on Leadership Development
Dr. Louise Lambert, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Ethics at the Canadian University of Dubai presented on Positive Psychology, happiness and culture which was particularly linked to our Coaching course
Professor Ray Miller, Honorary Treasurer to the British Psychological Society, Professional Advisor for Psychology to NHS, and an experienced leader, speakers to students on how you should develop yourself as a leader.
Sharan Virdee, Equality and Diversity Partner at Heriot-Watt University, shares first-hand experience of promoting Diversity and Equality throughout the University. Sharon outlines her work at both the strategic and service delivery levels of the institution, explaining how she interprets national agendas to the legal context and organisational values of Heriot-Watt University to develop and implement policy.
You may also take part in a number of trips outside of the classroom to discover how the theoretical concepts you learn about can be recognised across society.
September 2024 entry
The deadline for applications from UK students is 30 August 2024. For EU and overseas applicants, we guarantee to consider applications submitted by 2 August 2024.
Video
Course content
Year 1
Semester 1
Core courses
Organisational Culture
Considers how the culture in which a business operates can influence all aspects of its commercial practice, from the means by which it organises itself in order to address key markets and challenges to the manner by which it defines organisational roles; the approach to leadership taken by senior managers; and the strategic decisions that these managers make.
Social and Organisational Change
Considers why organisational change is currently so prevalent, and promotes an understanding of psychological processes at the individual, team and organisational levels that can inform strategies to most effectively bring about organisational change.
Psychology of Coaching
Describes those psychological principles informing different approaches to coaching and the associated professional issues, the role of coaching in business, and addresses practical issues relating to the introduction and management of a coaching programme into an organisation.
Introduction to Human Factors
Introduces key principles in ergonomics, reviews some contemporary workplace ergonomic challenges and considers how design can be used to make work more rewarding, efficient, productive and therefore more profitable.
Semester 2
Core courses
Psychology for Marketing
Describes the application of psychological concepts and theory to particular commercial issues related to sales and marketing. This includes the psychological processes that occur entirely within the individual, along with the interpersonal, and broader cultural groups within which (s)he operates.
Leadership
Addresses what constitutes effective leadership and how leadership skills can be improved through an understanding of relevant psychological concepts and theories.
Diversity
Considers the commercial implications of growing diversity in the workplace, and the optimal management techniques that can be used to harness this in order to enhance organisational effectiveness and profitability.
Research Methods
Describes the most appropriate methods involved in carrying out scientific research in the often 'messy' real world context of business and some of the challenges that might be encountered along the way. The course also provides explicit preparation for the MSc project.
The MSc Dissertation is undertaken between May - August.
Go Global
Some of our Postgraduate Taught Masters Programmes are eligible for Inter-Campus Transfer. Please contact studywithus@hw.ac.uk for further information.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Status [footnote 1] | Full-time | Part-time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 9152 | 4576 |
| Overseas [footnote 2] | 20376 | 10188 |
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.
View our full range of postgraduate scholarships.
Entry requirements
Entry
For MSc entry, students will typically have a First or Second Class Honours Degree. Given the clear practical element of the programmes, we will also consider non-graduate candidates for the Certificate if they have a decade of experience in senior roles in business, such as management or other high-level work. We offer individual courses on a Continuing Professional Development basis to candidates without any previous qualifications. Satisfactory completion of the Certificate will make the student in question eligible for entry on to the Diploma, and assuming they are successful, the MSc.
English language requirements
If your first language is not English, or your first degree was not taught in English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability. The minimum requirement for English language is IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. Please view our English language requirements.
We offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement prior to starting your masters programme:
- 20 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with no skill lower than 4.5)
- 14 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.0 with minimum of 5.0 in writing and no skill lower than 4.5)
- 10 weeks English (for IELTS of 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.0)
- 6 weeks English (for IELTS 5.5 with no skill lower than 5.5)
"“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.”"
Jonathan Weinberg-Elliot
,
MSc Business Psychology, Improver and Founder at Team Improvus