Occupational Health Psychology (MSc)
In the specialisation Occupational Health Psychology, part of the Master in Psychology, you will integrate knowledge of several disciplines in psychology, with a clear focus on workers and their work setting.
Part of
Dafne Turk
What does my average study week look like?

'On average, I am on campus two days a week, depending on the courses. The rest of the time, I...
... prepare for classes or work on my thesis. In class, there is plenty of interaction, and we actively engage with the topics. Deadlines are always on Friday at 17:00, which already teaches us about maintaining a healthy work-life balance!'
Lisa Wieriks
How would I convince someone who is unsure whether this master's specialisation is the right fit for them?

'By pointing out the small, close-knit groups, the mix of different psychological disciplines and brilliant lecturers who...
... make you want to listen to the lecture instead of shopping on your laptop. In this master’s specialisation you quickly get to know your course mates, which makes you feel safe and free to share anything. The combination of different courses also ensures you can apply an integrated view to real-life cases and means this specialisation never gets boring.'
What does this master's programme entail?
Are you interested in the new but rapidly developing area within psychology? “Occupational Health Psychology concerns the application of psychology to improving the quality of work life and to protecting and promoting the safety, health and well-being of workers” (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health – NIOSH). Occupational Health Psychology is designed to address the contemporary societal concerns for occupational health and safety. The term ‘health’ in ‘occupational health psychology’ does not only include workers’ physical state, but also emotional, cognitive, motivational and behavioural aspects.
Reasons to choose Occupational Health Psychology at Leiden University
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Leiden University is the only university in The Netherlands where you can study this unique specialisation.
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Occupational Health Psychology is widely oriented at the job market; from researcher to consultant, coach or HR manager
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You will learn to look at the context of the workplace from different disciplines: Health Psychology, Social and Organisational Psychology and Applied Cognitive Psychology. This makes Occupational Health Psychology a very versatile specialisation.
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You will study relevant subjects, like stress, safety and work-life balance. You can make a real difference to the well-being of people.
Occupational Health Psychology: the right programme for you?
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Watch the video on the original website orThe master’s specialisation Occupational Health Psychology in Leiden includes courses from three disciplines in psychology: health psychology, social and organisational psychology and applied cognitive psychology. Besides the mandatory courses students can choose an internship position, a thesis subject and several electives of their own interest within these various disciplines in psychology. In this way students are able to choose specific topics depending on their own interest and ambitions. The integrative approach and the combination of theory with analysis of realistic case studies make the master’s specialisation in Occupational Health Psychology at Leiden University unique and useful for a wide range of careers.