Inquiry

The programme is aimed at people already in, or aspiring towards, a career in management or human resourcerelated fields within any industry. It also provides training for those wishing to pursue specialist consultancy work in business psychology. This programme provides a detailed understanding of various aspects of psychology relevant to the workplace. Students may find some subject areas familiar from previous studies in business management. In all areas, however, the business psychology approach is to utilise primary research data and psychological principles to analyse situations and develop evidence-based policies.

January entrants

Students starting the programme in January should note that it runs full-time for 2 semesters (12 months) + dissertation (February to April, 3 months) (total 16 months), or part-time runs for 4 semesters (24 months) + dissertation (March to August, 6 months) (total 30 months).

Students enrolling for the January intake programmes are not required to be be on campus during the summer break.

Accreditation

This programme is accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) as Continuing Coach Education (CCE). Therefore, a number of hours from the MSc courses can be used to apply for the personal credentialing process should the student wish to pursue accredited Coach status with the ICF. A certificate will be issues on completion of these hours.

The Dubai Campus is accredited by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and fully licensed to teach its degrees in Dubai. All graduates receive a British degree that is accredited by Royal Charter in the UK.

Course content

DETAILED COURSE GUIDE

MSc students take all of the courses listed over a one or two-year period. The Postgraduate Diploma is awarded to students who pass all of the taught courses but do not continue on to the Master’s thesis. To gain the Postgraduate Certificate, students must pass any four of the eight taught elements.

The Business Psychology curriculum is complemented by a series of professional development activities to build academic and personal skills, consult with organisations and acquire additional accredited certificates (where available).

Core courses

Social and Organisational Change – the processes of individual and group change and the concept of resistance.
Psychology of Coaching – introducing the practice of coaching and its background in counselling theory.
Psychology for Marketing – exploring consumer behaviour, including cognition and perception in retail environments and the social psychology of persuasion.
Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics – the importance of workspace design and the impact of environment on human error and performance.
Organisational Culture – analysing the concept of culture and its impact on employees.
Leadership – introducing the concept of power and how this relates to leadership in the business setting.
Diversity – looking at diversity from an individual identity perspective and examining the success of diversity management programmes.
Research Methods – research design, both qualitative and quantitative, relevant to the Master’s thesis.

Dissertation

An MSc thesis is undertaken by students once they have completed and passed all taught courses. Students work individually with a project supervisor to design, carry out and present a formal project, applying psychology to their workplace. Students must show academic achievement in the taught courses to be considered eligible for the project.