MSc Organisational and Social Psychology

Why do people in organisations think and behave the way they do? How can we use psychology to help organisations and employees be successful? How should organisations change and adapt for the future? Can we improve wellbeing? Get the answers on this world-leading master’s degree, taught at our campus in London.

This programme examines the psychology of organisations and investigates how employee behaviour and organisational outcomes are shaped by leadership, culture, identity, social norms, and wellbeing. Drawing upon the science of organisational and social psychology, you’ll explore how organisations can foster the processes – for instance, innovation, change, decision-making, inclusivity, and teamwork – that ensure indivudual and collective success.

Guided by experienced social and organisational psychologists, you’ll study classic and contemporary research and learn how to use different methodologies to diagnose and address organisational processes. The curriculum includes core courses on social psychology and research methods, alongside optional courses on topics such as organisational culture, organisational development, identity and social relations, and many others.

The programme is perfect if you’re looking to specialise in an area of applied psychology or if you have experience working in organisations and organisational consultancy. You’ll acquire highly transferable skills to help you influence and improve organisational culture and performance in many different settings.

Our graduates land rewarding roles in consulting, organisational development and change, behavioural insights research, HR, training government and not-for-profit organisations, and academia. Many also follow a route as entrepreneurs or return to organisations in new roles.

LSE was recently ranked first in the UK for psychology (Complete University Guide 2025). So, you’ll be studying in a top-rated education and research environment. As a graduate, you’ll join our lively, active alumni network, with more than 1000 members across five continents.

• A Furnham The Psychology of Behaviour at Work: the individual in the organization (Psychology Press, 2005)
• S A Haslam, Psychology in Organizations: the social identity approach (Sage, 2004)
• E H Schein Organizational culture and leadership (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)
• K E Weick Sensemaking in organizations (Sage, 1995)

Free-to-access publications by OSP faculty that you may wish to read:

• L Garcia-Lorenzo Framing uncertainty: narratives, change and digital technologies (Social Science Information, 2010)
• S McKenna, L Garcia-Lorenzo and T Bridgman Managing, managerial control and managerial identity in the post-bureaucratic world (Journal of Management Development, (29(2), 128-136, 2010)
• L Moskovitz & L Garcia-Lorenzo Changing the NHS a Day at a Time: the role of enactment in the mobilisation and prefiguration of change (Journal of Social and Political Psychology, (4(1), 196-219, 2016)
• I H Gleibs, A Mummendey and P Noack Predictors of change in postmerger identification during a merger process: a longitudinal study (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 1095-1112, 2008)
• Noort, M., Reader, T., Shorrock, S., & Kirwan, B. (2016). The relationship between national culture and safety culture: implications for international safety culture assessments. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89, 515-538
• Reader, T., Mearns, K., Lopes, C. (2017). Organisational support for the workforce and employee safety citizenship behaviours: a reciprocal relationship. Human Relations, 70, 362-385

You'll take three compulsory courses and will chose options to the value of one unit from an approved list. You'll also complete a dissertation of up to 10,000 words on an approved topic of choice. A professional seminar series that runs throughout the year provides you with the opportunity to debate with professionals, managers and consultants working on a variety of organisational contexts.

Browse examples of previous PBS dissertations.

The Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science is a growing community of researchers, academics and students who explore the human mind and behaviour in a societal context.

From our early beginnings as a group of researchers studying psychology and society 50 years ago, the department is now home to an interdisciplinary faculty team conducting wide-ranging research.

Today, our research spans:

• social psychology
• behavioural economics
• political psychology
• organisational culture
• consumer behaviour
• public engagement
• community development
• global health, happiness and well-being
• planetary health.

Our research is connected with what is happening in the world today. The outputs impact policy, business and society at large. This focus on real-world issues sets our department, and LSE, apart from other institutions and our students inform and inspire the direction of our work.

We offer various taught programmes and research opportunities, ranging from our BSc in Psychological and Behavioural Science to doctoral training – all with an emphasis on practical, policy-related issues.

By maintaining this focus on real-world issues and societal impact, our department leads the way with innovative research in the field, the lab and everywhere in between.

So, whether you want to study, research or teach, you’ll find a supportive and inspirational community where you can contribute to global debates and change.

Learn more about our programmes and research.

Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science

Who's who

Lucia Garcia-Lorenzo

Programme Director and Associate Professor in Organisational Social Psychology

Tom Reader

Programme Director and Associate Professor of Organisational Psychology

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified prospective students. At LSE, we want to recruit students with the best academic merit, potential and motivation, irrespective of background.

We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your application form, such as your:

• academic achievement (including predicted and achieved grades)
• statement of academic purpose
• two academic references, but with potential for professional references in some instances - see further information
• CV.

See further information on supporting documents.

You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.

Contact us

Contact Postgraduate Programme Manager Louise Millar on pbs.msc@lse.ac.uk.

Applications for this programme are considered on a rolling basis. This means that applications will close once the programme is full.

There is no fixed deadline. However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section below for more details.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

For this programme, all students pay the same tuition fees, regardless of their fee status.

All taught courses are required to include formative coursework which is unassessed. It's designed to help prepare you for summative assessment which counts towards the course mark and to the degree award. LSE uses a range of formative assessment, such as essays, problem sets, case studies, reports, quizzes, mock exams and many others. Your assessments include examinations, essays and a final dissertation. An indication of the formative coursework and summative assessment for each course can be found in the relevant course guide.

Recent graduates have gained employment worldwide in consultancy, international enterprises and firms, banks, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), or have gone on to obtain PhDs and pursue an academic career.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.

Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.

See LSE Careers for further details.