Overview
Europe's oldest and best-established MSc in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) offers specialised pathways, enabling you to develop professional skills for amazing careers around the science of wellbeing. This course has the potential to be taught both on campus and through distance learning.
Where science meets practice
Positive Psychology is a movement that has challenged the field of psychology to reconsider the positive aspects of life. Instead of drawing on a 'disease model', it encourages empirical research into factors that enable individuals and communities to thrive and focuses on building the best in life. Areas of study include well-being and its determinants, positive emotions, strengths, resilience, creativity, and optimism.
Since its creation in 1998, the field has grown dramatically, judging by the research output, widespread popularity and recognition by employers, as well as educational and governmental institutions. Facing post-pandemic and current economic and geo-politic challenges, positive psychology has become even more relevant through its focus on well-being, resilience and meaning.
Why choose one of the three programmes?
With a flexible approach, the specialist MAPP awards will meet the expectations of students from different backgrounds and with different professional goals. No longer limited to one location, one duration or a 'one size fits all' approach, this new course proposes a portfolio of postgraduate modules in applied positive psychology and coaching psychology allowing us to customise the study pathways to the needs of the professional student.
Following an introductory module, students can create their own pathway choosing between five other modules and exit the programme with different specialisations: Positive Psychology, Coaching Psychology or Positive Organisations & Leadership. Moreover, if a whole Masters seems like a lengthy journey to you, you can always opt for a shorter option leading to a named Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma.
Finally, if you just can't get enough of positive psychology, you can always supplement your completed MSc with a Postgraduate Certificate in a complementary specialisation.
This course is in Clearing
Intro to Fashion Entrepreneurship
Our 4-week online course, in partnership with Beyond Form Education, offers a glimpse into UEL’s MBA Fashion Entrepreneurship programme. Fee: £120
Our LLM course is a top choice
UEL’s LLM programme has been recognised as a top choice in the latest PTES survey, achieving 1st place rankings for satisfaction, teaching and more.
Course modules
The MSc Applied Positive Psychology at UEL teaches you about the science of wellbeing and human flourishing. You'll learn how positive psychology can improve happiness, personal strengths and organisational effectiveness. The course begins with a thorough introduction to the field and ends with your own research project. You can choose to specialise in coaching, workplace applications, consultancy or relationship development. Throughout your studies, you'll build practical skills through hands-on learning and real-world practice while developing a critical understanding of how positive psychology creates meaningful change. Our graduates work in coaching, organisational development, training and wellbeing consultancy. If you find that your own module choices do not fit into any of the above specialisations, you may want to study this base MAPP option, in which you only have two core modules and are free to choose your own three modules from the rest on offer.
From the point of view of positive psychology, the course will have a strong foundation in cutting-edge theory and research relating to well-being. The coaching element will feature both foundational and advanced training in working with clients and groups in professional capacities.
You will learn about well-being and engagement in the workplace; processes for bringing groups together, such as appreciative inquiry, emotionally intelligent leadership, and how to build flourishing organisations, create resilient teams and ensure that business organisations contribute to a better world. At the heart of this programme are strengths-based approaches to organisational development, experiential case-study and mastery-based learning pedagogy.
NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.
Download course specification
Entry requirements
What makes these courses different?

First University in the world to run this course
We are the first university in Europe to introduce the MAPP (2nd in the world); the first university in the world to introduce explicit integration between positive psychology and coaching; and the first university in the world to offer specialised pathways and named awards.

Responsive to student and industry needs
Choose what you study - select between specialised pathways and choose optional modules within them. Choose your passion project - will it be a capstone project or a research dissertation?

Flexible approach
Choose how you study - part-time, full-time, on campus or distance learning.
Accreditation

