The Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology Program prepares students for careers in industry, government and university settings and focuses on the theory and techniques of selecting, evaluating, and developing individuals within an organization. Topics include personnel selection, performance appraisal, training and development, employee attitudes, motivation, leadership, and organizational theory. The program also allows considerable flexibility for the advanced student to pursue related disciplines such as management, information systems and marketing. The MA in I-O Psychology is a non-terminal degree. For a terminal master’s degree in I-O Psychology please visit our Combined Degree Programs page. Please note that the combined BA/MS degree is for current DePaul undergraduate students only.
The curriculum is based on the scientist/practitioner model of graduate education and follows two basic principles:
- The I-O psychologist must have a solid foundation in general psychological theory, research methodology and philosophy of science, in addition to knowledge in the content area of I-O psychology.
- The I-O psychologist must be aware of the contributions of other disciplines to the study of organizations and must have practical experience in working with formal organizations as a psychologist.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| MA Degree Requirements | 72 |
| Total hours required | 72 |
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| PhD Degree Requirements | 24 |
| Total hours required | 24 |
MA Learning Outcomes
- Identify major theoretical concepts in Industrial Organizational psychology, trace their historical development, and integrate theory, research, and domain-specific knowledge to explain and interpret how Industrial Organizational psychology currently advances knowledge.
- Critique and synthesize theoretical and empirical articles from peer-reviewed Industrial Organizational scholarly journals in terms of theory, methods, data analyses, and conclusions in order to compose novel perspectives and ideas.
- Develop testable research questions, identify strengths and limitations of research designs and data analysis techniques, conduct appropriate research and analytic strategies, and interpret the findings to situate them within the extant research literature in Industrial Organizational psychology.
- Describe and discuss the ethical issues associated with human subjects/participant protection and the sequence of procedures needed for IRB approval of research projects, and apply these ethical practices in research.
- Exhibit effective communication skills for presenting at professional conferences and publishing in professional journals in Industrial Organizational psychology.
- Demonstrate competence in the practice of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
PhD Learning Outcomes
- Identify major theoretical concepts in psychology, trace their historical development, and integrate theory, research, and domain-specific knowledge to explain and interpret how Industrial-Organizational Psychology currently advances knowledge.
- Critique and synthesize theoretical and empirical articles from peer-reviewed scholarly Industrial-Organizational Psychology journals in terms of theory, methods, data analyses, and conclusions in order to compose novel perspectives and ideas.
- Independently develop testable research questions, identify strengths and limitations of research designs and data analysis techniques, conduct appropriate research and analytic strategies, and interpret the findings to situate them within the extant research literature in Industrial-Organizational Psychology.
- Independently describe and discuss the ethical issues associated with human subjects/participant protection and the sequence of procedures needed for IRB approval of research projects and apply these ethical practices in research.
- Exhibit effective communication skills for presenting at professional conferences and publishing in professional journals in Psychological Science. Demonstrate competence in Industrial-Organizational Psychology applications.
MA/PhD Degree Requirements
The Industrial-Organizational (I-O) MA/PhD is a combined degree. The MA is non-terminal and, therefore, only students intending to confer the PhD are admitted.
MA Course Requirements
The MA degree requires a minimum of 72 quarter hours beyond the completion of a bachelor’s degree, including four quarter hours of thesis research.
Statistics and Methodology Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 410 | ADVANCED STATISTICS I | 4 |
| PSY 411 | ADVANCED STATISTICS II | 4 |
| PSY 419 | FACTOR ANALYSIS AND STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING | 4 |
| or PSY 450 | PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT | |
| PSY 420 | QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH DESIGN | 4 |
| Total Hours | 16 | |
Psychology Core Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| PERCEPTION AND COGNITION | ||
| LANGUAGE AND COGNITION | ||
| THE PSYCHOLOGY OF JUDGMENT AND DECISION-MAKING | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SELF | ||
| SPECIAL SEMINAR IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE | ||
| PREJUDICE AND INTERGROUP RELATIONS | ||
| SOCIAL COGNITION | ||
I-O Psychology Core Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 559 | SEMINAR IN INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (Can be taken during the MA or PhD portion of the overall program) | 4 |
| PSY 587 | PRACTICUM IN ADVANCED RESEARCH IN INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (Can be taken during the MA or PhD portion of the overall program) | 4 |
| Select six of the following: | 24 | |
| PSYCHOLOGY OF WORK AND MOTIVATION | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY OF LEADERSHIP | ||
| PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| ADVANCED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| ORGANIZATIONAL CONSULTATION | ||
| CONCEPTS, METHODS, AND ETHICS FOR INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| ADVANCED SEMINAR IN WORK TEAMS AND COLLABORATION | ||
Research Course
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 597 | MASTER'S THESIS RESEARCH | 4 |
Electives
Additional coursework of at least 12 quarter hours is required to attain the minimum of 72 quarter hours. These courses may include the I-O Psychology Core courses listed above or any graduate-level course. The courses must be taken with the consent of the student’s faculty advisor.
Master’s Thesis Research
Complete a thesis on a topic approved by the department.
Master’s Thesis Examination
Either written or oral, the examination may be, but is not necessarily limited to, a defense of the student’s thesis.
