Overview
PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAMME
- To inculcate in students the ability to demonstrate a sound knowledge base of a comprehensive range of psychological theories, research methods and applications in organizations and industry
- To instill in students the ability for critical thinking required to apply psychological theories, principles and research methods so as to promote the behavior of employees in the workplace by improving the overall work environment
- To provide an opportunity for students to increase workplace productivity and related issues through improving the physical and mental well-being of employees
- To capacitate students to apply psychological knowledge to a variety of organisational and industrial settings.
- To produce graduates who are ethically and socially responsible.
- To mould and produce graduates who can effectively write, present, and interact with others in workplaces.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
For all pathways, candidates must have at least five Ordinary Level subjects/National Foundation Certificates including English Language, Mathematics and a relevant Science subject at Grade C or better
| Normal Entry: At least 5 ‘O’ Level passes/National Foundation Certificates including English Language, Mathematics and a relevant Science subject at Grade C or better plus a minimum of any 2 “A” Level passes or relevant National Certificate | |
| Special Entry: At least 5 ‘O’ Level passes/National Foundation Certificates including English Language, Mathematics and a relevant Science subject at Grade C or better plus a professional qualification such as a Diploma in a Psychology-related field in which candidates must be employed | |
| Mature Entry: At least 5 ‘O’ Level passes/National Foundation Certificates including English Language, Mathematics and a relevant Science subject at Grade C or better. Candidates must be at least 25 years of age and have a minimum of 3 years of working experience in a Psychology-related field in which they must be employed.
PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS |
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Career Opportunities
Careers: Human Resources specialists; Probation Officers; Human Resource Managers; Business consultants; Employee training professionals; Job analysers and evaluators; Employee selection and recruitment; Academics in teaching and conducting/publishing research; Work performance developers,
appraisers, reviewers; Employee motivators; Well-being, conflict, stress and work adjustment; Consumer behavior and marketing; Job analysis and enrichment; Careers development, coaching and advisers; Organisational change management; Personnel training and development; Attitude surveys and research on workplace issues.
Further Education: Masters and Postgraduate diploma programmes in Organisational and Industrial Psychology, and any other related programmes; PhD studies in the field.
Programme Structure
| Level 1 Semester 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| PSY 132: Introduction to Psychology | 12 |
| PSY 133: Introduction to Social Psychology | 12 |
| SOC 131: Introduction to Sociology | 12 |
| HCS 135: Introduction to Information Technology | 12 |
| CS 131: Communication Skills | 12 |
| Level 1 Semester 2 | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 131: Introduction to Organisational & Industrial Psychology | 12 |
| HOIP 132: Workgroup Dynamics and Diversity | 12 |
| PSY 135: Psychology Concepts, Methods and Applications | 12 |
| PSY 136: Contemporary and Applied Social Psychology | 12 |
| HRM 139: Industrial Relations | 12 |
| Level 2 Semester 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 231: Consumer Psychology | 12 |
| HOIP 232: Human Resource and Career Psychology | 12 |
| PSY 234: Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics | 12 |
| GSS 231: Gender Studies for Social Sciences | 12 |
| ENT 235: Entrepreneurship | 12 |
| Level 2 Semester 2 | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 233: Employee Selection & Industrial Psychological Assessment | 12 |
| HOIP 234: Learning, Training & Development | 12 |
| HOIP 235: Personality & Performance Management | 12 |
| HOIP 236: Work Attitudes & Job Motivation | 12 |
| PSY 240: Ethics & Professional Practice | 12 |
| Level 3 Semester 1 (Work-Related Learning) | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 330: Work-Related Learning Placement Report | 40 |
| Level 3 Semester 2 (Work-Related Learning) | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 331: Work-Related Learning Report | 30 |
| HOIP 332: Academic Supervisor’s Report | 20 |
| HOIP 333: Employer’s Assessment Report | 30 |
| Level 4 Semester 1 | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 431: Ergonomics | 12 |
| HOIP 432: Forensic Industrial Psychology | 12 |
| PSY 432: Psychometrics | 12 |
| HOIP 433: Organisational Culture and Climate | 12 |
| HOIP 434: Organisational Development and Change Management | 12 |
| Level 4 Semester 2 | Credits |
|---|---|
| HOIP 435: Leadership and Organisational Design | 12 |
| HOIP 436: Employee and Organisational Wellness | 12 |
| HOIP 437: Psychological Adjustment in the Workplace | 12 |
| PSY 439: Contemporary-Critical Psychology | 12 |
| HOIP 438: Dissertation | 24 |
| Total Credits | 492 |
MODULE SYNOPSES
PSY 132: Introduction to Psychology
The module introduces students to the richness and diversity of Psychology’s fundamental principles, theories, concepts and findings, and equips them with tools necessary for the study of human behaviour and mental processes. Major domains of Psychology as a discipline are also explored on the basis of classic studies, and of current and emerging research, including reference to the DSM-5 in discussions of psychological disorders.
