Industrial / Organizational Psychology

The Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program (I/O) at the University of Oklahoma follows a scientist-practitioner model. The program provides students with the knowledge and research skills needed to study human performance in the workplace. Students are also provided with the opportunity to work on real-world projects, in both academic and industrial settings, that examine the application of psychological principles and findings to workforce management.

The primary objective of the Industrial and Organizational Psychology program is to train individuals seeking the M.S. or Ph.D. degree to conduct research/practice in the areas of industrial psychology and organizational behavior. Students receive state-of-the-art training in the theories and methods of I/O psychology and management. This integrated program relies on the expertise and dedication of both Psychology and Management faculty members. Topics addressed within the program should enable students to work with organizations in the areas of:

  • Employee Selection and Placement
  • Leadership Development
  • Performance Management & Feedback
  • Team Building
  • Employee Motivation and Productivity
  • Group Dynamics and Decision Making
  • Organizational Design and Development
  • Human Resources Planning
  • Training and Development
  • Job and Task Analysis
  • Complex Skill Acquisition
  • Employee Satisfaction
  • Career Development
  • Occupational Health and Well-being
  • Compensation and Benefits
  • Industrial and Labor Relations
  • Emotions in the Workplace
  • Innovation in Organizations
  • Diversity and Discrimination
Program features

The approach we take to student development is based on an active learning model. As part of their education, students are expected to apply what they learn in the classroom in faculty-directed research or consulting projects. Students receive training in:

  • Designing and conducting research studies
  • Preparing and presenting research proposals
  • Working with clients in organizational settings
  • Developing and implementing new techniques for human resource management

In this active learning model students often work as part of a team addressing a broader organizational or research problem. With experience, students are given the opportunity to take responsibility for a significant aspect of a project. Some examples of work currently being done by students include:

  • Developing new procedures for assessing organizational leaders
  • Designing studies to examine small group dynamics and group decision making
  • Conducting analyses to identify the skills needed by information technology workers in the future
  • Examining how values influence decision making
  • Investigating the roles of emotion and personality in the workplace
  • Exploring individual and situational factors in workplace aggression and counterproductive work behavior
  • Identifying the determinants of expertise
  • Exploring the cognitive mechanisms in rater appraisals of performance
  • Examining the role of integrity in science
  • Understanding the process associated with innovation in the workplace
  • Investigating the effectiveness of collaborative learning protocols in training complex skills
  • Assessing the determinants of long-term skill retention
Post Graduate Employment
Students who have earned I/O degrees at OU have been very competitive for jobs in academia, consulting, and research. They have been immediately employable when they complete or near completion of their dissertations, and roughly equal numbers of recent graduates have obtained academic and applied jobs. Some examples of consulting and research companies that have employed OU graduates in I/O include:
  • Developmental Dimensions International
  • Office of Personnel Management
  • Army Research Institute
  • SkillsNet Corporation
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Tinker Air Force Base
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Oklahoma Health Care Authority
Financial Assistance

Although we cannot guarantee every student funding, over the past five years most of our students have been supported through research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or internships. Stipends range between $12,000 and $17,000 a year, and many of these stipends carry tuition waivers.

Course Structure

The program offers both an MS and a Ph.D. degree. Normal time for completion of the MS degree is two years while normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years. Click here to view the course structure in pdf-format. Students are expected to be actively involved in research and field work throughout their time in the degree program.

Requirements

M.S. Coursework: A total of 30 credit hours are required for the M.S. degree. Twenty-six hours are typically devoted to courses commonly taken by all I/O students, while four hours are devoted to thesis research. To view the recommended M. S. coursework in pdf-format, click here.

Ph.D. Coursework: Requirements for the Ph.D. follow those established by the Graduate College and the Department of Psychology. A total of 90 credit hours are required. Generally, students consult with a faculty committee to design a course of study that matches the student's interests and career aspirations. Successful completion of all coursework, the Ph.D. general exams, and the dissertation is required for the Ph.D. The M.A. degree, with the thesis option described above, is typically completed en route to the Ph.D. To view the recommended Ph.D. coursework in pdf-format, click here.

How to Apply

To apply, simply complete the required application process of the Department of Psychology, which can be found in the accompanying brochure or at our WEB site at: http://www.ou.edu/cas/psychology/

Core I/O Faculty

The program draws on the expertise of faculty members in Psychology and Management. Some of the key faculty members involved in the program include:

Michael Buckley (Ph.D. Auburn University)
Professor of Management.

Shane Connelly (Ph.D. George Mason University)
Associate Professor of Psychology.

Eric Day (Ph.D. Texas A&M University)
Associate Professor of Psychology.

Jorge Mendoza (Ph.D. University of Oklahoma)
Professor of Psychology.

Michael Mumford (Ph.D. University of Georgia)
Professor of Psychology.

Lori Anderson Snyder (Ph.D. Colorado State University)
Assistant Professor of Psychology.

Robert Terry (Ph.D. University of North Carolina)
Associate Professor of Psychology.

©2005, OU Department of Psychology. All rights reserved.
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