Top Online Masters in Industrial Organizational Psychology

At the B.S. level, you can expect to pursue an overview of psychology. Also, you will study how organizations run. And, you will find, that in many undergraduate programs in this field, you will explore business leadership, too.

You can expect most of your programs to cover the role psychology plays. As such, you will cover how you can connect it to common business scenarios. For example, you could apply psychology tactics to employee training. And, you could study the importance of work life balance. You could also relate psychology to employee morale.

You will find that B.S. programs in IO Psychology often go by different names.

Common programs you will find, include:

• B.S. in Business Psychology
• Business Administration Organizational Psychology B.S.
• B.S. in Psychology, IO Psychology
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology B.S.

You will find your programs may vary in how they are structured. For example, you will see some programs that feature a business administration core. Other times, you will find, a program focuses more on psychology coursework.

You will find your programs include courses like:

• Introduction to Psychology
• Human Resource Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Psychology of Learning and Motivation
• Selection and Assessment in Organizations
• Statistics

Most programs, you will see, require general education courses. So, you will take English Composition. Or, you could take College Algebra.

At the M.S. level, your program will often focus on research in IO psychology. So, you could design original studies. And then, you could conduct studies so you can address real world issues.

You may also learn how to apply current research to business scenarios. This, you will find, involves understanding workplace processes. So, you will focus on different workplace issues. You could look at recruiting employees. And, you could focus on assessing performance. Commonly, you will cover areas like professional development, too. Also, you could cover team dynamics. You could even study compensation.

You will find programs include courses like:

• Organizational Theory
• Personnel Psychology
• Applied Psychological Research Methods
• Employment Law
• Employee Testing
• Strategic Management

If you pursue this route, you will find your M.S. program in IO psychology will vary. You could see different focuses. For instance, if you pursue a Master of Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology (M.A.I.O.P.), your program may cover the study of applied research methods.

If you earn an M.B.A. in IO Psychology, your program will feature a business core. Additionally, you would take concentration courses. So, you could study topics like management. And, you could study finance. This would be in addition to you studying a psychology core.

If you pursue an M.S. program, then you will most likely need to complete a capstone project. You could also need to complete a research thesis. What does this mean for you? Well, it means your final projects will require you to use your applied research. Or, you could conduct original research. Then you would apply this knowledge to your IO interest area.

At the Ph.D. level, you may build on what you have learned in an IO M.S. program. Or, you could enter with a B.S. Then, you could earn your M.S. as part of the doctorate program.

What kind of methods will you use in your studies? Well, for one, you will use research methods as a key part of your doctoral studies in IO. In fact, in many programs, you will focus on research. And then you will write an original dissertation. You will also take advanced courses. You could study areas like organizational behavior. And, you could study cognitive psychology.

You will see common programs like:

• Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In a Ph.D. program, you may explore the theory of IO.  And, you could explore the practice of IO. That said, your program is a research degree. This means you will emphasize your discoveries in the field. You can expect your program to focus on research methods. And, you will focus on quantitative techniques, and more.
• Psy.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology. In the Psy.D. program, you will earn a clinical degree. You will focus on psychology practice. In an IO concentration, you could apply the practical psychology principles you learn. Usually, you will apply it to organizational settings.

Are you interested in these programs? If you pursue them, you will likely explore how to optimize the workplace. That means you will work on understanding the theory behind effective organizations. And, you will look at how that impacts satisfied workers.