PSY 133: Introduction to Social Psychology
The module covers: The nature and causes of individual/group behaviour and thought processes in social settings; The way people think about, feel, and behave, and how they influence and are influenced by others; Perspectives, empirical research methods, findings; Impression-formation, conformity, prosocial behaviour, interpersonal attraction, persuasion, stereotyping, prejudice; analysis of theory and research in Social Psychology.
SOC 131: Introduction to Sociology
Refer to the Department of Sociology.
HCS 135: Introduction to Information Technology
Refer to the Department of Information Systems.
CS 131: Communication Skills
Refer to the Department of Communication Skills.
HOIP 131: Introduction to Organisational & Industrial Psychology
The module provides students with knowledge of human behaviour in workplaces and the application of psychological principles to change work behaviour. Emphasis is on: Employee motivation, job satisfaction and organisational development; Psychological variables which affect workers’ behaviour and how workers cope with stress, and selection, training and performance measurement. The history of the field.
HOIP 132: Workgroup Dynamics and Diversity
The purpose of this module is to enable students to develop a solid knowledge base and sound understanding of the theory and practical implications of workgroup dynamics and diversity in organisational and industrial settings. The aim is to improve workplace group dynamics so as to promote employee productivity and organisational effectiveness.
HOIP 133: Human Resource and Career Psychology
The module is designed to impart knowledge to students on Human Resources and Career Psychology within the Zimbabwean organisational context. Students gain competency in applying the knowledge and assist individuals and organisations to critically evaluate and engage in human resources and career-related activities that promote workplace performance.
PSY 135: Psychology Concepts, Methods and Applications
This module builds on the Introduction to Psychology module. Covered concepts, theories and methods augment the central themes and controversies of the discipline acquired earlier. This provides students with an understanding of the human mind and behaviour. Also examined are the psychodynamic perspective, humanism, post-modernism, personality, intelligence, and mental and behavioural issues. In workshop teams, students debate on raised issues.
PSY 136: Contemporary and Applied Social Psychology
The module focuses on challenges addressed by Social Psychology. Topics include attitudes and attitude change; prejudice, discrimination; aggression, conflict, conflict resolution; group behaviour; Social Psychology in politics, law and health; tendency to conform to social norms; applied studies; application of Social Psychology basic principles to find, understand, interpret and use more specialized, and applied research findings.
HRM139: Industrial Relations
Refer to the Department of Human Resource Management.
HOIP231: Consumer Psychology
Human beings have basic needs that they fulfil by making transactions in the market mostly in the form of monetary exchange for goods and services. This module is designed to study how consumers behave and the consequences of various behaviour patterns. Additionally, the module looks at various psychological factors that shape the behaviour and actions of the consumer.
PSY 234: Introduction to Research Methods and Statistics
The module introduces students to qualitative and quantitative paradigms/approaches and to respective methods. It gives students an opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of the use of statistical tables and formulae in analysing and interpreting research data. It also exposes students to the association of variables, regression and prediction, statistical inferences and hypothesis-testing, Chi-square (x2) and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
GSS 231: Gender Studies for Social Sciences
Refer to the Department of Sociology.
ENT 235: Entrepreneurship
Refer to the Department of Entrepreneurship.
HOIP233: Employee Selection & Industrial Psychological
Assessment
This module provides an introduction to the current issues and procedures that are used in employee selection. The module also introduces students to the origins and functions of psychological assessment in workplaces. The module covers technical and methodological principles; ability testing; personality testing; applications of testing.
HOIP234: Learning, Training & Development
The module equips students with skills to apply Psychological theories and methodology to the design/plan, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of learning, training and development of programs in organisations and industry. Also covered is the facilitation of effective learning by employees during training for optimal productivity.
HOIP235: Personality & Performance Management
The module explains the impact of individual differences on work performance. Topics covered include aspects of individual differences; their impact on performance; analysis of the impact; designing solutions to the impact for purposes of improving employee motivation, productivity and organisational effectiveness.
