Business Psychology

Modules and Teaching

• Starting in October 2026

  • Three years full-time, on campus

    Course structure

    You must complete modules worth a total of 360 credits.

    • Years 1 and 2: eight compulsory modules in each year
    • Year 3: four compulsory modules and a research project

    Year 1 compulsory modules

    • Business Data Analysis
    • Business Information Systems
    • Introduction to Organizational Psychology (Level 4)
    • Personal and Academic Skills for Success
    • Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Psychology
    • Understanding Individual Differences
    • Understanding Management
    • Understanding Organisations

    Year 2 compulsory modules

    • Individual Differences and Psychometrics
    • Learning and Employee Development
    • Motivation, Engagement and Job Design
    • Occupational Health
    • Organizational Behaviour
    • Organizational Change
    • People Management
    • Research Methods (Undergraduate)

    Year 3 compulsory modules

    • Advanced Research Methods
    • Careers and Counselling at Work
    • Group Processes in Organizations
    • Occupational Mental Health

    BSc Business Psychology research project

    • Research Project (Undergraduate)

  • Four years full-time, on campus, with Placement

    Course structure

    You must complete modules worth a total of 480 credits.

    • Year 1: eight compulsory modules
    • Year 2: nine compulsory modules, including an uncredited placement preparation module
    • Year 3: work placement year module
    • Year 4: four compulsory modules and a research project

    Year 1 compulsory modules

    • Business Data Analysis
    • Business Information Systems
    • Introduction to Organizational Psychology (Level 4)
    • Personal and Academic Skills for Success
    • Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Psychology
    • Understanding Individual Differences
    • Understanding Management
    • Understanding Organisations

    Year 2 compulsory modules

    • Individual Differences and Psychometrics
    • Learning and Employee Development
    • Motivation, Engagement and Job Design
    • Occupational Health
    • Organizational Behaviour
    • Organizational Change
    • People Management
    • Preparing for Work
    • Research Methods (Undergraduate)

    Year 3 work placement

    • Work Placement Year

    Year 4 compulsory modules

    • Advanced Research Methods
    • Careers and Counselling at Work
    • Group Processes in Organizations
    • Occupational Mental Health

    BSc Business Psychology research project

    • Research Project (Undergraduate)

  • Four years part-time, on campus

    Course structure

    You must complete modules worth a total of 360 credits.

    • Years 1, 2 and 3: six compulsory modules in each year
    • Year 4: two compulsory modules and a research project

    Year 1 compulsory modules

    • Business Data Analysis
    • Introduction to Organizational Psychology (Level 4)
    • Personal and Academic Skills for Success
    • Understanding Individual Differences
    • Understanding Management
    • Understanding Organisations

    Year 2 compulsory modules

    • Business Information Systems
    • Learning and Employee Development
    • Occupational Health
    • Organizational Change
    • Research Methods (Undergraduate)
    • Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Psychology

    Year 3 compulsory modules

    • Careers and Counselling at Work
    • Group Processes in Organizations
    • Individual Differences and Psychometrics
    • Motivation, Engagement and Job Design
    • Organizational Behaviour
    • People Management

    Year 4 compulsory modules

    • Advanced Research Methods
    • Occupational Mental Health

    BSc Business Psychology research project

    • Research Project (Undergraduate)

• Teaching

  We encourage innovative and engaging ways of teaching to help ensure you have the best learning experience and provide a range of different modes of learning to help you juggle study with work and other commitments.

  Find out more about our teaching and teaching hours.

  What are the methods of teaching?

  Lectures, seminars, tutorials, case studies and presentations. Research methods training also includes practical fieldwork.

• How will I be assessed?

  Examinations are held for approximately half of the assessments; the rest are assessed by coursework in the form of essays, typically 2000-3000 words in length, and case studies, presentations, group work and in-course tests. Research reports are required for the methods teaching. The final research project is assessed 100% by coursework.

  Please see individual modules for more details.

  Find out more about assessment at Birkbeck, including guidance on assessment, feedback and our assessment offences policy.

Entry Requirements

• Full-time study - how many UCAS points do I need?

