• regular/part time/self study - Info Pack

The principle aim of the prodramme is to equip PhD students with a sound knowledge and understanding of a broad range of topics in occupational psychology. This knowledge includes the appreciation of theory and current quality research. But a particular feature of the programme is its emphasis on helping PhD students to observe how this knowledge can be applied to the workplace. In addition to this, the programme looks at the methodologies used by practicing occupational psychologists when they are analyzing and tackling problems in organizations. PhD students will learn how to interpret situations and identify those to which psychological expertise can be of benefit to an organization and its employees.

Our PhD students and the special faculty committees who guide them usually design a unique program of course work and research areas: critical relevance to business, including talent management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, well-being and work-life balance. The specific tasks performed by PhD Students may vary somewhat based on the specialty area in which they work. Some of them focus on working with: Human-machine interaction - assessing the usability and functionality of a system, such as a computer or workstation, and making recommendations for improvements to ensure ease of use for the operator; Design of work environments - reviewing the ergonomic design of a workplace by assessing the suitability of lighting, noise levels, furniture, etc. and providing recommendations for changes/improvements. Others specialize in studying Personnel selection and assessment - developing, implementing or evaluating employee selection procedures, including psychometric tests, assessment centre exercises and structured interviews; Performance appraisal and career development - providing coaching, guidance and advice to employees or students in order to help them plan and manage their careers.

Education and training in the Ph.D. degree in "Occupational Psychology and Professional Psycho-diagnostic" is based on the scientific potential of the faculty in Department of Psychology and the modern computerized methods of "Laboratory complex for psychology researches". Education realized on the one hand, according to the occurring dynamic changes associated with loss of some profession, development of other and occurrence of third professions and disciplines, and on the other side - according to the dynamic changes in the structure of personality (needs and values) in contemporary socio-economic conditions. Through education and training in the Ph.D. degree in this specialty, PhD students will receive and consolidate not only the necessary theoretical knowledge of managerial and performing activities of human behavior at work, but also will have the opportunity to realize the basic practical skills in the formulation of related scientific order problem, tasks, and statistical hypotheses. Performed research and especially demonstrated skills in its defense are objective evidence of practical skills for conducting experimental work, according to the main tasks of occupational psychology and professional psycho-diagnostic.

The PhD degree usually takes three years to complete, including course work, teaching assistantships, and research. Aside from a small core of courses that all PhD candidates take (eg, multivariate statistics), the program at SWU is tailored to each candidate's interests.

PhD Students typically take 3-4 courses per semester (overview and advanced courses, specialized seminars, statistics, research methods) during their first two years of study and are expected to become actively involved in the research program of one or more faculty members during their first year. A pre-doctoral research thesis must be completed before the Admission to Candidacy Examination, which must be taken by the end of the third year. Supervised teaching experience is required of all PhD students.