Department of Psychology at Illinois State University
The Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology program was developed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will enable them to use psychological principles to solve problems affecting organizations and workers. It was designed following the guidelines and recommendations of the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology, the professional group responsible for I/O standards and policy.
The program combines rigorous academic training with practical experience in such critical areas as applying the appropriate methods of analyzing jobs, identifying issues associated with employee selection, and deciding effective methods of training for workers at different organizational levels. It is designed to develop the skills critical to success in any organization: oral and written communication, team and ethical decision making.
Illinois Institute of Technology Web site
For some students, an M.S. program is preliminary to the Ph.D., while others use the master's degree to prepare for an immediate professional career. For the former, the aim is to evaluate and prepare students for work beyond the master's degree. For the latter, the objective is to educate those who will go to work in clinics and agencies as applied scientists.
The doctoral program with specialization in industrial and organizational psychology includes coursework in both personnel and organizational psychology. Two semesters of internship in an organizational setting are usually required. Students in this program frequently are advised to supplement departmental offerings with selected courses in management, sociology and law.
The industrial and organizational psychology program emphasizes students' exposure to the scientists' and practitioners' viewpoints of the field. Students undertake a balanced education in personnel and organizational topics, disciplines and research. The program strengthens students' quantitative skills for research and consulting. All students are expected to complete two internships. These positions are within various organizations where students are responsible for human resource management and development functions. Students in the personnel and human resource development master's degree program receive the knowledge and skills necessary for professions in human resources, as well as management consulting positions. Doctoral students will acquire a strong theoretical and methodological background in various areas of I/O psychology and are required to complete a minimum of two research projects. Many students in the past have presented and published their work. The doctoral curriculum prepares students to choose from several career paths in consulting, corporate human resources, or research and teaching.
Illinois State University Web site
Students who pursue the master's degree sequence in Industrial/Organization-Social Psychology may select either an emphasis in industrial-organizational psychology or an emphasis in social psychology. The emphasis in I/O Psychology is designed to prepare students as scientist-practitioners involved in the development and application of psychological theory and methodology to the problems of industrial, business, and government organizations, as well as to the problems of individuals and groups in these organizational settings.
Moreover, there is a strong commitment to thorough preparation in basic scientific methods and the principles of psychological science. Emphasis is placed on psychology as a science while representing the nature of its application in real-world organizational settings. The nature of the services delivered by individuals trained in I/O Psychology include, but are not limited to personnel selection, performance appraisal, training and development, motivation, design of jobs, job satisfaction, leadership, test construction and interpretation, statistical reasoning, organizational theory, program evaluation, and research methodology.
The Master of Science degree program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology integrates the traditional areas of psychology with the more contemporary areas of organizational development and analysis. Specialized course work includes test construction, community and industrial consultation, survey research, organizational development, program design and evaluation, personnel psychology and job analysis. Practicum experience places students in a variety of organizational and industrial working environments.
Southern Illinois University Web site
SIU has the master's of Arts degree in I/O Psychology. The philosophy of the program is to provide the knowledge and skills required to analyze, understand, and solve a wide variety of behavioral problems which occur in organizations. The program is based on the scientist-practitioner model, preparing students for future employment in industry, as well as training at the doctoral level. The curriculum includes extensive training in quantitative methods and theory, behavioral measurement and theory, professional affairs, research, and practice. Research experience is directed at conceptualizing and solving applied organizational problems. Required practica are oriented towards giving students applied, realistic skills and experiences to create a viable and effective performance in an organizational context.
University of Illinois Web site
The graduate program in social-personality-organization psychology is one of the oldest and most respected in the country. The program provides intensive training in research methods, statistical analysis, and a wide array of theoretical perspectives sharing the theme of the cognitive and emotional basis of social interaction.
The Illinois Industrial/Organization Psychology tradition has always emphasized fundamental research applied to organizations. Its faculty have been following this tradition in their research and the training of graduate students for more than 50 years. The graduate program is concentrated on doctoral students although we offer terminal master's training I/O psychology to a small number of candidates each year. The philosophy of the program at its inception and continuing to today is to train graduate students for fundamental research and theory applied to individuals in organizations.
The Master of Arts program in psychology at Xavier has been in existence since 1962, offering concentrations in a variety of areas in psychology, including industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology. The I/O program emphasizes a balanced educational approach in research and practical application, as both an internship and a thesis are required for completion of the degree.
The primary goal of Xavier's master's I/O Psychology program is to train students to be successful professionals and, by doing so, to create the best possible graduate program in the country.