Two people in a consultation.

Master of Arts

Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Program of Study

programofstudy

Your coursework will focus on how to enhance employee well-being and performance in organizational settings. You will learn how to scientifically implement and evaluate human resource systems, such as selection, training, and performance evaluation. In addition, you will ascertain how to evaluate and promote employee motivation, decision-making, work-life balance, diversity, and justice.

 

Core Content Courses (12 credits)

  • Survey of Organizational Psychology
  • Foundations of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
  • Personnel Psychology
  • Psychometric Theory and Research


Advanced I/O Psychology Seminars (12 credits)

Organizational Psychology Seminar
  • Group Dynamics
  • Work Motivation
  • Occupational Health Psychology
  • Workplace Diversity and Discrimination

Personnel Psychology seminar
  • Training, Evaluation and Development in Organizations
  • Performance Appraisal and Management

Required Courses

  • Applied Statistics for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
  • Research Methods in Industrial and Organizational Psychology

 

Electives (6 credits)

  • Master's Thesis
  • Practicum
  • Core Psychology Courses
    • Survey of Cognitive Psychology
    • Survey of Development Psychology
    • Social Psychology
  • Management courses in the Massry School of Business
  • Advanced Coursework in Psychology

 

Written comprehensive examination


Internship, field experience, or study abroad component


Additional Information

See the Graduate Bulletin for details.

For more information, contact Sylvia Roch at [email protected].

Research

You will work with active faculty whose research interests span topics including organizational justice, work motivation, occupational health and productivity, work and family issues, performance appraisal/management, and group decision making.

UAlbany’s research facilities will give you access to laboratories designed to accommodate group and individual studies, as well as a large volunteer participant pool for experiments.

A diverse group of UAlbany Industrial and Organizational Psychology students and faculty in a campus courtyard
io-research
Counselor leading a group therapy session
Career Outcomes

UAlbany's MA in I/O Psychology program has successfully placed students in a number of leading organizations including General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, AMG Consulting Group, Mercer, Assess and Personnel Decisions Research Institutes.

Potential Industrial and Organizational Psychology job titles include:

  • Personnel Analyst
  • Organizational Psychologist
  • Talent Developer
  • Research Consultant
  • Human Resources Recruiter
careers

"The Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at UAlbany more than prepared me for a career as an applied psychologist. The staff gave me a strong foundation of practical and theoretical knowledge that prepared me for excellence. I can link my success directly to this program and would recommend it to anyone interested in this field."

Andrew D'Agostino, Senior Director, Product Management, Assess

International Students

This degree is designated as a STEM program. International students maintaining F-1 status are allowed to apply for up to 12 months of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) following completion/graduation from their degree program. Currently, this degree program is also designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an eligible degree for the F-1 STEM OPT work authorization extension; students who secure qualifying employment may be eligible to apply for the STEM OPT extension for a cumulative total of up to 36 months of F-1 OPT work authorization.

Admissions Requirements
Deadlines
  • Fall: February 15
  • Spring: Not Available
  • Summer: Not Available

There is no departmental assistantship consideration for this program.

Required Application Materials
  • Transcripts from all schools attended
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Official GRE Test Scores*
  • Statement of Goals

The statement is generally one to two pages discussing what you have to offer the program and what you wish to get out of the program.  It should include a brief description of the applicant's field of interest, related background, desired area of study and research emphasis or career goals. 

*The official GRE test scores may be waived for anyone with (1) a 3.6 GPA or above, (2) who received an A in research methods/experimental psychology, and (3) who received an A in statistics. Waivers of official GRE test scores must be requested by applicants, and approved by the MA program.

Special Notes

This program requires an internship, field experience, study abroad component, or clinical experience requirement. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions.  If applicants have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of the intended academic program.

admissions
Student Learning Objectives

Learning objectives that UAlbany students are expected to attain through their course of study within their academic program.

Master of Arts
  1. Students will demonstrate effective presentation skills.
  2. Students will demonstrate the ability to apply principles in the following areas:
    (a) Personnel Psychology
    (b) Organizational Psychology
    (c) Statistics
  3. Students will demonstrate consulting skills.
  4. Students will be able to critically review research literature.
slo