Industrial/Organizational Psychology (MA)

Description

The Master of Arts with a major in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology program prepares students to function as master’s-level I/O psychologist practitioners. The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology defines I/O psychology as "the scientific study of workplace issues facing individuals, teams and organizations. The scientific method and rigor is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to business, including talent management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, and work-life balance.”

Detroit Mercy's accelerated 33-credit (11-course) evening program in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology focuses on theory for application and professional practice. The program can be completed in one academic year (late August to mid-June). It prepares students to perform quality professional services in a variety of workplace settings, including human resources, organizational culture and development, talent management, leadership development, workforce analytics and research across any industry and organizational type.

As southeastern Michigan’s longest running terminal master’s degree program in this field, this highly specialized and competitive educational and practical experience in I/O psychology is distinct from graduate business education such as a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) and from doctoral training in I/O psychology. Although a very small number of students later go on to pursue doctoral degrees, the intent of the program is career-related employment upon graduation.

The degree prepares students to:

  • Address multicultural and international workplace issues
  • Enhance executive, management and employee leadership capacity
  • Design, implement and evaluate training and development programs
  • Develop methods to improve job satisfaction, employee retention and organizational environments
  • Measure employee satisfaction, performance and motivation
  • Perform advanced research and statistical analyses
  • Execute selection, placement and talent management programs
  • Construct, administer and analyze psychometric assessments and evaluation tools
  • Manage, plan, implement and evaluate projects and programs
  • Consider ethical implications of workplace strategies

The program equips students with competencies outlined by the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the University Detroit Mercy Social Change Model. It also provides a foundation for career advancement, professional development, as well as entry-level opportunities in private, non-profit and public sector organizations.

Students engage in managing, leading, enhancing, assessing and evaluating these programs and utilize a variety of industrial/organizational psychology skills to enhance organizational growth and effectiveness. Students also conduct and/or create job analysis, surveys, training modules, assessment tools, onboarding programs, training manuals, databases, formal presentations and other industry deliverables that can be shared with future employers in their growing work portfolios. In addition, three of the courses include service learning opportunities. These course-based opportunities allow students to live the Detroit Mercy mission and vision, while contributing to their practical experience. The projects meet the needs of other University units (human resources, programs, services, etc.), foundation, federal and local grants or neighboring community and non-profit organizations. All students provide a professional presentation to their program peers and prospective students describing their internship, service learning experiences and gained competencies.

Students may attend either full-time (three or four courses per semester) or part-time (two courses per semester). Courses are offered exclusively in the evening and several courses are partially online to allow students to engage in either intensive studies, full- or part-time employment or graduate research and program assistant positions while in the program.

Full-time students complete the program in one academic year, taking four courses in the fall semester, four courses in the winter semester and three courses during the summer semester (May and June). The program includes a 250-hour internship/practicum experience which consists of paid and/or unpaid supervised practice of industrial/organizational psychology in a private, non-profit or public-sector organization. Paralleling the internship/practicum experience is a capstone course. This course allows for the synthesis of courses taken throughout the program, focuses on career development and professionalization and the reflection and integration of the internship experience with psychological theory and practice.

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    Degree Requirements - Master of Arts with a major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (33 credits)

    The Master of Arts with a major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology requires 33 credit hours, completed through the following curriculum:

    • PYC 5040 Advanced Research (3 credits)
    • PYC 5700 Issues in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3 credits)
    • PYC 5710 Psychometric Theory and Test Construction (3 credits)
    • PYC 5720 I/O Assessment II: Human Resources Assessment (3 credits)
    • PYC 5730 Ethical Issues in the Workplace (3 credits)
    • PYC 5740 Training and Development (3 credits)
    • PYC 5750 Leadership Models (3 credits)
    • PYC 5760 Multi-Cultural Issues in the Workplace (3 credits)
    • PYC 5790 Capstone Experience (3 credits)
    • PYC 5880 Practicum Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3 credits)
    • PYC 6600 Statistical Methods I (3 credits)

    Total Credits: 33

    Internship/Practicum

    The internship/practicum experience requires students to complete 250 hours of paid or unpaid work on at least two projects in selected organizational internship/practicum sites. The projects consist of any of the following: assessing, analyzing or appraising performance, aptitudes, skills, preferences, needs, or personality factors; job/task analysis; employee recruitment, selection and placement; design, facilitate, and evaluate training and development programs, etc. Accordingly, students manage projects and programs, execute consultation engagements and/or design pertinent descriptive or evaluative investigations, collect data, and perform appropriate statistical analyses.

    Internships may occur in one of the following situations:

    1. An Internal Internship working with the program director, Kathleen Zimmerman-Oster, Ph.D., or other approved faculty and/or staff.

    2. An External Internship formally arranged by the University and/or the student.

    3. An External Internship at a student's current place of employment, provided they are supervised by someone other than their regular supervisor and doing I/O psychology related projects other than or in addition to their regular work responsibilities.

    4. An External Internship involving a brand new employment opportunity that utilizes a student's growing I/O psychology skills.

    Students are encouraged to seek out placements at existing sites in the program database and are also permitted to explore placement opportunities with new sites -- locally, regionally, or nationally -- that meet student’s career, industry, and geographic aspirations. Students create a list of these aspirations, as well as specific learning objectives for their internship/practicum experience. These documents ensure customizable, desirable, and appropriate placements for each individual in the program.

