Psychology - Work & Organisational Psychology / Behaviour - Online

Course Outline
Psychology applied to the domain of work is a fascinating area offering many employment opportunities. From improving recruitment decisions to understanding how technology affects our work performance and experience, from coaching individuals to developing organisational capacity, psychology can be applied to enhancing peoples' well-being and performance at work and contributing to organisational effectiveness. This programme, delivered partly online, will be of interest to graduates wishing to pursue careers as work and organisational psychologists, human resource managers, trainers, managers, consultants, or researchers

By engaging with the programme, you will develop a range of practical skills in conducting research, critical thinking and analysis, and a range of competencies relevant to professional work psychologists such as selection and assessment, negotiation, consulting etc. The aim is to equip graduates of this programme with the building blocks to operate as effective and reflective professionals.

The MA in Work and Organisational Psychology/Behaviour is designed to advance your knowledge of the discipline of psychology applied in work settings. To achieve this the course content emphasises the application of high-quality psychological research to real-world concerns and issues in the workplace.

Course Practicalities
Entry Routes

For psychology graduates - Masters in Work and Organisational Psychology
For non-psychology graduates - Masters in Work and Organisational Behaviour
This programme is delivered via a blended learning format. This offers students greater flexibility in directing and scheduling their learning. As a guide, this means that students can expect approximately 50% of their core modules to be delivered online and 50% in face-to-face sessions on campus.

The modules incorporate a combination of self-guided online materials, web-based lectures and seminars, occasional online discussion groups, and online assessments. All Part One core classes* are scheduled for one day per week from 2pm-8pm on campus. Students can benefit from face-to-face contact with staff and peers during campus lectures while still enjoying the flexibility and widened access afforded by online learning.

*Electives may vary from this schedule and some require attendance on campus outside of the core hours of 2pm-8pm.

Part I (60 credits total)

Core Modules (50 credits)

AP6016 Research Methods and Data Analysis (10 credits)
AP6169 Learning, Well-Being and Participation at Work (10 credits)
AP6166 Personnel Selection and Assessment (10 credits)
AP6170 Professional Skills (5 credits)
MG6020 Changing, Leading and Developing Organisations (5 credits)
AP6168 Designing in Work and Workplaces (10 credits)
Elective Modules (choose 10 credits)

AP6159 Positive Organisational Psychology (5 credits)
AP6160 Private Practice (5 credits)
AP6161 Coaching Skills (5 credits)
AP6176 Cognitive Enhancement (5 credits)
Part II (30 credits)

AP6171 Research Dissertation in Applied Psychology (Work and Organisational Psychology) (30 credits)
See the University Calendar (MA Work and Organisational Psychology/Behaviour) for more information.

Part-Time Option
The 90-credit part-time MA in Work and Organisational Psychology/Behaviour runs over two calendar years (24 months):

Part I comprises modules worth 60 credits running across Semesters 1 and 2 of Year 1, and Semester 1 of Year 2.
Part II comprises a research dissertation worth 30 credits, which is submitted at the end of the summer in Year 2.
Modules

Further details on the modules listed above can be found in our Book of Modules. Any modules listed above are indicative of the current set of modules for this course but are subject to change from year to year.

University Calendar

You can find the full academic content for the current year of any given course in our University Calendar.

MA Work and Organisational Psychology
A primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) in Psychology.

Satisfy the eligibility requirements for graduate membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland or the British Psychological Society. This can be demonstrated by:

Evidence that your undergraduate degree is accredited by the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the British Psychological Society (BPS) or
Evidence from the BPS that they consider your undergraduate degree to be equivalent to a PSI/BPS accredited degree, in terms of granting you eligibility for graduate membership of the society.

A second-class honours grade one degree is required. Consideration under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) will be given to second class honours grade two (level 8 degree) candidates, where for example an applicant has relevant work experience or has performed impressively in another Master's degree acceptable to the School selection committee. In such cases, the applicant should set out the grounds upon which they wish to be considered in the supplementary statement and/or interview.

