Designed and delivered by leading academics and experts in their field, the MSc Organisational Psychology pathway within the MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology programme, was introduced for students without a BPS accredited Psychology bachelor’s degree.
Introduction
The pathway focuses on developing a new generation of practitioners in occupational psychology who can make a positive difference on the effectiveness and well-being of people and organisations.
Teaching draws upon the latest evidence and cutting-edge research to cover all major aspects of organisational psychology, enabling students to develop a critical understanding of how research into human behaviour at work can be applied to enhance the effectiveness of people and organisations at work.
Core areas include: leadership, motivation and engagement; well-being at work; work design, organisational change and development; psychological assessment at work; and learning, training and development. Students also undertake a supervised empirical research project, building their knowledge of research methods in psychology and developing skills in the conduct of research in organisational contexts. In doing so, the MSc Organisational Psychology equips students with the knowledge base and practical skills necessary for a career in occupational psychology. It also provides a strong foundation for those who would consider progressing to a Doctor of Philosophy programme.
The Management School has a range of additional funding opportunities for outstanding master’s students, including the 50% ULMS Excellence Scholarship. Eligibility and more information can be found on the School’s scholarship pages.
Who is this course for?
This programme has been designed as a pathway within the MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology course for students who hold a Psychology bachelor’s degree that is not accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Applicants with a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited Psychology bachelor’s degree are advised to apply for the BPS accredited MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology course instead.
Accreditation
The University of Liverpool Management School is one of an elite group of institutions worldwide to hold the gold standard ‘triple-crown’ accreditation from AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS.
Discover what you'll learn, what you'll study, and how you'll be taught and assessed.
Semester one
This 12 month programme comprises of eight 15-credit compulsory modules taught over two semesters, followed by a 60-credit research Dissertation over the summer.
Compulsory modules
Managing Performance and Developing People (ULMS522)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: semester 2
This module will provide students with an understanding of the role that managing performance, rewards, learning, training and development play in achieving desirable organisational, group and individual outcomes. The module draws upon the latest evidence-based knowledge, trends and practice to equip students with the ability to critically understand, evaluate and apply theories, concepts and tools relating to performance management, rewards, organisational, group and individual performance and learning (online and face-to-face), training design and delivery, succession planning, organisational development and individual professional development. Students will gain an appreciation for how performance management and human resource (HR) development initiatives are crucial for enacting organisational strategy and enabling innovation. The module will also consider recent trends in the sector and wider environment, including international perspectives. It will also reflect on the role of current and future technology including artificial intelligence and people analytics and their impact on the workforce and people practices.
The Contemporary People Professional (ULMS794)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: semester 2
The contemporary people professional is commonly required to recognise and make decisions in new, complex, dynamic, and ambiguous situations. In an interconnected world of business, this is even more challenging. This module helps students to develop the knowledge and skills required to engage effectively with contemporary and emerging issues by placing ethical and sustainable values at the heart of people management. It is designed to equip students with the tools and skills to critically and reflexively examine and develop their professional selves, with particular reference to their responsibilities for managing people. Further, students will be enabled to reflect critically on the ethical nature of business and people management as well as on their personal values and their own role as ethical agents in the organisation. Grounded in an understanding of the importance of creating an inclusive and safe work environment, this module helps student develop an inclusive mindset to ensure their people practices are effective in diverse contexts, including in international business. In sum, the module aims to help students create the understanding and awareness, skill sets, and professionalism required for being highly sought after people professionals in the world of business.
Advanced Research Methods in Organisational Psychology (ULMS880)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: whole session
Given that occupational psychology is a highly applied and evidence-based discipline, the aim of this module is to equip students with the knowledge and understanding of research design, methodology and data analysis necessary for advanced scholarship in this field. Students will be exposed to both quantitative and qualitative research design and methodological approaches and will have the opportunity to develop skills in both areas through a series of seminars and practical workshops. Throughout the module, students will be supported by module staff and an allocated Project Supervisor to develop a research proposal, which will focus on the empirical investigation of a practical organisational problem of their choosing within the five BPS curriculum areas of occupational psychology. The module will carefully consider ethical issues that may arise in conducting research, and students will be required to critically reflect on the ethical considerations relevant to their own research proposal. The module will also enable students to critically evaluate academic papers and assess the effectiveness of research strategies and methods used in the literature, more generally. Moreover, it will prepare students to disseminate and clearly communicate research ideas and findings to both academic and practitioner audiences, including the wider society, contributing to reducing the gap between academic research and practice and enhancing evidence-based management.
