Develop your understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at work.
The case for EDI in the workplace has been made and the business case for EDI is clear: organisations who embrace EDI perform better.
In this flexible online short course, you’ll develop your understanding of EDI at work.
With expert guidance, you’ll examine:
- the challenges faced by minority groups
- the psychological theory that outlines why creating an EDI culture matters
- EDI culture’s links to staff retention and wellbeing
- the role of organisational psychology in creating a more equal, diverse and inclusive workplace.
Build your confidence in EDI
It can often feel daunting moving in to the EDI space, as there is frequently a fear of getting it wrong. This course will help you navigate current issues relating to EDI in an informed and practical way.
Gain practical, applicable skills
You’ll learn how to apply psychology and psychological research in creating solutions for your organisation.
Learn from experts
You’ll study with a Chartered Psychologist, highly experienced in designing and delivering EDI interventions in practice.
Who can join this online EDI course?
While this course takes a psychological look at EDI in the workplace, you do not need a background in psychology to join us.
This course is for anyone who wants to understand the importance of creating an equal, diverse and inclusive workplace, and how this can be implemented.
The course is ideal learning for:
- employees looking to progress within or towards roles in the area of EDI
- students looking to understand the applied nature of psychology to workplace challenges.
Build credits towards postgraduate qualifications
This online short course is part of:
- PgDip Psychology in the Workplace (online)
- MSc Psychological Studies (on campus)
You can use the credits you earn with this short course towards these postgraduate qualifications.
What you’ll study
EDI is an area that’s increasingly important to organisational success.
A diverse and inclusive workplace creates a sense of belonging. This drives connectedness, leading to increased resilience and trust, both of which help positively impact on engagement, retention and reducing the risk of burnout.
In this online course, you’ll learn about EDI at work, and how organisational psychology can be used to understand and create an EDI culture.
You’ll cover topics including:
- Defining equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Neurodiversity, investigating neurodifference, and empowering the individual.
- Race, ethnicity, and the impact of a lack of diversity and inclusion in the workplace in relation to race.
- Sex and gender, gender bias, and the impact of aesthetic labour.
- Sexual orientation, the impact of sexual discrimination at work, and the role of psychology in creating a solution.
- Gender reassignment and the impact of gender-reassignment discrimination at work.
- Pregnancy, maternity, menstruation, and menopause, discrimination at work and the impact this has on women.
- Age-related discrimination/ageism/lookism and the impact of reverse ageism.
- Disability discrimination, its impact, and taking a positive view of disability in the workplace.
Developing an EDI culture
As well as looking at the impact of discrimination in the workplace, you’ll discuss what can be done at an organisational level to tackle it.
You’ll examine:
- the role of the leader, their leadership style, attitudes and behaviour in helping to create an EDI workplace culture
- the role of conscious inclusion as a psychological solution
- the role of organisational psychology and organisational psychologists in implementing EDI strategies.
Content advice
This course will feature discussions of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, gender, race, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, sexual reassignment, age, disability, pregnancy, maternity, menstruation and menopause.
This content advice is here to prepare you for the discussion of these topics. The classroom will be made a space to engage sensitively with this content in an academic context. Confidential and impartial support is also available from the Student Advice and Support Office.
By the end of this online EDI at work course, you’ll be able to...
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Explain what is meant by discrimination in the workplace.
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Evaluate the concepts of bias in relation to workplace attitudes and discrimination.
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Source and evaluate contemporary psychological research relating to EDI.
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Apply psychologically based solutions to tackle discrimination at work and create inclusivity.
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Produce a report which integrates your learning into a practical workplace solution informed by psychology.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for online EDI courses
Fits around full-time work
This online course fits 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 EDI course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.
You can study 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.
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 and video lectures
- reading materials
- quizzes
- 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 Linda Engles who is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and independent consultant as well as a Lecturer. Having spent several years in the field, Linda brings together her EDI knowledge, as well as the practical application of psychology, to create workplace solutions.
You’ll also learn from your fellow students. You’ll be studying online alongside individuals from a range of backgrounds who may be based all over the world.
This course is assessed online.
You will be assessed online via:
- a multiple choice questionnaire (worth 40% of your final course grade), and
- a final report (60%).
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 tutors via MyAberdeen and email. 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 – including one-to-one advice sessions
- 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 coordinator
Linda Engles
Linda is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, independent consultant, and a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
She has worked on a number of leadership and team development projects across the public, private and third sector.
Linda brings her applied experience to her lectures to encourage engagement and help students develop employability skills.
View Linda’s profileWhere this will take you
Towards postgraduate qualifications
You’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) with this course. You can use these credits towards:
PgDip 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 PgDip Psychology in the Workplace
Accredited Masters in Psychological Studies (on campus)
A full-time, on-campus MSc programme accredited by The British Psychological Society (BPS).
This conversion MSc is 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 expertise in organisational psychology
This Psychology of EDI at Work course is part of a suite of online organisational psychology courses.
Use these flexible short courses to build your skills and earn credits towards postgraduate qualifications:
- Human Factors in Industrial Practice
- Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace
- Organisational Culture and Conflict
- Organisational Psychology
- Safety Critical Skills in Industry
- The Psychology of Social Bias
All these online courses are part-time and fit around full-time work.
Careers
This course will help you work towards or progress within roles in the EDI area, whatever your sector.
It’s valuable learning for:
- those in leadership roles looking to gain knowledge around the challenges and opportunities of EDI at work
- students who have completed studies at undergraduate level looking to develop specialist knowledge in applied or organisational psychology.
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, or 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 or 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
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
Skills for English: SELT
- B2 pass with merit
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) with an up-to-date operating system
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, PowerPoint and OneDrive 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.
Learning resources
Access to all the essential books and resources you need are included in your tuition fee. They’ll be made available to you online and you do not have to buy your own copies.
We also provide optional recommended reading lists. Many of these resources are available electronically through our library, although purchases may be required if you wish to read the full list.
Printing
You may want to set aside a small budget for printing, depending on how you like to work.
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
