Social and Organisational Psychology (MSc)
- Type
- Master
- Language
- English
- City
- Leiden
- Part of
- Psychology (MSc)
In the Master’s specialisation in Social and Organisational Psychology you study behaviour in formal and informal groups, such as sports or work teams.
Piarella Peralta de Wesseling
Alumna Social and Organisational Psychology
The knowledge that I have acquired during my study, I use on a daily basis. The knowledge that is obvious for us S&O psychologists, is for other people often new and unknown.
Even statistics is usefull in my job, which I use to solve social problems. Even if you decide to choose a different direction after having completed your master's degree, Psychology is still a very good basis and you will have a high academic level.
Prof. Dr. Eric van Dijk
Professor of Psychology and Social Decision Making
“How can we translate the insights of psychological theory into practice? This simple yet crucial question underlies most of the courses we offer at Leiden University. To be able to change behaviour, you first of all need a firm theoretical basis that helps you under¬stand where it comes from.
It is not an easy task, however, to put theory into practice. To relate the complexities of daily life to psychological theory, you need to practise; you need to be able to simplify while maintaining enough detail to appreciate the uniqueness of the particular situation you wish to examine. You need to combine insights from different theories, and to approach the problem from different angles.
To do this, new skills have to be developed. To this end, our students practise in small groups where they discuss the difficulties they encounter, present their ideas, and conduct their own research, together with our professional staff.
The challenges are many. In my own specialisation, Social and Organisational Psychology, we study, for example, how people approach cultural diversity. When is it a threat? How can you make people realize that it also offers new opportunities? We can use our social psychological theories to find ways to reduce the threats and reap the benefits that lay ahead. The focus on the symbiosis between theory and practice is evident in all our specialisations. We strive for a fertile environment where sound theory results in good practice. Take a look at what we offer, and join us if you share our enthusiasm!”
What does this master's programme entail?
Do you want to understand how people function in groups and organisations? You discover how people’s thoughts, feelings and decisions are influenced by other people.
Reasons to choose Social and Organisational Psychology at Leiden University
- The Social and Organisational department has a lot of very interesting research projects. You can possibly write your thesis or do an internship at one of these projects.
- You have a lot of freedom within Social and Organisational Psychology to choose the subjects you like most, for your internship, thesis and elective courses.
- Theory and practise are closely related in this specialisation.
- Examples from your daily life will be used in the coursework, which will make the discussions actual and relevant.
- Because your knowledge as a Social and Organisational Psychologist is relevant in nearly every workfield, you can work for a lot of different organisations, in a wide variety of functions.
Social and Organisational Psychology: the right programme for you?
The Leiden programme has a core curriculum that integrates social and organisational theory and practice. Building on this common body of knowledge, you can focus on different issues. You choose specific topics for your course assignments, thesis and internship, or you select specific elective courses, depending on your interests and ambitions. The staff of the Social and Organisational Psychology specialisation offer a wide range of topics, with the option to participate in flourishing research programmes on cultural diversity, leadership, economic decision-making and environmental behaviour.