European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)
Our MAPP CP is accredited at Master Practitioner level by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), which is a benchmark of excellence for coaches, mentors and supervisors. After graduating you will be able to apply for the Foundation, Practitioner, Senior Practitioner and, eventually, Master Practitioner level, according to your level of experience.
What we're researching
At the University of East London we are working on the some of the big issues that will define our future; from sustainable architecture and ethical AI, to health inequality and breaking down barriers in the creative industries.
Our students and academics are more critically engaged and socially conscious than ever before. Discover some of the positive changes our students, alumni and academics are making in the world.
Your future career
The International MSc Applied Positive Psychology provides the foundations, both theoretical and practical, for those wishing to carry on further in any professional domain where at least some aspects of applied positive psychology may be of use.
When you graduate from this course you will operate as a more flexible consultant or practitioner in a rapidly developing and increasingly sought-after field. You will be well versed in relevant scientific literature, with the confidence to apply it in your professional practice.
Graduate employers
There is a significant demand for the skills that this integrated course develops, thus the programme leads to a wide range of employment opportunities.
Self-employed coaches and trainers also form a large subgroup of MAPP students. The field of coaching psychology, for instance, is growing dramatically judging by the amount of research output and the degree of recognition it is now receiving from employers as well as educational and governmental institutions.
Skills and knowledge obtained can be usefully applied in the charity, voluntary and social enterprise sectors, as the programme educates for cooperative systems and sustainable well-being and development.
Job roles
The different pathways of our MSc in Applied Positive Psychology are useful for qualified clinical psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, nurses, and doctors who intend to use positive psychology theory, research and applications in their clinical work. Teachers too can use positive psychology expertise to inform their practice. The programme can be of benefit to other existing and aspiring youth workers and educators, from the primary school to the university level. Finally, an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology can offer a logical career progression from the undergraduate programme in psychology. The skills gained by undertaking the MAPP degree will place students in a strong position to pursue further postgraduate study (e.g., a PhD) and research.
Further study
After studying MSc Applied Positive Psychology, you could go on to further study with our postgraduate research course MPhil PhD Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology.

I am truly grateful for a rewarding experience. It has been the springboard to a fulfilling career in founding the Institute of Positive Psychology Coaching (IPPC), and forging life-long friendships and partnerships."Meriflor Toneatto
MSc Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP)
How you'll learn
There are multiple options to take this course: online, full-time or part-time; on campus or via distance learning.
Flexible study
The programme uses a flipped classroom approach, differentially adapted to both on-campus and distance learning provision. Each module is comprised of a number of hours of high-quality recorded teaching materials by specialist local, national and international experts in the field. Both on-campus and distance learning programmes will utilise all recorded materials (to be watched in preparation for the face-to-face or online synchronous sessions).
Timetable
If you study online, you will be requested to connect for a 2.5-hour webinar every two weeks (per module). We deliver the same webinar in the morning and evening to offer more flexibility for people joining us from all around the world. If you study on campus, teaching is delivered on Friday and Saturday twice per module (4 days per module in total), with 6.5 hours of teaching per day.
Dedicated personal tutor
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of staff who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.
Academic support
Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas - including learning and disability support. You'll learn from, and work with, staff who are both academics and professional actors with industry knowledge.
How you'll be assessed
You will be assessed in a variety of ways, designed to capture the multidimensional skills and understanding that you will develop on the course. Depending on the modules you take, these include essays, a personal portfolio, a professional portfolio, a process report, a consultancy project for an external organisation, a report with practical recommendations, a structured literature review and a choice between a capstone project, theoretical or a research project resulting in a journal article.
If you are on the MAPP CP track, you'll also be asked to carry out a certain number of coaching sessions, submit a video and a transcription and write a critical coaching log and personal professional development plan to comply with EMCC requirements.
Campus and facilities
Our campus and the surrounding area
Our historic Stratford campus is located one of the best-connected areas of London: close to Stratford's thriving town centre, the 2012 Olympic Park, and just 15 minutes from London's West End.
Stratford’s facilities include a state-of-the-art library and learning centre, the majestic great hall and specialist laboratories and computing services. The School of Education and Communities, and Centre for Clinical Education in Podiatry, Physiotherapy and Sports Science are housed in new buildings. There is also a campus restaurant and bookshop, and a Students' Union café-bar.
Westfield Stratford City - Europe's largest indoor shopping mall - is just one of Stratford's attractions, alongside many other shops, cafés, bars and restaurants. There are two multiscreen cinemas, a theatre, an arts centre and much more.
Who teaches this course
This course is delivered by School of Childhood and Social Care
The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.
Whilst all our staff have participated in the development of our online programme, many of the national and international leaders of the positive psychology and coaching psychology field have contributed to our recorded content, including Professor Jonathan Passmore, Professor Michael Steger, Dr Tim Lomas, Professor Carol Kaufmann, Professor Suzy Green, Sue Langley and many, many others.
What our students and staff say

I loved being taught by some of the most brilliant minds in the world, in the area of positive and coaching psychology. Since leaving UEL I have continued to be a part of a fantastic alumni network.”
Ruth Cooper-Dickson
MSc Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP)

We believe that positive psychology and coaching can be transformational in the lives of individuals, groups, and organisations. Our team has a strong wellbeing, strength, and evidence-based approach to our programme delivery. We are passionate about equipping individuals with applied skills that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion within practise and research.
MAPP team