The I/O Psychology training program offers a well-rounded curriculum that reflects the state of the art of the discipline of I/O psychology and meets current professional recommendations including: 

  • “Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral Level in Industrial-Organizational Psychology” published in 2017 by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Inc. (SIOP), Division 14 of APA

  • “Petition for the Recognition of a Specialty in Professional Psychology” describing the specialty of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, SIOP, 2011

The Ph.D. degree requirements include 60 credits of coursework, a master’s thesis, comprehensive examinations, and a dissertation.

Courses

The 60-credit course curriculum is organized into 4 groups of required courses and 1 group of elective courses:

  • Group 1: I/O Psychology Foundation Courses (21 credits)

  • Group 2: General Psychology (12 credits)

  • Group 3: Industrial Psychology Courses (minimum of 6 credits)

  • Group 4: Organizational Psychology Courses (minimum of 6 credits)

  • Elective Courses (minimum of 15 credits)

Group 1: I/O Psychology Foundation Courses (21 credits):

  • Organizational Psychology (3 credits)

  • Statistical Methods in Psychology I (3 credits)

  • Statistics Methods in Psychology II (3 credits)

  • Research Methods and Design I (3 credits)

  • Independent Readings (3 credits)

  • Independent Psychological Research (3 credits)

  • Psychometric Methods (3 credits)

Group 2: General Psychology (12 credits): 

  • Ethical/Legal Issues for Psychologists (3 credits)

  • Social Psychology (3 credits)

  • Cognitive Psychology (3 credits)

  • Individual differences (e.g., Personality, Diversity and Cross-Cultural Issues in Organizations, Intelligence) (3 credits)

Group 3: Industrial Psychology Courses (minimum of 6 credits):

  • Staffing (3 credits)

  • Employee Performance Assessment and Management (3 credits)

  • Training and Development (3 credits)

Group 4: Organizational Psychology Courses (minimum of 6 credits):

  • Human Motivation (3 credits)

  • Leadership in Organizations (3 credits)

  • Diversity and Cross-Cultural Issues in Organizations (3 credits)

  • Emotions and Attitudes in Organizations (3 credits)

  • Career Development/Work-Life Interface (3 credits)

Elective Courses (Minimum of 15 credits; may include Group 3 or Group 4 courses, above the minimum Group requirements; Four of the five electives must be psychology electives).

Example electives:

  • Advanced Psychometrics (Item Response Theory) (3 credits)

  • Occupational Health Psychology (3 credits)

  • HR Analytics (3 credits)

  • Organizational Survey Research (3 credits)

  • Organizational Development (3 credits)

  • Individual Psychological Assessment (3 credits)

  • Talent Management (3 credits)

Students take 18 credits in years one, two, and three, and 6 credits in the fourth year. In the first year all students take a non-credit teaching practicum to prepare for teaching. Students are encouraged to take advanced statistics and measurement courses in their fourth and fifth year.

Previously earned credits in an I/O psychology Ph.D. program may be transferred in some situations. Credits from a terminal master's degree in psychology and other graduate degrees are not transferred and will not apply to the Ph.D. requirements.

Master's Thesis

All students are required to complete a master's thesis. A committee chair and two additional committee members are selected to advise the student throughout the process of developing a proposal, obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, conducting the research, and completing the thesis. A successful oral defense of the thesis proposal is the first doctoral examination in the I/O training area. A successful oral defense of the final written document completes the thesis requirement.

Written Comprehensive Examination

After the completion of the master's thesis and 54 credits, students take a two-day written comprehensive examination covering all facets of industrial and organizational psychology, research methods, psychometrics, and ethical/professional issues. Passing the comprehensive exams is the second doctoral examination in the I/O training area.

Dissertation

All students are required to complete a doctoral dissertation. A committee chair and two additional committee members are selected who advise the student throughout the process of developing a proposal, obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, implementing the research, and completing the dissertation. Once the written dissertation is conditionally accepted by the initial committee of three and two additional committee members, a successful oral defense completes the course of graduate study.