Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology

The Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology is a two-year full-time psychology course that includes nine coursework units, a research project and 1000 hours of practical placement spread over three different settings.

Industrial and Organisational Psychology is a specialist area that applies psychological knowledge and skills to workplaces with the aim of improving organisational effectiveness and the quality of work life.

The specialty focuses on deriving principles of individual, group and organisational behaviour and applying this knowledge to the solution of problems at work.

The skills developed are in line with the essential core capabilities and attributes required by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and the Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) College of Organisational Psychologists for postgraduate professional courses.

This course offers training in the following areas:

• Psychological assessment for enhanced personnel selection outcomes
• Improving work design to enhance employee effectiveness, wellbeing and safety
• Applying principles of human factors to optimise human-system interactions
• Implementing organisational change initiatives effectively
• Undertaking effective research in organisations

The University welcomes and encourages Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to consider applying for entry into our postgraduate psychology programs. For our Master of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, there are two places reserved for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students. These applicants must meet criteria for applying, including securing a PhD supervisor (for the combined programs). Applicants will be evaluated on their academic achievement, personal statement, curriculum vitae, referee reports, and performance on an interview to ensure that they have the preparedness to undertake the program. These two places are being reserved as part of an exception of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 [s51], which is being applied to achieve equality. If you would like more information about this pathway, as well as scholarships, please contact Associate Professor Iliana Magiati ([email protected]).

Psychology can take you anywhere and everywhere. Psychology is relevant to almost any human endeavour, meaning a psychology degree, or some complementary psychology studies, are relevant not only for traditional psychology careers, but for a wide range of careers. 

Teaching excellence

• Learn from experts who operate at the cutting edge of the discipline. We don’t just teach the textbooks, we conduct the work in the textbooks.
• Our teaching standards are high and teaching is constantly evaluated by our students. Our scores are among the best at UWA, with about 90 per cent of our students agreeing or strongly agreeing that we provide a good educational experience.
• We offer fantastic student support staff to provide you with advice and guidance.

Research excellence

• You'll be involved in the cutting-edge research from your first year of postgraduate study.
• Our School has received the top rating of 5 in all three rounds of the Commonwealth’s Excellence in Research for Australia exercises (2010, 2012, 2015). Our research is rated as 'well above world standard'. We are one of only two Australian psychology schools to achieve this.
• We consistently rank in the top 100 psychology departments in the world (QS World University Rankings by Subject) and are the only WA school in the top 100.

Industry connections

• We offer work-integrated learning through our large network of corporate partners.
• Our postgraduate programs are leading the way in terms of research-integration, evidence-based practice and innovation. Our students are in high demand across many sectors.
• UWA is an international hub for the areas of Business and Industrial and Organisational Psychology, and we have strong links with various industries.
• Our clinical programs are recognised as among the very best in the country, and we have extensive networks with clinical service providers.

Student choice

• UWA courses are progressive, flexible, and benchmarked against the world’s best.
• Flexibility means you're not locked into a named degree from first year.
• Graduates are equipped with communication and critical thinking skills at the highest international standards, and are trained to have a interdisciplinary, global perspective.