Organizational Psychology
MPhil/PhD
Course Overview
An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck.
The MPhil/PhD in Organizational Psychology aims to train you to conduct research of a high academic standard and to make an original contribution to the subject through your thesis. It will not only prepare you to undertake research for your own dissertation, but will also equip you to be able to evaluate research results and reports more widely.
Our research interests include: selection and assessment; training; organisational communication; organisation studies and organisational sociology; well-being and emotion; technology development and organisational change; human resource management; employment and psychological contracts; pay; careers and innovation. We also have expertise in, and are committed to, both qualitative and quantitative research techniques.
Please note, the PhD in Organizational Psychology is a research degree. If you are a practitioner, our Professional Doctorate in Occupational Psychology and associated British Psychological Society and Health and Care Professions Council accreditations might be more suitable.
Before submitting an application, please ensure that you read the submission guidelines carefully, and note that research proposals should be no longer than 1500 words (excluding references).
Key Information
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Organizational Psychology MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2022–23
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Organizational Psychology MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2022–23
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Organizational Psychology MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2023–24
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Organizational Psychology MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2023–24
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Highlights
- Birkbeck is one of the world’s leading research-intensive institutions. Our cutting-edge scholarship informs public policy, achieves scientific advances, supports the economy, promotes culture and the arts, and makes a positive difference to society.
- Birkbeck’s research excellence was confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
- You will get access to superb library resources, including: Birkbeck Library, including our electronic library, the British Library, Senate House (University of London) Library and libraries in the Bloomsbury area.
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Entry Requirements
Good first degree or master's qualification in a relevant subject area.
Applicants who do not hold a master's degree in a relevant subject may be required to take some MSc modules.
English Language Requirements
If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.
If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.
Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.
Visa requirements
If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.
The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:
- Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
- Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa
International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).
For full information, read our visa information for international students page.
Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant requirements by country.
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Fees
Organizational Psychology MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time or 4 years full-time, on campus, Starting in academic year 2022–23 or 2023–24
Academic year 2022–23, starting October 2022, January 2023, April 2023
Part-time home students: £2,439 per year
Full-time home students: £4,596 per year
Part-time international students: £6,825 per year
Full-time international students: £13,500 per yearAcademic year 2023–24, starting October 2023, January 2024, April 2024
To be confirmed
Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their programme. Tuition fees for students continuing on their programme in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy.
Fees and finance
PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.
Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost. Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.
Named in memory of Birkbeck’s former President, and one of the greatest historians of the twentieth century, the Eric Hobsbawm Postgraduate Scholarship fund offers financial assistance for research expenses (including travel, accommodation, conference fees and particular training needs) to doctoral students in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, subject to availability.
The School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy attracts funding for studentships that ensure researchers ofthe highest standard can pursue their research with us. Find out more about research funding opportunities at Birkbeck.
Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.
International Scholarships
We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship.
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Our research culture
Birkbeck's Department of Organizational Psychology is the only specialist department of its kind in the UK and has a long-standing reputation. It engages in significant collaborative research and has excellent contacts with many public and private sector organisations, professional bodies and researchers at other academic institutions.
As a research student, you will receive training in theory and research methodology during your first year (full-time) or two years (part-time), provided partly by the department and partly by other University of London institutions. You will also complete an annual report on your progress. You will be invited to attend research student seminars held four or five times each term at Birkbeck in the evenings. We offer a wide range of student support and study facilities.
Find out more about studying for an MPhil/PhD in Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck.
Read more about our vibrant research culture and watch interviews with our Organizational Psychology staff.
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How to apply
Contact our admissions tutor, Dr Rebecca Whiting, for further details.
Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:
1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.
2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. You can look at the Find a Supervisor area on this page for an overview, or search our Experts’ Database or browse our staff pages for more in-depth information. You may also find it helpful to view the research projects of our current students.
3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the department they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.) Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research.
4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding. Find out more about writing a research proposal.
5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the online application link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.
Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe.
APPLICATION DEADLINES AND INTERVIEWS
You can apply at any time during the year. Entry months for the programme are October, January and April of each year.
If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.
Apply for your course
Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section.
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Finding a supervisor
A critical factor when applying for postgraduate study in organisational psychology is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors within the department.
To find out more about the research interests of our academic staff, please see our staff pages
Please be aware, however, that not all staff are taking new PhD applicants, for example, if they are already at doctoral supervision capacity or intending to retire in the next academic year or so.
