This newly re-shaped course for psychology graduates is distinctive in its applied approach to psychology and benefits from a strong professional emphasis. It is highly attuned to the needs of working professionals, and will give you a competitive edge as you pursue a career as a practising occupational psychologist or go on to study for a professional doctorate.

The BPS re-accredited the course in 2018 for the next five years and commended it for several aspects of good practice, including the availability of and support by staff, the mix of research active and practitioner focused teaching staff, and the theoretical and practical nature of the course, which is highly regarded by students.

There is also invaluable input from experts in the fields of positive psychology and coaching, and past students offering insights into different applications of business psychology in practice.

We are serious about occupational psychology, which is why this programme is taught entirely by occupational psychologists and specialist experts, who are dedicated to this specific profession of psychology. This means you get a more focused and richer learning experience.

UEL’s School of Psychology is one of the largest providers of psychology education and training in the UK. This means you will benefit from a huge breadth of academic expertise, with teaching available in occupational psychology, coaching psychology and positive psychology. You will be taught by qualified academics, practitioners, researchers and industry experts as guest speakers (full details of the teaching team will be provided in the student handbook and module guides). Our modules are highly interactive with a special emphasis on the application of theoretical knowledge and contemporary research to practice. You will also have an opportunity to take advantage of the myriad of professional networks, which staff bring with them.

When not attending timetabled lectures, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve reading journal articles and books, watching videos, undertaking research, working on individual and group projects as well as preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and Moodle.

Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas, including but not limited to academic writing skills and learning and disability support. In addition, our teaching team will provide you with module-specific help to ensure the success of your studies.

When you arrive, we will introduce you to your personal tutor (usually your dissertation supervisor too). This is the member of staff, who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

As a full-time student, you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities per year (part-time students can expect 150 hours of these per year). These may be lectures, workshops, seminars, facilitated discussions and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.

The approximate percentages for this course are:
Scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 1500 hours.

The course runs on Saturdays and Sundays, with an occasional extra Friday teaching session. You would be expected to attend between 12 and 15 of these weekend workshops throughout your time with us. Your individualised timetable is normally available within 48 hours of enrolment. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

The weekend mode of study benefits the many students who are working, either in the profession or in related fields. These intensive teaching blocks also mean we can tackle areas in greater depth and give our students a more rigorous experiential study programme, where they can immerse themselves in the different areas of occupational psychology.

To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 50–60 students a year (this can vary by academic year). Lecture sizes are normally 40 plus students. However, in the classroom, you will do many of the experiential learning activities in small groups of up to five students, so you will have a chance to work closely with your peers, practice everything being learned and get feedback.

Who will teach on this course

Sonya Dineva

Milda Perminiene

Jeff Salter

Jeremy Lemoine

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

This course has a strong emphasis on professional practice and evidence-based management principles. You will become equipped to operate successfully in the profession by taking a series of core and subject specific modules.

The core modules are developing as a researcher, and health and wellbeing at work. The subject specific modules are assessing and developing people in the workplace, work design, organisational change and development, and leading, engaging and motivating people at work.

Instead of using exams for assessment, we have opted for a rich mix of techniques to measure your progress, including writing bids, position papers, poster presentations and live group projects.

The practical emphasis of this course, balanced with a focus on developing critical thinking, means many of our students have progressed to highly successful careers.

Over the past five years, our students have gained employment as occupational psychologists, coaching psychologists, sports and performance psychologists, leadership development specialists, and human factors experts for a wide range of companies and organisations.

These include Google, Amazon, Vodafone, Deloitte, Emirates Airlines, Siemens, Royal Bank of Scotland, RAF, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence and a number of occupational psychology practices including Saville Consulting, A&DC, PeopleWise and Genius Within.

The strong professional emphasis, combined with a comprehensive skills curriculum, will develop your transferable skills and equip you with a competitive edge for the world of work.

As our range of internships attests, we have profitable links across some of the key areas of the industry, which is good news for our graduates.