Requirements of the I-O Psychology Program

Program Requirements (pdf)

Requirements and Guidelines for the I/O Psychology Program Ph.D. Degree

All program requirements and guidelines are supplemental to the requirements and guidelines of the Graduate School as published in the Graduate Catalog.  Below is a summary of the program requirements.  The I/O Psychology Program Handbook (in revision) provides additional detail.

I.        Coursework

          A.  Required Courses

Students entering with graduate credit in psychology or statistics may request exemption from specific required courses.  The I/O Psychology Program Committee must approve all exemptions or substitutions.  Decisions will be based upon the recommendation of the instructor of the course in question.  In accordance with Graduate School regulations, transfer credit may not reduce the minimum hours of graduate credit required for the degree.

The I/O Psychology Program Director maintains a list of specific courses that meet the curriculum requirements.  Listed below are the typical course offerings.

          1.   I/O Core (3 courses, 9 hours)

                Proseminar/Personnel Psychology (IOPSY 568)

                Proseminar/Organizational Psychology (IOPSY 567)

                Applied Measurement for Industrial/Organizational Psychology (IOPSY 569)

          2.   Research Core (4 courses, 12 hours)

                Psychology 521

                Psychology 522

                Advanced Research Methods

                Multivariate Statistics

                Structural Equation Modeling

          3.   General Psychology Core* (3 courses, 9 hours)

                Cognitive basis

                Biological basis

                History & Systems

          4.    I/O Psychology Seminars & Approved Electives (6 courses, 18 hours)

                 Leadership

                 Motivation

                 Performance Appraisal

                 Selection

                 Training and Development

                 Work Teams

                 Other program-approved course

5.   Practicum, Internship, Field Training (IOPSY 690 - Minimum 15 hours)

6.   Ethics (1 course, 3 hours)

7.   Dissertation (Minimum 24 hours)

8.   Research Topics (IOPSY 525), HRD 513 (required for teaching)

*Motivation (IOPSY 612) may serve as a cognitive basis of behavior course or as one of required or elective I/O seminars.

B.      Class Performance 

Students must maintain a 3.0 G.P.A. throughout the program.  In order to advance, students must receive no more than one grade below a B in the first year.  Students must also meet specific requirements established by the Graduate School (e.g., courses may not be repeated to raise a grade, extra work may not be submitted to raise a grade).

II.      Teaching Requirement

Students teach at least one course. The department offering the course evaluates the teaching quality.  Students meet the teaching requirement when they receive a satisfactory teaching evaluation. 

III.     Research

          A.              Year 1 Research

Students must be involved in research during their first year.  Acceptable research activities include: participating on a research team, conducting a literature review, completing an empirical study, or developing a proposal for a future study.  Papers written for class and class projects do not fulfill the Year 1 Research requirement.  Students prepare a written report of all Year 1 Research activity according to a form acceptable to their advisor.  The report is reviewed by the student’s advisor and if necessary by another member of the I/O faculty.  Meeting this requirement is necessary for continuation in the program.

          B.              Year 2 Research

Students conduct an empirical research study during Year 2.  This project is equivalent to a master’s thesis.  The student prepares a written document and presents the research to an open meeting of the I/O faculty.  During the meeting, the faculty questions the student concerning the project.  A 3-person committee formally reviews the written document and determines whether it meets the Year 2 Research requirement.  Meeting this requirement is necessary for continuation in the program.

          C.       Dissertation Research

Students complete a dissertation under the direction and approval of their advisor and doctoral committee.  Graduate School requirements are specific as to the composition of a doctoral committee, the appropriate form of a dissertation, and the due process required for approval of a dissertation and graduation.  Students defend their dissertation proposal and the completed dissertation document before the doctoral committee. 

IV.  Comprehensive Examination

Students take a comprehensive examination after completing their Year 2 Research and before embarking on their Dissertation Research.  Typically, students write the examination over two consecutive days.  The examination typically covers three specialty topics and general I/O topics.