What’s more, this one-year programme prepares you to put what you’ve learned into practice: you’ll gain insights into individual characteristics and social processes that shape organisations. You’ll not only understand the theories behind problems you’ll encounter in the workplace – you’ll also learn to apply these theories to everyday work-related situations. Your courses are all taught by people who have experience both in research and in the field and you’ll get real-life practical experience through your internship.
All this means you’ll have a headstart on the labour market as an organisational psychologist once you’ve graduated. You may find work in HR departments for large companies – including in positions like HR manager, trainer, teacher, selection psychologist or internal management consultant. You could also work for a management consultancy as a coach or external management consultant. Selection firms, educational institutions or research institutions are also potential employers. Plus, work and organisational psychologists are much sought after for general management positions.
Additional admission requirements
This specialisation has specific admission requirements. Look under 'Admissions' to see which specific admission requirements .
Research
The research activities of the Organizational Psychology group are combined under the Amsterdam Leadership Lab in collaboration with the Institute for Brain and Behaviour Amsterdam (IBBA). As a Master’s student, you’ll benefit from the expertise and knowledge within the group, while having the opportunity to make your own contribution to both research and practice during your Master’s thesis.
The group is highly international, and cooperates with a wide variety of departments and institutions within VU Amsterdam (the School of Business and Economics, NSCR, Zijlstra Centre), as well as several international universities (Oxford, Singapore, UCLA, Michigan State, Queensland, UWA). The department also has strong contacts with major public and private organisations in the Netherlands, Europe, and beyond.
Leadership, personality and team dynamics are themes that are central to our departmental research programme. Our research looks at questions like:
- What role do personality and leadership play in social interaction?
- How do we optimize selection in organizations?
- Which skills should you possess to stay in control of your feelings, and can self-control be accomplished through training?
- How do you optimize HR and reward systems in the organisations?