Psychology Master of Arts Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program

The Industrial & Organizational Psychology master’s program serves students who desire either predoctoral training or practitioner-oriented training and operates within the broader structure of the current doctoral program in I & O Psychology. A minimum of 36 credits of approved coursework is required for the degree. Two tracks are offered to students: a thesis and non-thesis track. Students choosing the thesis option will write a master’s thesis that reports the results of a scholarly investigation of a phenomenon of importance to the field of I & O Psychology. This option is targeted at those who anticipate further training at the doctoral level. Students in the non-thesis track will take internship credits or additional coursework instead of completing a thesis. The non-thesis option is targeted at those seeking a career in applied or organizational settings. All students will be required to complete satisfactorily a written comprehensive examination covering the field of I & O Psychology. The exam will cover topics and issues that are of substantive relevance to all I & O psychologists, irrespective of their individual interests.

Program of Study (36 credits minimum)

  1. Statistical Methods and Research Methodology (6 credits, required): Statistical and Experimental Methods I and II (APsy 510 and APsy 511) OR Educational Psychology Statistics I and II (EPsy 530 and EPsy 630). 
  2. Core Content Courses ( 12 credits, required): APsy 641, APsy 752, APsy 753, and APsy 758.
  3. Approved Psychology Seminars (12 credit hours required): Of the four seminars, one must be an Organizational Psychology seminar (APsy 668 Group Dynamics, APsy 751 Work Motivation, or APsy 759 Occupational Health Psychology) and one must be a Personnel Psychology seminar (APsy 754 Training, Evaluation and Development in Organizations or APsy 757 Performance Appraisal and Management). Multivariate Analysis (APsy 613) falls into either this category or category 4. Multivariate Analysis is not considered a personnel seminar or an organizational psychology seminar.  The I&O Psychology Area Head can approve other I&O Psychology related seminars to fulfill this requirement. 
  4. Six (6) credits of any combination of Master's Thesis (APsy 699), Practicum in Organizational Research (APsy 756), core Psychology classes (APsy 603, 604 or 605), Management classes in the School of Business (must be approved by the area head), or Advanced Coursework in Psychology (APsy 644, APsy 736, APsy 759, APsy 780 or if not used to fulfill requirement #3 APsy 613, APsy 668, APsy 751, APsy 754, or APsy 757).
  5. Satisfactory completion of a written comprehensive examination.