MSc Occupational Psychology students make move from MSc to PhD
Two current MSc Occupational Psychology students have decided to continue with their studies and embark on a PhD journey at SBS.
Sarah Shepherd is one of the two students. She left full-time employment in 2019 to return to full-time education with the hopes of becoming a psychologist. She had previously spent most of her working life in the NHS, and a short stint in Hospitality where her interest was in training and development. She returned to university (UWS) to complete her BSc in Psychology, graduating with a first-class honours in 2023. After graduating in July 2023, she went on to start the MSc in Occupational Psychology.
She said, “I always wanted to push myself as far as possible in terms of academic learning, so a PhD was something I felt I wanted. When I broached the subject of further study with my lecturers, they were incredibly supportive and helped me define what my PhD might look like. The idea of a PhD is incredibly daunting, and for me, almost like a pipe dream. As cheesy as this next statement is, when you have lecturers who make you feel like you can achieve anything, it is much easier to take that leap.”
Sarah will be looking to explore women in the workplace and barriers both in entering the workplace and in the movement into leadership.
Read Sarah’s full blog here: https://www.sbs.strath.ac.uk/blogs/SBS/post.aspx?id=1591
Classmate Vivian Schmiedecke did a BSc in Psychology before doing the MSc Occupational Psychology at SBS. She said, “I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The content was interesting and diverse. The teaching staff was passionate and provided us with both extensive theoretical and practical insights. Throughout the course, an effort was made to support our introduction into the field of occupational psychology and thereby our future careers.
“I particularly enjoyed the variety that the course offered in terms of assignments and instruction formats. Moreover, I want to highlight the additional opportunities that we had outside of lectures such as workshops, conference attendance and excursions.
On deciding to do a PhD, she added, “I enjoy the process of conducting research. I am also interested in teaching at a university level. I would like to deepen my knowledge in the field of occupational psychology and I decided to do a PhD as it offered all three aspects. My PhD is situated within the study of individual differences, in particular the assessment of such.
“I'm looking forward to continuing my education at Strathclyde. I think it's great that I already know the university and its facilities as well as my supervisors and some of my fellow students!”