Coaching psychology is a thriving area of applied psychology which deals with professional and personal issues in a practical way.

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 a number of sectors and areas of performance, including: • occupational • educational • health • counselling • sports psychology • leadership • management • organisational development • human resources.

Heriot-Watt University's masters degree in business psychology is the most established MSc of its kind in Europe, enjoying a well-earned reputation for producing graduates who can improve the performance and behaviour of individuals and teams. This programme, MSc Business Psychology with Coaching, balances practical and theoretical learning to ensure that graduates can make positive and effective contributions that help people and organisations flourish. Students will learn to apply positive psychology through tried and tested coaching practices and combine this with an understanding of established theory from business psychology.

Students' learning will be guided by experienced researchers and practitioners from the fields of psychology, counselling and coaching. Their expertise and experience will help students 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.

These skills can also be applied in the workplace through various wider roles such as management, consultancy and HR, as well as through specific coaching roles such as executive coach, talent management, career coaching and mentoring.

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 MSc courses can be used to apply for the personal credentialing process should the student wish to pursue accredited coach status with the ICF. A certificate is issued on completion of these hours.