Well-being and Work (ULMS882)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 1
This module aims to provide an insight into the discipline of occupational health psychology and how the effective application of occupational health psychology can enhance the experience of well-being in the workplace. Key areas that the module will critically explore include; the changing nature of work and the implications this is having on work life balance, job attitudes and organisational outcomes; the employment lifecycle including the topics of vocational choice, redundancy, unemployment and retirement; the causes, management and prevention of stress at work; the role of mood and emotion in the workplace; positive psychological perspectives in organisational psychology; and the promotion of well-being in organisations.
Any optional modules listed above are illustrative only and may vary from year to year. Modules may be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved and staff availability. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
Semester two
This 12 month programme comprises of eight 15-credit compulsory modules taught over two semesters, followed by a 60-credit research Dissertation over the summer.
Compulsory modules
Advanced Research Methods in Organisational Psychology (ULMS880)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: whole session
Given that occupational psychology is a highly applied and evidence-based discipline, the aim of this module is to equip students with the knowledge and understanding of research design, methodology and data analysis necessary for advanced scholarship in this field. Students will be exposed to both quantitative and qualitative research design and methodological approaches and will have the opportunity to develop skills in both areas through a series of seminars and practical workshops. Throughout the module, students will be supported by module staff and an allocated Project Supervisor to develop a research proposal, which will focus on the empirical investigation of a practical organisational problem of their choosing within the five BPS curriculum areas of occupational psychology. The module will carefully consider ethical issues that may arise in conducting research, and students will be required to critically reflect on the ethical considerations relevant to their own research proposal. The module will also enable students to critically evaluate academic papers and assess the effectiveness of research strategies and methods used in the literature, more generally. Moreover, it will prepare students to disseminate and clearly communicate research ideas and findings to both academic and practitioner audiences, including the wider society, contributing to reducing the gap between academic research and practice and enhancing evidence-based management.
Change and Conflict Management (ULMS785)
Credits: 15 /
Semester: semester 2
This module will explore how to drive change for the good of organisations and employees, and the role of conflict in the context of the employment relationship. The module will commence with a theoretical and historical overview of traditional approaches to understanding and managing change and conflict. Students will then be introduced to the psychological contract framework as a lens through which we can gain an understanding of the employment relationship in contemporary organisations. Students will also learn how to build a case for change, engage people to enable sustained change, effectively manage conflict that arises from change, and continuously innovate and deliver change at pace to enable sustainability. As well as looking at cross cultural differences, students will learn about different tactics to handle conflict in different situations with an emphasis on first understanding the nature of the conflict and the related dynamics of power and resistance.
Work Design and Wellbeing (ULMS881)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: semester 1
This module aims to equip students with the foundation skills, knowledge and understanding needed by a practitioner Occupational Psychologist working to design work more effectively and manage and promote well-being. The module takes a multi-level perspective, starting with a focus on the individual in the workplace, understanding occupational health psychology and how jobs and work environments can be best designed to foster work motivation, engagement, positive job attitudes, work-life balance, and positive organisational outcomes. The topics of stress in the workplace, and how to manage it, along with the implications for promoting resilience, workplace health and safety, risk management and the psychology of human error are also critically examined. The module then moves to the group level of analysis to explore how individuals’ function in groups, examining psychological theories of group processes and team effectiveness, before moving to the organisational level of analysis, exploring major theories relating to organisational structure, design, and culture. The module concludes with a critical consideration of the changing nature of work, work design and work environments, including dispersed, hybrid and virtual working, and the application of theory to practice through the consulting cycle.
