Deciding between PhD programs in business school and I/O psy programs

[yubby]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying to graduate programs this fall and I'm having a hard time deciding between OB PhD programs, marketing PhD programs, and I/O psychology programs. Does anyone have any advice on how to make this decision? From what I've gathered, business school PhD programs typically do the same kind of research done in psychology PhD programs...what other factors distinguish these programs from one another? What are the advantages/disadvantages associated with each? I'm passionate about research, but I don't know if I'm creative enough to be a professor who designs their own line of research. Which programs prepare graduates for a career in industry as well?

Any input would be greatly appreciated! Especially if it's from a Canadian perspective!

Edited July 28, 2011 by yubby

[Behavioral]

OB and Marketing professors get paid a lot more than IO

All have decent placements into industry/consulting

Besides that, the lines of research are a little different. Look up some journal articles from each and see what topics interest you most.

[Zencarrot]

Look for professors who have similar research interests as you, regardless of whether they are in a psychology or business department. You can get a job in a business faculty with a degree in IO or OB (it is true that professors in business faculties get paid more / have better funding).

More I/O programs adopt the scientist-practitioner model and focus on both practical skills and rigorous scientific research. OB programs are usually focused solely on research and some may have elements of pedagogical training (which is great if you want to be a prof). If you want a job in industry, I/O may be better for this.

However, despite what some may tell you, you can still get a job in industry with a PhD in OB.

In my experience (in Canada), I've found that students of I/O programs get much stronger methodological training than OB students. This is part of the reason why I chose to pursue I/O even though I was admitted in to both types of programs. Keep in mind that this is only my experience in thoroughly researching about a dozen different programs all within Canada. I cannot comment on the difference between I/O and OB in the United States.

[ILuvPsych2013]

While similar topics are researched in each of these areas, a key difference is simply what types of theories are behind those topics. My advisor explained it to me by saying that I/O programs will look at everything through a "psychological lens" while the business programs will not. I think it depends on where your passion lies and ultimately what career you want.

[honkycat1]

as someone who applied to OB programs at business schools and I/O programs, I can tell you, MOST business programs that you mentioned (dunno about marketing?) are training academics. I/O programs is often 50/50. So if you are considering industry i.e. consulting, I/O programs are better. If you are set on research, OB programs are good options, BUT teaching MBA students and business school culture is VERY different from I/O programs. These are things I didn't consider and only learned after I got in, so I would talk to business professors and students who can tell you more about the differences between these two types of programs in terms of doing organizational research.