Psychology and Business Management

Psychology and business management is a combination that brings scientific understanding of human behaviour together with the analytical and practical knowledge needed to understand and lead organisations. Psychology provides insights into how people think, learn, decide, communicate and are motivated, while business management provides the frameworks of strategy, operations, marketing, finance and organisational behaviour within which those human processes play out. Together, they produce graduates with an unusually grounded understanding of why organisations succeed or struggle and what it takes to manage people and processes effectively.

At the University of Derby, this three-year programme has research at its heart, designed to help you become an effective, skilled and forward-thinking psychologist while also learning about organisations, their management and the global environments in which they operate. The programme includes a foundation year for students who benefit from an additional year of preparation before the main degree, a sandwich placement year that provides substantial professional experience, and work placement opportunities throughout that connect your academic study to real organisations. The combination of psychological insight and management knowledge is developed through an applied and intellectually rigorous curriculum.

Graduates in psychology and business management enter a wide range of careers. The business management dimension opens pathways in general management, marketing, human resources, consulting and operations, while the psychology element is particularly valuable in roles that involve understanding and influencing people, including human resources, organisational development, management consulting, leadership coaching, user experience research and market research. Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in occupational psychology, clinical psychology, business administration or human resource management.

The combination is also strong preparation for professional qualifications in areas such as chartered occupational psychology.