UCL launches programme leading to Applied Psychology and Management degree from UK’s University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
Speaking about the launch of the new programme, Dr. Harsha Alles, Director – UCL, and Chairman - Gateway Group of Companies said, “We are very excited about this launch. It is a much needed field of study for Sri Lankan industry, as well as Multi-national Companies. Graduates from this programme would be key employees taking businesses forward, since psychology is not restricted to the clinical field any longer. Top businesses are making informed decisions based on consumer behaviour, emotion, trends among age groups, reaction to strategy, resolving conflicts at workplace, etc. We are confident that students who go through this programme will be well-equipped in making positive changes in any
Universal College Lanka (UCL), already in exclusive partnership with Monash College Australia to deliver the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY) and the Diploma programmes has been in operation since Jan 2016. UCL has the vision of providing a guaranteed pathway for Sri Lankan students to enter into globally ranked top-100 universities. Riding on the successful launch and delivery of the Monash programmes, UCL has recently secured anoth- type of industry after learning how psychology-related concepts can be applied to business contexts.”
When inquired about the pathway agreements, Dr. Alles added, “UCL students successfully com- er degree pathway that will enable students to study a combination of Business and Psychology subjects. This new pathway programme – delivered as a 1-year Professional Diploma in Psychology and Business is one-of-a-kind, and will lead aspiring students to complete degree in Applied Psychology and Management from University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC). Notably, UNMC is also among top 1% of the global rankings, and hence UCL is pleting this qualification will be eligible to enter the 2nd year (Level 5) of the degree programme BSc (Hons) in Applied Psychology and Management at The University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus very excited about this new pathway programme that will open new opportunities for Sri Lankan students to study at a topranked University at an affordable cost. (UNMC) – which is also a top-100 University, and one the well-recognized Universities in the UK for this degree. The 10 units which are part of the curriculum would be delivered over two semesters in this 1 yearprogramme. Qualified lecturers in the subject area and also practitioners will be part of the delivery team. The students will also be provided with opportunities to participate in various guest lectures and field visits to improve the understanding and application of topics.”
Speaking about the programme details and assessment method, Dr. Dhananjay mentioned, “Students will study 5 units in each semester, with 3 hours per week of lectures and tutorials for each unit. There will be no written exams in this programme due to the applied nature of the course. The assignments will be designed to meet certain learning outcomes approved for each unit. Students would have to demonstrate that they met these outcomes in order to pass the unit. We believe that this is a good way to learn and understand the applied topics in this course.”
Explaining further about the curriculum, Dr. Dhananjay added, “This programme gives the opportunity to gain an understanding of psychological theories and principles which can be applied to the business world and it combines applied psychology with core areas of business management with a strong human element. The Psychologyrelated subjects, including Fundamentals of Psychology, Professional Skills in Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Counselling Psychology and Research Methods for Psychology. The Businessrelated subjects, including Principles of Business Management, Principles of Economics, Managing People and Performance in Business, Managing Financial Decisions in Business and Costing and Budgeting for Business.”
Emphasizing on the high quality of lecturers at UCL, Dr. Dhananjay added, “The programme will be delivered by highly qualified lecturers, who have a sense of how Psychology can be applied to businesses. We already have staff on-board that have a strong background in teaching Psychologyrelated subjects. Our plans are to also invite practitioners in this field who can share insightful ideas about how psychology is applied to business sectors. The delivery is designed to make learning a long-lasting experience and developing skills that can be easily applied to practice. Also, this is an upcoming field in the market with a lot of potential for research. The students will be able to select interesting topics from real-life for case studies or exploring new directions in applying psychology to solve business problems.”
Dr. DevangiPerera - Lecturer, who has teaching and research expertise in Business Economics highlighted the broad application of Psychology by saying, “Insights from Psychology are instrumental in helping us to understand the behaviour of a firm’s key stakeholders. Businesses would have a better understanding of consumers’ motivation and decision strategies, allowing them, for instance, to build better products that meet consumer needs and develop more effective marketing strategies. Theories in psychology also play a major role in explaining employee attitudes, work motivation, emotions and most importantly their behaviour, which in turn, have a strong influence on the company’s performance and profits.”
Ms. Yasaara Kaluaratchi, Lecturer in Psychology-related subjects explained how psychology has evolved as a more applied field, by stating, “This programme prepares learners for management careers in industry, government agencies and organisations with a strong human element, such as teaching, training, human resources, advertising, marketing and change management. Working professional will also directly benefit from this course even if they do not wish to pursue higher study. Understanding Psychology can immensely improve deci- sion making and keeping stakeholders happy.”
Explaining about how psychology is applied to Business, Ms. Yasaara added, “Consider a simple example of how the employee turnover can be reduced. A business psychologist could use psychological assessments at the recruitment process to gauge the different personalities and attitudes of candidates to match them to their respective jobs. This way it is ensured that employees are assigned roles which they are capable of and comfortable with, which not only reduces employee turnover but also increases productivity.”
Ms. Neelam A. Gani, Lecturer in Fundamental Psychology spoke enthusiastically about the teaching methods to be used in class and said, “Students often lose interest during lecture-style teaching, therefore, interactive teaching styles are adopted to promote a dynamic student-centric teaching. At UCL, we believe that telling is not teaching and listening is definitely not learning, hence the students would be doing Presentations, Field trips, Group Work, Discussions and Debates. Since this a applied field we plan on developing skills among students to solve real problems that involve real people. It is also vital that the learners take active part inside the classroom. We already have teachers who practice these methods and are confident that the our students will receive a sound foundation and all the necessary skills needed to continue their degree with confidence when they go to Malaysia”
There will be an Information Session for prospective students about this programme on 13th September at 9 AM. Interested readers are invited to visit the UCL campus located at 503, Sri JayawardenapuraMawatha, Rajagiriya. Register for the event by calling 0774 777 000