Psychological Assessment at Work (ULMS884)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: semester 2
This module aims to equip students with the fundamental skills, knowledge and understanding needed by practitioner Occupational Psychologists working in the field of psychological assessment. The module begins by exploring the strategic role that assessment plays in managing selection and recruitment in the workplace, as well as for on-going appraisal, performance management, and career development processes in organisations. Students will develop practical skills in conducting job analysis, as well as critical awareness of a range of selection methods available to organisations (e.g., interviews, assessment centres, and situational judgement tests) and how these differ in terms of reliability, validity and practical utility. The module will also cover psychometric theory and test construction, with students gaining a detailed understanding of how individuals differ in terms of personality and cognitive ability, and the implications this has for selection. Finally, the module emphasises the importance of ethical awareness in decision making, with a particular focus on diversity, fairness and candidate reactions to the assessment process.
Any optional modules listed above are illustrative only and may vary from year to year. Modules may be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved and staff availability. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
Final project
This 12 month programme comprises of eight 15-credit compulsory modules taught over two semesters, followed by a 60-credit research Dissertation over the summer.
Compulsory modules
Dissertation in Organisational Psychology (ULMS883)
Credits: 60 /
Semester: summer
The aim of this module is to build on the knowledge and skills acquired in ULMS880 Advanced Research Methods in Organisational Psychology, and enable students to execute an independent, applied and significant piece of research in the field of organisational psychology, under the supervision of an allocated member of academic staff. The applied focus of the research dissertation aims to enable students to further develop and embed their conceptual skills, data analytical skills, ethical awareness, critical evaluation skills, as well as their ability to effectively communicate their research findings to both an academic and practitioner audience.
The specific requirements of the research dissertation are dependent on programme pathway. Students on the accredited MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology are required to conduct a piece of independent fieldwork, in which they collect and analyse primary data relating to their chosen dissertation topic. Students on the non-accredited MSc Organisational Psychology pathway choose to either examine secondary data (using qualitative or quantitative methods) or conduct a systematic literature review relating to their chosen dissertation topic.
Advanced Research Methods in Organisational Psychology (ULMS880)
Credits: 20 /
Semester: whole session
Given that occupational psychology is a highly applied and evidence-based discipline, the aim of this module is to equip students with the knowledge and understanding of research design, methodology and data analysis necessary for advanced scholarship in this field. Students will be exposed to both quantitative and qualitative research design and methodological approaches and will have the opportunity to develop skills in both areas through a series of seminars and practical workshops. Throughout the module, students will be supported by module staff and an allocated Project Supervisor to develop a research proposal, which will focus on the empirical investigation of a practical organisational problem of their choosing within the five BPS curriculum areas of occupational psychology. The module will carefully consider ethical issues that may arise in conducting research, and students will be required to critically reflect on the ethical considerations relevant to their own research proposal. The module will also enable students to critically evaluate academic papers and assess the effectiveness of research strategies and methods used in the literature, more generally. Moreover, it will prepare students to disseminate and clearly communicate research ideas and findings to both academic and practitioner audiences, including the wider society, contributing to reducing the gap between academic research and practice and enhancing evidence-based management.
Any optional modules listed above are illustrative only and may vary from year to year. Modules may be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved and staff availability. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed.
How you'll learn
Modules are taught using the latest active learning techniques including business simulations, real-world case studies, interactive participation software, and lecture capture.
The principal forms of teaching are face-to-face lectures and seminars with lectures normally being supported by material such as hand-outs and presentations. Seminars give the opportunity for detailed discussion of a topic under the direction of a tutor. You are normally expected to prepare work in advance for seminars and may be expected to present work or give presentations.
In addition, this course offers an enhanced programme of events and activities such as guest speakers, BPS accredited certificates in test user ability and personality, specialist careers support, and opportunities to undertake applied research projects with external project partners
Following semester two you will complete a dissertation with the support of an academic supervisor.
Teaching time will account for an average of 8 hours per week and you should anticipate an additional 21 hours of self-directed study and group work.
How you're assessed
In semesters one and two, you will take modules totalling 120 credits. The dissertation completed during the summer period is worth 60 credits and students will be supported by their academic supervisor.
