Welcome to Personnel and Business Psychology (PWP)
© IfP - Robert Matzke

The master’s concentration in personnel and business psychology (PWP) teaches students the latest research findings and areas of competence in psychology in working and business contexts. It optimally prepares students for diverse and innovative professional activities as psychologists in these areas, e.g. in personnel selection or personnel development, as team or project managers, in management consultancies, in corporate health management, as change managers in organisational development (e.g. for more sustainability), for founding start-ups or designing software and information systems. In addition, the concentration offers excellent opportunities for pursuing doctoral qualification and an academic career.

Prof. Dr Guido Hertel, chair of Organisational and Business Psychology, and Prof. Dr Carmen Binnewies, chair of Work Psychology, are responsible for the specific content of this concentration.

Due to the broad scope of expertise represented by three chairs and working units (Organisational and Business Psychology, Prof. Dr Guido Hertel; Work Psychology, Prof. Dr Carmen Binnewies; Psychology of Entrepreneurship, Asst. Prof. Dr Philipp Schäpers), the PWP programme in Münster offers a broad and unique spectrum of courses in the field of work, organisational and business psychology with opportunities for further specialisation during one’s course of study.

In addition, students acquire in-depth knowledge in psychological diagnostics, methodology, and science communication together with students from the other concentrations.

  • Who is the master’s concentration intended for?

    The master's concentration in personnel and business psychology is targeted at students who ...

    • enjoy supporting and training professionals and managers
    • want to make work processes in organisations (companies, administrations, clinics etc.) more efficient and healthier
    • like to develop new and innovative solutions for challenges in the work environment
    • enjoy working with people and teams
    • want to make a difference
    • want to become self-employed or found a start-up
    • use scientific models and methods to solve practical problems
    • like to have flexible options for their own career development
    • would like to research new topics in the field of work and economy

  • What career prospects does the master’s concentration offer?

    The concentration in personnel and business psychology (PWP) prepares students for diverse and innovative professional activities as psychologists in the field of work and business, for example ...

    • in personnel selection
    • in personnel development
    • as a team or project manager
    • in management consultancies
    • in corporate health management
    • as a change manager in organisational development (e.g. for more sustainability)
    • as a user-experience consultant or usability engineer in software and IT design
    • for the foundation of start-ups  
    • subsequent doctoral degree and academic career

  • What content is taught and how?

    According to our mission statement, the master’s concentration in personnel and business psychology aims to educate future “scientific innovators” who can address current and future personnel and business psychology issues and challenges based on a foundation of knowledge and evidence. Building on prior knowledge of industrial and organisational psychology gained in a BSc programme, the master’s concentration provides in-depth competence in the following areas:

    • systematic analysis and design of work processes
    • analysis of organisational processes, implementation and evaluation of employee surveys (e.g. online)
    • occupational safety
    • recruitment and selection of employees (from requirements analysis to onboarding)
    • leadership and motivation
    • training, coaching and personnel development
    • team diagnosis and team development
    • change management and organisational development
    • negotiation and conflict management
    • corporate health management
    • stress prevention and stress management
    • electronic HR management (e.g. e-leadership, virtual teamwork, online assessment, machine-learning applications)
    • human-computer interaction, user experience and online research
    • marketing and advertising psychology
    • evaluation of business psychology processes

    In addition, the master’s concentration enables students to gain a variety of additional qualifications, such as the "License E for aptitude diagnosticians for job-related aptitude assessments according to DIN 33430". This license makes it easier for companies to identify knowledgeable experts for personnel selection procedures and represents an important contribution to quality assurance. The Organisational & Business Psychology department at the University of Münster is the first university institute in Germany to help students acquire DIN 33430 certification.

    In addition, practice-oriented concepts are developed for dealing with current and future challenges in the work world, e.g. with respect to demographic changes, the integration of professionals from abroad, the digitalisation of work and improving the sustainability of work organisations.

    The core modules of the master’s concentration in personnel and business psychology are usefully supplemented by modules from other psychological disciplines (diagnostics, methodology, educational psychology). Modules from related subjects on topics of business administration, occupational medicine and labour law round off the training programme.

  • Examination regulations, programme structure, performance overview and module handbook

    The examination regulations contain all the rules and requirements for the MSc Psychology programme with a concentration in personnel and business psychology (PWP). The programme structure shows the ideal course of study. In the performance overview you will find all required coursework and degree-relevant examinations which must be completed in order to graduate. Here, you can download the programme structure and performance overview. You will find descriptions of all the courses in the module handbook, which also contains the examination regulations.

  • Connecting research and practical application

    The master’s concentration in personnel and business psychology (PWP) prepares students for the demands of professional practice as well as further research work. The Organisational Consulting and Professional Training Office (BFO) provides key support in this regard, arranging practical contacts for theses, internships and project seminars. In addition, courses are sometimes offered in cooperation with corporate partners. Relevant research findings are then discussed and translated into concepts suitable for practical application.

    By connecting research and practical application, students are offered attractive opportunities for master’s theses as a central module in the second half of the programme. The master’s thesis sets the course for one’s future career entry. Due to the size and diversity of the programme in Münster, students can explore topics from the entire breadth of personnel & business psychology, from laboratory studies to field studies as practical projects in companies. Examples of master theses can be found under theses supervised by Prof. Hertel and theses supervised by Prof. Binnewies.

    The master’s thesis as well as the integration of various external partners in our courses offer important orientation for potential fields of activity and career paths in business psychology, and thus for your further professional career. Contacts for internships and career entry are also offered at the annual Practical Training Day in Work and Organisational Psychology, which is organised in cooperation with the student association "Psychology in Business and Media e.V.".

    Due to its orientation towards international research, empirically based research results and the frequent involvement of students in current research projects, the master’s concentration in personnel and business psychology also qualifies students for advanced doctoral study and research-related professional activities in the field of industrial and organisational psychology. This is supported by excellent international visibility and networking of our concentration’s instructors which often leads to attractive opportunities for research internships abroad.

  • What do graduates who concentrated in PWP have to say about the programme?

    Former graduates recommend the master’s concentration in personnel and business psychology (PWP) to future psychologists. These include:

    • Dr Maria Douneva - self-employed management consultant and trainer in the field of behavioural science
    • Franziska Eickholt - international HR partner in the area of personnel support at Amazon
    • Julia Kirsch - works in the field of digital education & entrepreneurship, is co-founder of the “amelia Community”, a digital platform for personal development and networking for women at the beginning of their career, and a PhD student at the Entrepreneurship Research Institute of the TU Munich
    • Ole Kittner - managing director in marketing, strategy & communication at SC Preußen Münster
    • Dr Sarah Meeßen - senior consultant in a transformation consultancy for human resources (HR) in the areas of leadership development and selection as well as organisational development
    • Laura Schult - head of performance & talent management at LANXESS.
    • Niklas Schulte - research assistant in the department of Diagnostics, Differential and Personality Psychology at the Freie Universität Berlin
    • Katrin Terwiel - HR executive / vice-president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Deutsche Telekom as well as coach, consultant, trainer and keynote speaker in the field of health and diversity
    • Dr Leon Winscheid - science communicator, e.g. in podcasts, as host on ZDF's Terra Xplore and in live performances
    • Julian Wonner - head of content at troodi, a start-up in the field of digital learning

  • Application

    Please see our information on the regular application process and on special cases in the application process.

    Basically, you begin by applying for admission to the MSc Psychology programme. In the application portal, you should indicate which major you are interested in. If the number of students admitted to the MSc Psychology programme exceeds the number of study places available in this concentration, the study places are allocated by the drawing of lots.