Learn to use the tools of psychology to improve the working lives of employees.
Join our online organisational psychology course and study the role of psychology in dealing with the challenges organisations face today.
You’ll find out how psychological principles and theories are applied in the workplace, and how they can help you to:
- manage organisational change
- create a talent pipeline
- create and motivate high-performing teams.
Join our practising organisational psychologists for a flexible online course that fits around full-time work.
Who can join this online organisational psychology course?
This distance-learning course is for anyone interested in organisational psychology and how to use the tools of psychology to improve organisational life. It may be of particular interest if you work in:
- industry, change management, or training and development.
Build credits towards a Masters degree
This online course is part of:
- PgCert Psychology in the Workplace
- MSc Psychological Studies (on-campus study)
You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards these postgraduate qualifications.
What you’ll study
In this course, you’ll cover the core theories and latest research in occupational psychology.
You’ll learn how to use this theory and research to deliver tailored and effective workplace interventions.
Exploring case studies, you’ll see how the theories and research of occupational psychology are used in practice today.
You’ll gain the knowledge and critical-thinking skills to source, understand and apply research to make a difference in any organisation.
Topics you’ll cover
In this workplace psychology course, you’ll study topics including:
- psychometric assessment
- learning, training, and development
- leadership, engagement, and motivation
- wellbeing and work
- work design, organisational change, and development
- psychological safety.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to…
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Explain occupational psychology, the role of the practitioner and the impact that psychology-based interventions can have on workplace performance.
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Evaluate different types of psychological assessment in the workplace and the relationship between test scores and job performance.
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Relate concepts and principles from the psychology of training and development to real occupational issues.
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Describe the rationale for designing useful training interventions and evaluation.
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Discuss and reflect on leadership theories and their relevance to organisations.
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Explain theories of motivation and their application in the workplace.
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Discuss how the concept of work-life balance is linked to other organisation concerns, wellbeing, job satisfaction and engagement.
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Describe the role of applied psychology to the study of organisations undergoing organisational change and development programmes.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for flexible online courses
Fits around full-time work
This course is designed to fit around work. With flexible hours and 24/7 study access.
You’re in expert hands
We’ve been delivering online and distance learning for decades.
NHS and alumni discounts
NHS staff get 10% off this online course. University of Aberdeen alumni get 20% off.
How you’ll study
Online learning
This distance-learning Organisational Psychology course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.
You can learn with us anywhere in the world, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.
Your teaching
This course is taught at Masters level.
Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.
There’s no live teaching in this course. You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:
- pre-recorded lectures
- videos
- reading materials
- discussion boards with your tutors and peers
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.
Your tutors
This course is delivered by our School of Psychology.
You’ll learn from practising psychologists with extensive experience in teaching and researching organisational psychology.
This course is assessed online.
You’ll be assessed throughout your studies via:
- an oral presentation (worth 40% if your final course grade)
- three online multiple-choice tests (worth 30%, 15%, and 15%).
Course duration
The September run of this course is 10 weeks long.
The January run of this course is 13 weeks long – it contains the same 10 weeks of teaching, but includes a three-week spring holiday.
Study hours
The course totals approximately 150 hours of study and assessment time. That’s around 10 – 15 hours per week.
This is an indicative guide to the time required for a typical student at this level to achieve the learning outcomes. This includes time for independent study, as well as teaching and assessments.
You can largely set your own study hours each week to cover the materials. MyAberdeen is available 24/7, so you can log in and study when it suits you.
Activities at fixed times
There may be some activities scheduled for fixed times. This could include coursework and assessments with deadlines, or online meetings with your tutor. Otherwise, you can access and work through the course at your convenience.
Our first-class support structure will ensure that you aren’t alone in your studies. You’ll have contact with your course coordinator throughout your course. This could be by email, MyAberdeen, online call, or phone. You can use social media and discussion boards to chat with your fellow students too.
We provide a wide range of services to support you in your studies and beyond:
- Careers and Employability Service
- Disability support
- IT support
- Library support
- Student Support Service – help with finances, stress, wellbeing and non-academic issues
- Student Learning Service – study support, with advice sessions available via phone or Skype
- Aberdeen University Students’ Association (AUSA) – run by students for students
- Toolkit – clever apps and free training that can make your study life easier
Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.
Your course coorinator
Linda Engles
Linda is a chartered occupational psychologist, independent consultant, and an Honorary Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
She has a wealth of experience across a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, the public sector, and the third sector.
View Linda’s profileWhere this will take you
Towards a Masters
You’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards our:
PgCert Psychology in the Workplace
Explore occupational psychology online with UK university psychologists. Choose from a range of online workplace psychology courses and build a graduate qualification tailored to you.
