How can we 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:

  • 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 is this organisational psychology course for?

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:

You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards either of these postgraduate qualifications.

What you’ll study

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.

On 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.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to…

  • Explain occupational psychology, the role of the practitioner and the impact that psychology-based interventions can have on workplace performance.
  • Evaluate different types of psychological assessment in the workplace and the relationship between test scores and job performance.
  • Relate concepts and principles from the psychology of training and development to real occupational issues.
  • Describe the rationale for designing useful training interventions and evaluation.
  • Discuss and reflect on leadership theories and their relevance to organisations.
  • Explain theories of motivation and their application in the workplace.
  • Discuss how the concept of work-life balance is linked to other organisation concerns, wellbeing, job satisfaction and engagement.
  • Describe the role of applied psychology to the study of organisations undergoing organisational change and development programmes.

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

Our distance-learning Organisational Psychology course is delivered flexibly, 100% online. You can study with us anywhere in the world and manage your study hours to suit you.

Your teaching

This course is taught at Masters level by our School of Psychology.

Your 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.

You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources at your fingertips, including:

  • videos
  • reading materials
  • the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library
  • discussion boards with colleagues and tutors.

Your tutors

You’ll learn from practising psychologists with extensive experience in organisational psychology.

This course is assessed entirely online via:

  • multiple-choice tests, which are set and accessed online.

These will test your knowledge of each of the main topics covered by the course.

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.

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:

Wherever you are in the world, you’ll feel part of our very special Aberdeen learning community.

Your teaching team

Professor Jason Bohan

Jason is the Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Psychology and is overseeing this course. He has a wealth of experience in teaching and pedagogical matters and is Chair of The British Psychological Society’s (BPS) Scottish Branch.

Linda Engles

Linda is a practising business psychologist and Honorary Lecturer in Psychology with us. She has a wealth of experience across a variety of sectors, including Oil and Gas, the public sector and the charity sector.

Where 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 Workplace

Masters 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 Studies

Build 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:

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

See how our careers service can help you.

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

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

Cost
£965
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