HOIP236: Work Attitudes & Job Motivation
The module is designed to examine issues related to work attitudes and employee job motivation and will focus on both the causes and consequences of these constructs.
PSY 240: Ethics and Professional Practice
Students are oriented on: Professional Psychological Assessment and Psychotherapist identity; ethical, legal and professional codes of conduct; the Health Professions Act Chapter 27: 19 and the requisite Mandate; safe, acceptable practice; professional issues associated with risk in working with clients in diverse settings/circumstances; individual and team-based service models; communication and implications on practice; intern supervisee-supervisor relationships.
HOIP330 Work-Related Learning Placement Report
The students will submit a comprehensive work placement report which shows their understanding of the organisation placed.
HOIP331 Work-Related Learning Report
As part of the examination, the students will be required to submit a comprehensive academic report of their work-related learning experience to the department and it will be marked and awarded a mark that will be ratified by the departmental examinations board.
HOIP332 Work-Related Academic Supervisor’s Report
As part of the examination, the students will be assessed and awarded a mark by the academic supervisor and this will be presented to the departmental examinations board for processing of final marks.
HOIP333 Work-Related Learning Supervisor’s Report
The employer will assess the student and award a mark which will be presented to the departmental
examinations board for processing of final marks.
HOIP431: Ergonomics
The module provides students with knowledge of the theory and practical implications of human factors and interactions in workplace designs to improve productivity. Topics covered include the application of human factors and principles of ergonomics in planning and designing workstations; principles of human information processing in the designs; ergonomic principles in the design of controls, displays, symbols, and occupational health and safety.
HOIP 432: Forensic Industrial Psychology
The purpose of the module is to enable students to develop a sound understanding of the theory, principles and procedures relevant to the practice of Forensic Industrial Psychology within the local Zimbabwean and global context.
PSY 432 Psychometrics
The module provides students with a grounding in the comprehension and application of psychometric tests, related theories, the nature and essence of psychometrics, test construction and use, and enhancement of effectiveness. Topics covered are methods of observing and measuring human behaviour; psychometric assessment methods and practice; testing principles of validity, reliability, standardization and adopting/adapting tests.
PSY433 Organisational Culture and Climate
The module examines the development, nature, classifications, and characteristics of organizational culture and climate. Emphasis is placed on the investigation of behaviors and their relationship to organisational culture and climate. The interaction of the individual, groups, organization and environment are explored. Special attention is given to theories, models and methods for aligning culture and climate to the organisational vision and mission.
HOIP 434 Organisational Development and Change Management
The module acquaints students with knowledge of a broad range of behavioural practices in an Organisational Development (OD) practice context. It aims at building competencies in students to address complex problems in organisations by developing evidence-based and theory-driven recommendations to assist in building organisations’ capability to change and to achieve greater effectiveness.
HOIP435 Leadership and Organisational Design
The purpose of this module is to develop a knowledge base of the principles and theories of leader behaviour in an organisational and industrial setting. The module focuses on decisions that have to be made on the most appropriate organisational structure(s) to ensure the delivery of organisational activity. Organisation design is about shaping an organisation to maximise its effectiveness and adaptive capacity.
HOIP 436 Employee and Organisational Wellness
The purpose of the module is to equip students with the competencies required to gather, analyse, evaluate and apply knowledge from existing research on employee and organisational wellness, to explain and proffer solutions to issues related to employee and organisational wellness.
HOIP 437 Psychological Adjustment in the Workplace
The module imparts knowledge on: The link between work and psychological well-being; Psychological adjustment in workplaces; Determinants of work maladjustment; Assessment of work adjustment; Types of workplace dysfunctions and other work-related and organisational adjustment problems; Organisational strategies and methods to manage and promote organisational and employee wellbeing.
PSY 439 Contemporary-Critical Psychology
The module examines the implications of debates between mainstream and critical approaches to Psychology; philosophical foundations from Foucault and the analysis of bio-power, Derrida on deconstruction and Mbembe and the post-colony. Implications of the challenges are examined in relation to Mkhize, Burman and Gergen, and others. Attention is on relationships between critical theory and qualitative research methodologies in Health Psychology.
HOIP 438 Dissertation
Students identify psychosocial problems and conduct research to address them. They apply previously taught research concepts and statistical skills, conceptualize ideas, review relevant literature, use appropriate methods/tools, collect, present, analyse and interpret data from which they draw conclusions and suggest recommendations. Under the guidance of a lecturer in the Department, students pursue a study on a relevant topic of their interest.