PhD Course Requirements
I-O Psychology Core Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 559 | SEMINAR IN INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (Can be taken during the MA or PhD portion of the overall program) | 4 |
| PSY 587 | PRACTICUM IN ADVANCED RESEARCH IN INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY (Can be taken during the MA or PhD portion of the overall program) | 4 |
| Select three courses from the following list which were not taken during the MA Program: | 12 | |
| FACTOR ANALYSIS AND STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY OF WORK AND MOTIVATION | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY OF LEADERSHIP | ||
| PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| ADVANCED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| ORGANIZATIONAL CONSULTATION | ||
| CONCEPTS, METHODS, AND ETHICS FOR INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| ADVANCED SEMINAR IN WORK TEAMS AND COLLABORATION | ||
| PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT | ||
Research Course
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 599 | DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH | 4 |
Doctoral Candidacy Examination (Comprehensive Examinations)
Designed to assess the student’s knowledge of psychology and the student’s area of specialization. The examination is given in two sections. The first section consists of a written examination related to I-O psychology. The second section is an oral examination in the area of I-O psychology.
Admission to Doctoral Candidacy
Formally given to the student with satisfactory coursework performance who has successfully completed the master’s thesis and passed the Doctoral Candidacy Examination; the candidate has no more than five years from the date of admission to doctoral candidacy to complete the PhD requirements or dismissal from the program will ensue.
Students denied candidacy will be required to withdraw from the program.
Dissertation
Departmental committee approval and acceptance of topic and outline of dissertation given only after admission to candidacy. Dissertation research should be completed during the student's fourth year in the program.
Oral Examination
Student to defend their dissertation and to show competence in the general field of psychology and in the area of specialization.
Time Limitation
- No more than four years between admission to the MA/PhD program and admission to doctoral candidacy.
- No less than eight months and no more than five years between admission to doctoral candidacy and the final doctoral oral examination; or dismissal from the program will ensue.
Program Graduate Academic Student Handbook
Minimum Grades
- The minimum grade considered acceptable for a graduate course is a B-. This applies to courses taken both within and outside of the department for psychology graduate students. Grades below that (i.e., C+ and below) indicate that the student has not mastered the relevant content of the course.
- If a graduate student earns a grade lower than B- in a particular course, the student, instructor, and advisor will discuss the situation and circumstances and a remediation plan will be required. The student, his or her advisor, and the instructor, will work together to create a plan through which the student can (a) gain competence in the course material, and (b) demonstrate that competence. The remediation plan might include, for example, requiring the student to complete additional assignments, retaking the class, taking a substitute class, completing an independent study, or pursuing other options. The remediation plan must be approved by the instructor, advisor and the program director.
- A second occurrence of a grade lower than a B- (for the same or different course) will put the student on academic probation. Once placed on academic probation, the student’s record and any mitigating circumstances will be evaluated by a Psychology Department review board comprising the student’s advisor, the program director, and the department associate chair (the department chair might be included in special circumstances). Additional remediation and intervention might be suggested by the review board.
- If there is a third occurrence of a grade below B- (for the same or different course), the student will be dismissed from the program. The student may choose to appeal this decision, in which case the Chair of the Psychology Department will appoint a committee of three tenured Psychology Department faculty outside the student's program to hear the appeal. Depending on the student’s academic record and any mitigating circumstances, he/she may be allowed to complete his/her Master’s degree but will not be permitted to continue onto the PhD (not applicable to terminal Department of Psychology MS degrees) without a successful appeal.
Academic Probation
Students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.20. If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below this minimum, the student will be put on academic probation and will have one quarter of coursework to raise their cumulative GPA to at least a 3.20 or face academic dismissal from the program. If the student raises his/her cumulative GPA to at least a 3.20, but it falls below the minimum a second time, he or she will be dismissed from the program before the next term begins.
Academic Dismissal
In addition to violations of satisfactory progress, including but not limited to, earning minimum grades, failing the comprehensive exam (including any possible retakes) or project, or maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA, students may be dismissed for breaches of academic honesty, or breaches of the code of student responsibility articulated in the DePaul University Student Handbook.
Time Limitations
Students must complete their MA degree requirements prior to completing their requirements for admission to doctoral candidacy. Further, no more than four years may pass between admission to the doctoral program (i.e., successful completion of the doctoral candidacy examination/project), and no less than eight months and no more than five years may pass between admission to candidacy and the final examination (i.e., the oral dissertation defense).
Students are required to meet the timelines specified by the program even if the timeline is more stringent than the College timeline. Failure to do so could result in dismissal.
Extensions on these timelines must be requested in writing to both the department (Program Director) and the college (to the Dean) and must be approved at both levels. Students must complete all requirements for the degree (which may include additional coursework, examinations, or other conditions) by the deadline outlined in the extension. Failure to meet specified time limitations or deadlines can result in dismissal from the program.
Graduation Requirements
Students need a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 in courses required by the program. In addition to meeting the minimum cumulative GPA requirement, failing the doctoral candidacy exam (or one retake) or project, lack of progress towards degree completion, and/or unsatisfactory evaluation could result in academic dismissal. See individual program policies for more details.
Graduation with Distinction for MA
The criteria for graduating "with distinction" are a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.75 and the recommendation of "with distinction" by the thesis committee.
For topics not listed above, please consult the Graduate Student Handbook of the Department of Psychology, your program manual or the Psychology Graduate Program Assistant.