The MSc Business Psychology has been devised to help both graduates and industry professionals alike to pursue a career-focused degree specialisation in occupational psychology. Organisations within both the public and private sectors are increasingly recognising the advantage of employees with business psychology expertise, and this course will help you gain the competitive edge needed to fill those all-important industry skills gaps.
This specialist postgraduate course covers all of the core areas of business psychology, providing you with a strong foundation in research, theory, and practice, as well as the highly sought-after ability to improve business operations at the individual, team, and organisational levels. Through the use of authentic assessments, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your skills in designing interventions to tackle contemporary business issues, such as improving employee well-being and performance and managing organisational change. Across the course you’ll develop the key practitioner skills you need to strategically apply psychology in your current or future role.
Our academic staff members from the Faculty of Psychology and Social Science have a wealth of experience in the field, including multiple awards and publications, consultancy work with major organisations, and strong industry connections, meaning you’ll gain unique insights into both the academic and practitioner sides of business psychology. Alongside this, the course utilises the latest case studies and practical scenarios so that you graduate with the core knowledge and skills employers need right now.
The course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and fulfils stage one of the two-stage process to becoming a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, a legally protected title in the UK and a hallmark of professional knowledge and skill. The second stage, after successful completion of the MSc, would be supervised practice under the guidance of a qualified supervisor. More information regarding stage two can be found on the BPS website.
However, chartership is only one career pathway that is open to business psychology graduates. Due to their training, business psychologists are sought after by a wide range of organisations and are hired in roles as diverse as employee well-being, leadership development, recruitment and selection, consultancy and, with appropriate training, administering and interpreting psychometric tests. The programme has been designed to support you in developing a wealth of knowledge, skills and abilities that can unlock a wider range of career opportunities. You’ll be guided along your learning journey by academics with a variety of research and practice experience, who can support you in identifying interesting and exciting career paths.
Your course modules have been designed to develop your knowledge and skills in modern business psychology. You’ll have the opportunity to engage with the most up-to-date, internationally focused research across key areas such as workplace well-being, coaching and mentoring, managing transitions, and the practical application of psychological interventions in the workplace - helping you graduate from from the course with the skills to make a real impact to individuals, organisations, and within your own career.
Arden is for winners. Nobody will beg you to sit down and start working on your career, if you don’t do it yourself! At Arden, if you have an honest interest for what you learn and you want to reach out for more, you will be welcomed, helped, and advised. But to do that, you must be determined.
Alongside the extensive support available to all students studying with Arden, our MSc Business Psychology course features its own personalised support system to help you succeed with your studies.
We go above and beyond to provide you with the resources and opportunities you’ll need to study with confidence and take pride in your personal development. Take a look at the support resources you’ll have access to as an Arden psychology student:
Unlike on more traditional degrees, you won’t be sitting any exams on this course. Instead, a range of authentic assessments have been designed to help you apply your learning to real-world scenarios in business psychology, providing you with the unique opportunity to align your studies to your career goals.
Your course assessments will be practice-driven, mirroring real-world practitioner skills to ensure that you graduate from your course ready for the working world. Through this innovative, modern approach, you’ll be able to engage with and respond to the real organisational challenges you might face in your future role.
The MSc Business Psychology culminates in an independent research project pertaining to a key business psychology issue, empowering you to identify and examine a relevant topic related to your prospective career, and to gain transferable skills for your future.
Throughout the course you’ll have the opportunity to engage with a variety of authentic assessments designed to mirror the skills you’ll need within your career. These include:
At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.
Our aim is to make learning as accessible as possible by ensuring that you can join us, wherever you are.
That's why we keep our requirements simple. All you need is a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection. With this one tool, you'll be able to access information, advice, support, learning materials and our online library, as well as create assignments, keep notes, and collaborate with other students effectively.
We’ll also support you with getting access to the resources you need, wherever you study from, including assistance with obtaining any software you need to successfully complete the course.
To be eligible for our MSc Business Psychology, you should normally have:
We also offer an internal English test for applicants who are unable to provide the above evidence of English proficiency. More information can be found here.
Whilst you can read your study materials on your smart phone or tablet, to make the most of your learning experience, you will need access to a laptop or computer (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good stable internet connection.
The Arden University Postgraduate Merit Scholarship offers UK Online Learning students with a 2.1 undergraduate degree or higher £2,000 off our postgraduate tuition fees. You can also apply for up to £11,836 funding from Student Finance England fund your studies.
If you’re an international student, we have a number of Regional Offers that can help you save money on your tuition fees.
When you help a friend or family member to study with Arden through our Refer a Friend programme, both you and the person you refer will receive a £500 Amazon e-voucher or £500 tuition fee credit.
Anthony’s areas of interest include occupational psychology, health psychology and co-creation. Anthony’s PhD explored solutions to sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity in workplace settings. Anthony also has a keen interest in personality and intelligence research, is a qualified psychometrician and has been a recipient of the Psychometrics Forum’s Excellence in Psychometrics Award. Alongside academic research, Anthony has also worked as an independent business psychology consultant helping organisations to develop evidence-based recruitment and selection practices. Passionate about making psychology more accessible, Anthony has written and contributed to books, blogs and magazines within the field of occupational psychology, with his research being featured in publications such as Forbes.
The course will help you develop your existing skills and knowledge in business psychology, alongside the latest theoretical, practical, and emerging advancements in the field. Through this, you’ll gain the expertise needed to successfully apply business psychology across a range of exciting industries.
You’ll graduate from the course with the hands-on business psychology and leadership skills required to effectively bring about positive change in the workplace across individual, team, and organisational levels. Throughout your studies you’ll be provided with the valuable opportunity to:
Employers today recognise the strategic advantage of having employees who are versed in applying psychology in the workplace, meaning you’ll graduate from your MSc Business Psychology degree ready to accelerate your career in the field. A few of the roles you might consider include:
The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK. The society is responsible for the development, promotion, and application of psychology for the public good.
Students obtaining at least a lower second-class honours degree (2:2) in a BPS accredited undergraduate psychology degree will be eligible for the society’s Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) - the prerequisite requirement to go on to further training as a professional psychologist after graduation.
While you’re studying this course with us, we’ll cover the cost of your student membership with the BPS, which gives you access to a large range of useful resources including access to the British Psychological Society Library, the UK’s leading national resource in psychology.
The Association for Business Psychology (ABP) works to provide information, training, and support for those interested in business psychology, to promote professional excellence, and to demonstrate the effective application and impact of business psychology in the workplace.
During your studies you’ll have free student membership with the ABP, giving you access to a wealth of professional resources, networking opportunities, careers advice, professional recognition and influence, as well as keeping you up-to-date with current trends and developments.
Arden University is a member of the Campaign for Social Science.
The Campaign demonstrates how social science improves public policy, society, and all our lives. It highlights the value of applied social science research and advocates for its greater use in decision-making and in government. It is supported by a coalition of universities, social science societies, and publishers.
As a member, Arden receives access to case studies, research into the value provided by social sciences, and insights into the employability of social science graduates. Through this, you will gain a better understanding of the skills you are learning and their value to employers.