Students are required to complete 180 credits to achieve a full MSc.
Subject to meeting specific criteria outlined by the University, students will graduate with a Pass, Merit or Distinction.
Assessment tasks are varied and some may be designed specifically to meet the learning outcomes of a particular programme of study, but students can expect to be assessed via coursework, essay, group work, presentations, case studies, negotiation exercises, reports and examinations. The weighting of individual components will vary from one module to another. All assessment information is included within the module specification.
Liverpool Hallmarks
We have a distinctive approach to education, the Liverpool Curriculum Framework, which focuses on research-connected teaching, active learning, and authentic assessment to ensure our students graduate as digitally fluent and confident global citizens.
The School has a thriving international master’s community with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary programme of social and extra-curricular events and dedicated careers and employability support.
Support for students with differing needs from the Disability advice and guidance team. They can identify and recommend appropriate support provisions for you.
What students say...
What I most enjoy about my course is that we are given lots of opportunities to make connections with real-world, practicing psychologists. Within the first three months of our course we had three different guest speakers who spoke to us about what they do and opportunities in their fields, which has been hugely valuable as it’s such a great way to get exposure to different career paths and to network outside of ULMS.
The programme draws upon the latest evidence and cutting-edge research to cover all major aspects of occupational and organisational psychology, enabling students to develop a critical understanding of how research into human behaviour at work can be applied to enhance the effectiveness of people and organisations.
Career support from day one to graduation and beyond
You will have access to a specialist, in-house postgraduate careers team and have access to one-to-one careers guidance, workshops, seminars, and employability initiatives.
The MSc Organisational Psychology equips graduates of the programme with a wide set of relevant knowledge, skills and competencies that would suit a career in the areas of:
Work/organisational/business psychology
Human resource management
Organisational development
General management.
Based on the advanced research methods knowledge and skills acquired throughout the programme, graduates may also consider an academic career, through the pursuit of a PhD in the field organisational psychology or a related field.
Fees and funding
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Tuition fees
UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)
Full-time place, per year
£13,900
International fees
Full-time place, per year
£29,000
Fees stated are for the 2025-26 academic year.
Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching and assessment, operating facilities such as libraries, IT equipment, and access to academic and personal support.
If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Loan worth up to £12,167 to help with course fees and living costs. Learn more about fees and funding.
Additional costs
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any course-related costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
We accept a 2:2 honours degree from a UK university, or an equivalent academic qualification from a similar non-UK institution. This degree should be in Psychology.
Applicants with a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited Psychology bachelor’s degree are advised to apply for the BPS-accredited MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology course instead.
International qualifications
If you hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, but don’t meet our entry requirements, a Pre-Master’s can help you gain a place. This specialist preparation course for postgraduate study is offered on campus at the University of Liverpool International College, in partnership with Kaplan International Pathways. Although there’s no direct Pre-Master’s route to this MSc, completing a Pre-Master’s pathway can guarantee you a place on many other postgraduate courses at The University of Liverpool.
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
English language qualification
Requirements
IELTS
6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0
TOEFL iBT
88 overall, with minimum scores of listening 19, writing 19, reading 19 and speaking 20. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted.
Duolingo English Test
120 overall, with no component below 105
Pearson PTE Academic
61 overall, with no component below 59
LanguageCert Academic
70 overall, with no skill below 65
PSI Skills for English
B2 Pass with Merit in all bands
INDIA Standard XII
National Curriculum (CBSE/ISC) - 75% and above in English. Accepted State Boards - 80% and above in English.
WAEC
C6 or above
PRE-SESSIONAL ENGLISH
Do you need to complete a Pre-Sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-Sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
Liverpool bursts with diversity and creativity which makes it ideal for you to undertake your postgraduate studies and access various opportunities for you and your family.
To fully immerse yourself in the university experience living in halls will keep you close to campus where you can always meet new people. Find your home away from home.
Discover what expenses are covered by the cost of your tuition fees and other finance-related information you may need regarding your studies at Liverpool.
Contact us
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