Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Goals and Competencies
The goals of the Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology program are to:
- Cultivate interdisciplinary and adaptable inquiry methods and attitudes through a program of foundational industrial/organizational psychology as well as analyses of emergent trends and concepts in organizational study
- Prepare researchers who contribute substantively to the industrial/organizational psychology body of knowledge and who effect organizational development
- Encourage lifelong learning and leadership within the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology through reflexive, transformational learning principles and practices
- Assist learners in forming sound ethical frameworks for organizational research and practice
Throughout the program, learners will evidence the following competencies to meet these goals:
- Apply and communicate psychological knowledge and research methods within industrial/organizational settings
- Apply critical thinking skills and assessment to theory, research, and practice
- Evaluate the relationship between social influences and human behaviors
- Integrate ethical concepts into the study of industrial/organizational psychology
- Contribute to the body of knowledge in industrial/organizational psychology
Program Structure
The Ph.D./Industrial Organizational Psychology (I/O Psych) program has a 98-credit requirement that involves an in-route master’s, a master’s project, residency, online modalities of instruction, and a Comprehensive Exam. The majority of the program will be delivered in an online, virtual classroom setting. In these courses, learners will work in a cohort of approximately 12 peers and be required to spend approximately 25 hours per week on required course work.
Learners will attend 10 days in residency during the program. Five days of residency begin the doctoral portion, and a 5-day session follows after immersion in the doctoral courses. The courses offered during residency sessions cover a variety of areas essential to the successful completion of this advanced degree program, including insights into dissertation preparation.
Additionally, in the final residency, learners will apply their knowledge in a collaborative way to learn the process of consulting within the field of I/O. Because of the nature and value of the information presented in the residency environment, learners must attend all residency sessions.
The most important milestone of the Ph.D./I/O Psych degree is the successful completion and oral defense of a significant, substantial, and independently completed Doctoral Dissertation that adds new information to the body of educational leadership knowledge.
The dissertation provides the learner an opportunity to demonstrate mastery of germinal and current literature and express their competence in applying learning to actual organizational issues. To ensure the quality of this effort, the program’s curriculum is designed to develop the student’s ability to create original solutions to complex issues and to carefully identify and apply the most appropriate research methodology for addressing these issues.
Because of the highly independent nature of the program, learners must be self-disciplined and exceedingly motivated to earn this degree.