  • Three years full-time: 112 points (e.g. A-levels BBC)
  • Four years full-time with Placement: 112 points (e.g. A-levels BBC)

  For full-time study on this course, you apply via UCAS. The UCAS tariff score applies if you have recently studied a qualification that has a UCAS tariff equivalence. UCAS provides a tariff calculator for you to work out what your qualification is worth.

• Part-time study

  For part-time study our standard requirements are a minimum of two A-levels or equivalent.

• What GCSEs do I need?

  Applicants will normally be expected to have five GCSEs at grade C or grade 4 or above, including English and mathematics. Applicants who do not hold this level of qualification may be required to carry out a skills audit at a selection evening, which comprises English and mathematics. This audit assesses an applicant's potential to cope with, and benefit from, a particular course of study.

• Alternative entry routes

  Three years full-time or four years part-time: Access to Higher Education Diploma with a minimum of 15 credits achieved at Merit or Distinction in business or accountancy units.

  Three years full-time: Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma - DMM

• What are the English language requirements?

  If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

  If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

  Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

• What are the visa and funding 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 to study on our courses full-time 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 to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

  As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

  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 visa and funding requirements by country.

  Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

• Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

  If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

Fees

• Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

  If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

• Tuition fees and maintenance loans

  Eligible full-time and part-time students from the UK don't have to pay any tuition fees upfront, as government loans are available to cover them.

  Maintenance loans are also available for eligible full-time and part-time UK students, to help cover living costs, such as accommodation, food, travel, books and study materials. The amount you receive is means-tested and depends on where you live and study and your household income.

  Find out more about tuition fee and maintenance loans, and the financial support available to help with your studies at Birkbeck. 

• Am I eligible for a loan if I've previously studied?

  You can apply for a government tuition fee loan for the four- and six-year part-time routes even if you already have a degree or a qualification at an equivalent or higher level (ELQ).

  Find out more about government tuition fee loans and ELQ-exempt courses.

• Can I apply for an international scholarship?

  We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. View Birkbeck's available scholarships.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this BSc Business Psychology, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• written communication skills and project management skills
• team working, time management and writing evidence-based reports
• critical-thinking skills in the evaluation of theory and organisational psychology constructs, to assess their application in organisational contexts 
• an awareness of ethical issues in research and the management of organisational data
• research skills in methodology and analysis that develop your independent examination of areas of interest 
• a broad knowledge base in business and the field of organisational psychology
• a foundation in core business areas such as accounting, marketing and microeconomics.

Graduates can pursue career paths in a range of fields and professions including:

• management and leadership positions
• talent management
• human resources
• marketing
• recruitment coordinator.

They have gone on to work at organisations including:

• Starling Bank
• Bacardi
• The Adecco Group
• Lloyds Banking Group
• NHS mental health trusts
• Campbell Lutyens.

Student Support

How to Apply

• How do I apply to study full-time (UCAS entry)?

  If you are applying for a full-time undergraduate course at Birkbeck you apply through UCAS. Use the Apply now button on this course page which will direct you to UCAS. There you will be prompted to sign in and create an account. You will have to give UCAS a few personal details, including your name, address and date of birth, and then you can start working on your application.

  The first UCAS deadline is in January, and the majority of university applications through UCAS are made by then. Find the exact deadline date on the UCAS website. We welcome applications outside of the UCAS deadlines, so you can still apply through UCAS after the January deadline, depending on the availability of places. We also take late applications via the UCAS Clearing system in August.

• How do I apply to study part-time?

  If you are applying for a part-time undergraduate course (usually four or six years), you apply directly to Birkbeck online by using the Apply now button. You will need to prove your identity when you apply.

  Please note that online application opens in September.

• When should I apply?

  You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places left, and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

  You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

• How can I get help with my application?

  Get all the information you need about the application, admission and enrolment process at Birkbeck.

  Our online personal statement tool will guide you through every step of writing the personal statement part of your application.

• International agents

  If you are an international agent applying to Birkbeck on behalf of an international student, please use Birkbeck's agent portal.