    Requirements for internship/practicum sites are provided in the Internship Handbook and the Capstone Navigation Guide for admitted students.

    Capstone Experience

    This course parallels the Internship/Practicum and is a combined independent study and seminar experience. It incorporates research, theory, practice, with peer, alumni mentor, and faculty support.

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    Curriculum Plan

    Course Schedule

    Fall

    • PYC 5700 Issues in Industrial and Organizational Psychology (3 credits)
    • PYC 5710 Psychometric Theory and Test Construction (3 credits)
    • PYC 5750 Leadership Models (3 credits)
    • PYC 6600 Statistical Methods I (3 credits)

    Winter

    • PYC 5040 Advanced Research (3 credits)
    • PYC 5720 I/O Assessment II: Human Resources Assessment (3 credits)
    • PYC 5740 Training and Development (3 credits)
    • PYC 5790 Capstone Experience (3 credits)

    Summer

    • PYC 5760 Multi-Cultural Issues in the Workplace (3 credits)
    • PYC 5730 Ethical Issues in the Workplace (3 credits)
    • PYC 5880 Practicum Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3 credits)
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    Admission Requirements and Process

    This Detroit Mercy program accepts both full- and part-time students. All courses are offered in the evenings and some are partially online.

    The application deadline is March 15 for admission for the following fall semester. However, all applicants are encouraged to submit materials and applications early. Group information and application interviews are typically scheduled for the third or fourth week of March. If opportunities are still available, additional interviews are held during the third week of April. Once capacity has been reached for the fall admission cycle, eligible and selected applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

    The program begins each fall. Applications may be submitted up to one year prior to the start of the program and no later than August 5.

    Required application materials include:

    1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, with a 3.0 grade point average in the last two years (official transcripts). An exception may be made to this requirement if applicants can demonstrate exceptional promise in some other way.

    2. Completion of an undergraduate major in psychology or a major in a related field with required undergraduate prerequisite courses (typically this includes Introduction to Psychology, Research Methods, and Statistics. However, other psychology and business courses will be considered).

    3. (Optional) Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Submitting GRE scores is an option that may enhance your credentials but are not required to be submitted. Typical minimum combined scores of Verbal: 152-158, Quantitative: 153-158, Writing: 4.0 or greater are preferred. 

    4. Three letters of recommendation from professors or colleagues. Note: Detroit Mercy undergraduates are only required to submit two letters of recommendation.

    5. A one- to two-page personal statement addressing the following items: how the applicant’s personal, academic and/or professional career has prepared them for graduate study, applicant career interests, and how Detroit Mercy’s I/O Psychology master's program will allow the applicant to accomplish his/her personal and professional career goals.

    6. Graduate transcripts (if applicable).

    7. Professional resume.

    8. An admission interview is also required. The interview’s purposes are: (a) to enable the faculty to become better acquainted with prospective students (e.g., to assess communication skills and career goals in relation to the program), (b) to permit applicants to become more familiar with the program and its potential contributions to their careers, and (c) for both parties to determine if the program is a good fit. This interview begins with a “realistic job preview” approach, which includes a group interview with the program director and current I/O Psychology graduate students. Then, each prospective student meets with the program director individually. Applicants also receive a campus tour led by current students. The realistic job preview approach improves selection decisions, student retention, and applicant choice satisfaction.

    Apply using Detroit Mercy's online portal at udmercy.edu/apply. That will create your account to which you can upload all of your application materials. If you need to mail your documents, please send them to:

    Graduate Admissions Office
    University of Detroit Mercy
    4001 W. McNichols, FAC 100
    Detroit, MI 48221-3038
    admissions@udmercy.edu

    Program faculty make admission decisions shortly following the interview to allow timely decision making and for accepted student participation in the required program orientation and mentor matching in May/June. Earlier admission is best for obtaining research and teaching assistant positions that involve working directly with faculty and affiliated University programs. Interviews for these positions are only for accepted and committed students and typically occur in April or early May.

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    Academic Standards

    Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0. A student who earns two grades of C+ or lower will not be eligible to continue in the program unless the student can demonstrate unusual or extraordinary circumstances as responsible for the deficient performance.

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    Research and Teaching Assistant Positions

    The program offers several opportunities to support students' educational endeavors with research and teaching assistantships. These opportunities vary from year to year and require a separate interview. Many positions involve working with the Institute for Leadership and Service (ILS). Previous responsibilities have included coordinators of the following programs: Emerging Leaders Program, Step Up: Be a Leader and Pay it Forward, TRiO, Upward Bound, Ford Community Corps Partnership, ILS Research, Assessment and Evaluation, I/O Program Research, Assessment and Program Management. Students are paid via Work Study, research and programming grant funds and/or tuition remission stipends.

Program Contact Information

Kathleen Zimmerman-Oster, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Director of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology Master of Arts Program
Department of Psychology

Reno Hall, Room 232
McNichols Campus

Program Email: io-psychology@udmercy.edu
Program Director email: zimmerka@udmercy.edu
Telephone: 313-993-1137
Fax: 313-578-0507

Linda Slowik, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Department Chair
Department of Psychology
Reno Hall, Room 244
McNichols Campus

Email: slowiklh@udmercy.edu
Telephone: 313-993-1623
Fax: 313-578-0507