Master's Thesis Social, Health and Organisational Psychology, track Work and Organisation

Course goals

In the thesis the student learns to function independently as a researcher in the domain of Work and Organisational Psychology. The thesis involves a literature-based, empirical quantitative study, resulting in a written report that includes both scientific and practical implications.  
 
After completion of the thesis, the student is able to independently conduct simple psychological research. In addition, the student will have acquired basic skills to write a scientific report in a format that is commonly used in the field.
 
Relation between examination and aims
The following aspects will be assessed: theoretical insight, research skills, work attitude, quality of oral presentation, quality of the thesis report. The assessment of the quality of the report covers every stage of the research cycle: formulation of the problem, in-depth theoretical study, design of the study, data collection, data analysis, and reporting. A specification of the assessment criteria can be found in the guidelines on Brightspace.

Content

Work and Organisational Psychology examines the behavior of individuals in workplace contexts. This field explores the causes and effects of behavior across three levels: individual, team, and organisational.
For a master’s thesis, the topic should align with the specific expertise and research topics of a supervisor. Additionally, the department is exploring collaborations with external internship organisations, emphasising knowledge development and/or behavioral change interventions.
Current research topics in the department include, for example:

• work engagement
• burnout
• authenticity at work
• leadership
• work-family balance
• gender issues at work
• moral behavior in organisations
• diversity in the workplace
• flexible workplace strategies
• performance and productivity
• job crafting
• self-regulation
• career development
• lifetime employability
• organisational justice

The regulations concerning the thesis can be found on Brightspace. Further information about the thesis can be obtained via the coordinator of the master track Work and Organisation, Dr. Tom Damen (SHOP_Workandorganisation@uu.nl)