View PgCert Psychology in the WorkplaceMasters in Psychological Studies
A full-time, on-campus MSc programme designed to introduce graduates from other disciplines to the study of psychology, as a first step to pursuing a career in this area.
View MSc Psychological StudiesBuild your learning
This course is part of our series of online workplace psychology courses.
Use these short courses to build your skills and earn more credits towards postgraduate qualifications:
- Human Factors in Industrial Practice
- Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace
- Organisational Culture and Conflict
- Safety Critical Skills in Industry
- The Psychology of Social Bias
All these online courses are part-time and fit around full-time work.
Careers
Whatever your industry, you’ll gain career-enhancing skills and expertise on this course.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for CPD hours. Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.
Free career support
Access our free careers service while you study.
- 1:1 appointments
- CV checks
- Interview prep
- Job opportunities
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
We welcome students from all over the world.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You do not need to provide proof of your qualifications.
But you do need to check the entry guidance above to understand the level of teaching delivered, to decide if this course is right for you.
If you do not have qualifications from the UK, check the equivalent teaching level for your country.
Visa requirements
You do not need a student visa to study online with us.
English language requirements
Teaching is delivered in English.
You do not have to provide proof of your English language skills to join this course. But we want to make sure that you can use English well enough to study successfully.
Recommended level of English
For this course, we recommend the following level of English language proficiency.
These are our Postgraduate Standard requirements, and these are minimum scores.
IELTS Academic, IELTS UKVI Academic, and IELTS Online (not IELTS Indicator or IELTS General Training)
- 6.5 overall
- 5.5 for listening, reading and speaking
- 6.0 for writing
TOEFL iBT and TOEFL iBT Home Edition
- 90 overall
- 17 for listening
- 18 for reading
- 20 for speaking
- 21 for writing
- TOEFL DI code is 0818
Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency
- 176 overall
- 162 for listening, reading and speaking
- 169 for writing
LanguageCert Academic/LanguageCert Academic SELT
- 70 overall
- 60 for listening, reading and speaking
- 65 for writing
LanguageCert International ESOL B2 Communicator (Written and Spoken) – Online / In-centre
- Overall High Pass
- 33 for listening, reading and speaking
- 38 for writing
Oxford ELLT Digital – English Language Level Test Online
- 7.0 overall
- 5.0 for listening, reading and speaking
- 6.0 for writing
PTE Academic (online test not accepted)
- 62 overall
- 59 for listening, reading, speaking and writing
Duolingo – tests taken from 1 July 2024 onward
- 120 overall
- 95 for listening, reading and speaking
- 105 for writing
University of Aberdeen English Pre-sessional Programme (PSE)
- Pass
- Valid for one year. Refresher can be offered if out of date
Pre-sessional academic English preparation programmes undertaken at other UK universities
- Pass at an equivalent of 6.5 (C1)
- B2 in all four skills
- Certification must be within one year prior to the start of your course
For full information about language requirements, see our English Language Requirements page.
You will need access to:
A computer (PC, laptop or Mac) operating on either:
- Windows 10 or later
- macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later.
Most teaching materials are smartphone- and tablet-friendly. But we recommend a proper laptop or desktop for completing assignments comfortably.
Reliable internet access
We recommend:
- a wired connection
- a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps so you can take part fully in live sessions.
Speakers or headphones
- We recommend a headset with built-in microphone and earphones if you’re likely to study in an environment with background noise.
- A webcam is optional, but you may like to use one for some interactive sessions.
Software
We’ll give you access to Office365 applications. This means you can use online versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and install these programs on up to five personal devices.
If your course requires specialist software, we’ll provide you with access to this and a licence that lasts throughout your studies.
See our detailed IT requirements for more information.
When you study with us, you can expect a first-class support structure so that you’re never alone in your studies.
But learning online does mean you have to motivate yourself and manage your own time.
Your most important commitment will be time – the time to work through, reflect on and understand your teaching materials.
Before you start a course that involves a high degree of independent study, we recommend looking at the time you will be able to devote to your studies each week:
- Be realistic
- Create a weekly schedule as a guide
If you have any questions about studying online, get in touch with our friendly team. We’re here to help.
Fee payment
Your course fee needs to be paid in full before you start your course.
We accept payment via Visa Debit, Visa Credit and Mastercard.
Ways to save
You may be able to get help funding this course via:
- discounts – if any discounts are available for this course, they’ll appear in the section below
- employer sponsorship – we accept full and partial fee payments from sponsors.
Find out more about funding options.
Student card
All our students are entitled to a University of Aberdeen student card. This gives you access to a range of student discounts around the city and online.
This course has no formal entry requirements. You decide if it’s suitable for you.
The course is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:
- a 2:2 UK undergraduate degree (or equivalent), or
- relevant experience that supports this level of study.
Apply for this course