MA Work and Organisational Behaviour

An undergraduate degree that includes subjects related to the area (e.g. business, psychology, human resource management, organisational behaviour, sociology of work). Applicants with a Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8)in any discipline and a minimum of three years of relevant work experience will also be considered.

A Second Class Honours Grade I in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) degree is required. Consideration will be given to Second Class Honours Grade II in a primary honours degree (NFQ, Level 8) candidates, where for example an applicant has relevant work experience or has performed impressively in another Master's degree acceptable to the School selection committee. In such cases, the applicant should set out the grounds upon which they wish to be considered in the supplementary statement and/or interview.
Eligible candidates may be interviewed.

Entry Criteria

The criteria for selection includes:

Academic performance.
Demonstrated interest in, or work experience relevant to, work psychology.
Application Process

An application must be made online at the UCC application portal and includes a 500-word personal statement, giving reasons for applying to the course including a statement about career objectives. Statements will be evaluated on the basis of:

Demonstrating some awareness of work and organisational psychology.

Showing evidence of how this master fits with careers interests and objectives.

Shortlisted candidates may also be interviewed.

For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland
Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.

International/Non-EU Applicants
For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.

English Language Requirements
Applicants that are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements. Please visit our PG English Language Requirements page for more information.

The closing date for non-EU applications is 30 June 2023

How Do I Apply
1. Check Dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the fact file boxes at the top of the page.

For Irish and EU applicants we operate a rounds system and you can check the rounds closing dates here.
Note that not all our programmes are subject to the rounds system so check the opening and closing dates for your specific programme in the fact file boxes above.

2. Gather Documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:

Original qualification documents listed on your application including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
Any supplementary items requested for your course if required.

3. Apply Online: Apply online via the UCC online application portal. Note the majority of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.

Any questions? Use our web enquiry form to contact us.

Additional Requirments (All Applicants)

Course Codes

MA in Work and Organisational Psychology - MAWOP
MA in Work and Organisational Behaviour - MAWOB

Please note you will be required to provide additional information as part of the online application process for this programme. This will include the following questions:

You may enter the details of professional or voluntary positions held. We strongly encourage you to complete this section with all relevant work experiences that will support your application.

In addition to your previously declared qualifications, please outline any additional academic courses, self-learning and professional training relevant to this programme.

Please describe your motivation and readiness for this programme. All Applicants will be asked to complete a statement as part of the online application process for this programme. This 500-word statement should include the applicant's reasons for applying to the course at UCC and a statement about how this programme fits with the applicant's career objectives. Where appropriate applicants may also wish to specify how their previous degree course and work experience will contribute to their performance in this MA programme.

Applicants for the MA in Work and Organisational Psychology option will also be required to show evidence that their qualifications in Psychology satisfy the eligibility requirements for graduate membership of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Please note the following:

Eligible candidates may be interviewed at the selection stage.
Please note that if your application is successful, deferrals are not permitted on this programme.
Deposit
Please note that successful EU applicants will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of €500 on acceptance of their place.

Deferrals
Deferrals are not permitted on this programme.

Assessment
There are a mix of assessments for this programme including on-line assessments, written reports and essays, examinations and a research dissertation.

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Start Date: 4 September 2020

Skills and Careers Information
Graduates of this programme can look forward to a wide range of career options across both the public and private sectors applying psychology at work. Graduates may enter careers as work and organisational psychologists, or may consider careers in human resource management, human resource development, consultancy, organizational research, or academic/research careers.

To date, a number of our alumni have been recruited nationally and internationally as an outcome of completing this MA in Work and Organisational Psychology/Behaviour. For alumni who were already in employment, a number of our former students were subsequently promoted to new roles. Examples of areas where alumni ended up working include Human Resources positions, organisers or facilitators of Organisational Development and Change/Community Development initiatives, occupational psychologists in training, and consultants (e.g., recruitment and selection).