The Ph.D. program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology has been among the very top in the nation for over 40 years. Focusing on the study of psychological phenomena within work organizations, faculty and students currently affiliated with the I/O Program are actively pursuing research in areas such as hiring/personnel selection, personality, vocational interests, gender & leadership, emotional intelligence, social networks, job attitudes/work withdrawal/turnover, newcomer socialization, teams, race gaps in HR, work recovery, stress, narcissism, the dark side of organizational behavior, abusive supervision, psychometrics, the meaning of work, and the effects of job loss. The philosophy of our doctoral program at its inception and continuing today is to train graduate students for fundamental research and theory applied to individuals in organizations. Our graduates have taken positions within prestigious research universities, teaching colleges, work organizations, consulting firms, and governments. Our alumni include journal editors, presidents of national societies (e.g., SIOP), and other now-prominent I/O Psychologists.
Our philosophy of training Ph.D. candidates is evident in our course offerings and requirements. The program imposes few requirements beyond those of the Department. Our students are expected to demonstrate depth in their special area of interest in I/O psychology as well as breadth in I/O psychology in general and some breadth in the general field of psychology. Breadth requirements are satisfied by appropriate coursework with faculty members in other areas of psychology or in other disciplines. Depth requirements are satisfied by an individualized program of study developed by the students with their advisors. These programs are heavily weighted toward advanced seminars and independent study. The relative lack of formal requirements means that individuals' programs are as varied as the interests of our students.
Students and faculty of the I/O program work very closely with one another. Faculty members have large research laboratories that support both lab and field research. These modern laboratories are equipped with the most current equipment and software available. Students typically work in multiple labs over the course of their time in the program. In addition, students are provided offices and have 24-hour access to state-of the art computer labs, both that are on the same floor as the faculty offices, creating a collegial environment for all.
Our program is nested within the Social-Personality-Organizational Psychology program area (a combined group with Social Psychology and Personality Psychology), and we also have close ties to Quantitative Psychology, the business school, and the School of Labor and Employment Relations.
