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Business Psychology with Coaching at Heriot-Watt University - UCAS

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2025 - 20262026 - 2027
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

The MSc Psychology with Coaching programme at Heriot-Watt University is the most established master’s degree of its kind in Europe as it has a well-earned reputation for producing graduates who can improve the performance and behaviour of individuals and teams. Coaching psychology is a thriving area of applied psychology which deals with professional and personal issues practically. There is a growing demand for experts in evidence-based coaching who can offer effective non-clinical interventions to help individuals and teams by increasing productivity, managing talent and dealing with conflict, stress and change. This demand exists across several sectors and areas of performance, including:

  • occupational
  • educational
  • health
  • counselling
  • sports psychology
  • leadership
  • management
  • organisational development
  • human resources
This degree programme balances practical and theoretical learning to ensure that you’ll make positive and effective contributions that help people and organisations flourish. You’ll learn to apply positive psychology through tried and tested coaching practices and combine this with an understanding of established theory from business psychology. You’ll develop numeracy and ICT skills using statistics software packages and by conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis. You’ll also be able to develop communication skills through coursework and group discussions/presentations. You’ll learn key skills that can be applied in the workplace through various wider roles such as management, consultancy and HR, as well as specialised coaching roles such as executive coach, talent management, career coaching and mentoring. Expertise Our MSc Business Psychology with Coaching degree is taught by experienced researchers and practitioners from the fields of psychology, counselling and coaching. Their expertise and experience will help you develop key skills for a career in coaching in the workplace or as a step to becoming an accredited coach for other contexts such as education, counselling or sports. Your learning environment The MSc Business Psychology with Coaching programme at Heriot-Watt University has excellent research facilities such as eye trackers, driving simulators and consistent environment labs which will support your independent research projects.   This degree is taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical coaching sessions and seminars involving multiple modes of learning including case studies, workshops, research papers and electronic formats. You’ll also take part in specifically designed group tasks and presentations which will allow you to develop your interpersonal and communication skills, giving you the platform to implement your expertise and directly improve the performance of diverse groups of individuals and teams at any level within an organisation. You’ll be assessed through a mix of formative and summative assessments. You’ll receive support and feedback throughout the programme. Customise your learning You’ll learn from eight courses on the syllabus and take part in an independent project. Every course focuses on enhancing your subject-specific knowledge and will allow you to develop your research skills which can be applied to coursework and your postgraduate project. You can choose whether to study the programme full-time or part-time. This flexibility allows you to fit your postgraduate studies around your lifestyle.   Accreditation MSc Business Psychology with Coaching is accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) as continuing coach education (CCE). Therefore, a number of hours from the postgraduate courses can be used to apply for the personal credentialing process if you wish to pursue accredited coach status with the ICF. A certification is issued on completion of these hours.

Modules

Mandatory September -Intercultural Communication in the Workplace -Coaching Psychology -Organisational Culture -Social and Organisational Change Mandatory January -Coaching Psychology Practice -Selection and Assessment: Tools and Techniques in Business Psychology -Psychology of Leadership -Research Methods Mandatory May -Independent Project in Psychology

Assessment method

You will be assessed by coursework, exams, and your research project, and will receive support and feedback throughout the programme.

How to apply

International applicants

If your first language is not English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability. The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with no score lower than 5.5 except for writing which must be at 6.0 minimum.

Entry requirements

A minimum of honours degree at 2:2 or non-UK equivalent in a relevant subject. Whilst we can consider applicants from a wide range of academic backgrounds such as psychology, sociology, politics, business, linguistics, journalism, we hope to see demonstrable evidence of numeracy through statistics or maths. We hope to see evidence of having undertaken an empirical research project or research design and analysis module. Applicants with work or project experience in a related helping professions role will be taken into consideration, please include your CV as part of your application. We welcome applications from international students and accept qualifications from around the world. Please refer to the entry requirements for your country for more details. English language requirements If your first language is not English, we'll need to see evidence of your English language ability. The minimum English language requirement for entry to this programme is IELTS 6.0 (or equivalent) with no score lower than 5.5 except for writing which must be at 6.0 minimum. If you do not have IELTS 6.0, we offer a range of English language courses to help you meet the English language requirement for this programme prior to commencing your studies.

English language requirements

Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not been educated previously in the English language must provide evidence of their English language ability to ensure they can cope with the demands of a Heriot-Watt programme taught and assessed in English. Further information about the English Language tests that we currently accept as proof of English Language ability including our own English Language programmes, can be viewed on our website.

HWU English Language Requirements

https://www.hw.ac.uk/study/entry/english-language-requirements.htm

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £10528 Whole course
Northern Ireland £10528 Whole course
Scotland £10528 Whole course
Wales £10528 Whole course
International £21192 Whole course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For part-time, the tuition fee is: £5,264 for UK Nationals and £10,596 for International Applicants.

Sponsorship information

Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.

Business Psychology with Coaching at Heriot-Watt University - UCAS