Fall 2014 I/O PhD Applicants

[KW58D]

Just got an email for IIT. They are offering me a half tuition scholarship for my first year and $2k for a work study program. Still waiting to hear about funding from Auburn. 

 

Are there funding options after the first year? Some funding is better than none, but that year will go fast. Don't want to get buried in loans.

[Melissa Jo]

Are there funding options after the first year? Some funding is better than none, but that year will go fast. Don't want to get buried in loans.

That is exactly my concern. IIT offers TAships starting the second year but that only comes with partial tuition remission and a stipend(but they don't say how much), and when you factor in that its in Chicago it could get quite pricey after 5 years. My POI at Auburn isn't officially taking anyone because he doesn't have funding to offer but he offered me unfunded admission and found some GAships in other departments I can apply for, but if I don't get those out of state tuition will kill me. FIT is only offering me partial tuition remission, and I still have an interview with a masters program next week (UTA). 

 

This is my second year applying (only got 3 waitlists last year), so I am glad I am getting accepted this year. I am envious of all those who have been offered full funding but I am glad I at least have some options at the same time. This waiting in stressful now that its coming down to the deadline. 

[dannydevitofan]

Congrats everybody! As corny as it sounds, I think we should all be so proud of ourselves! These acceptances are the first of many rewards for our hard work. Think about it - even though we might be complaining over not getting our first choice, being waitlisted, or not receiving funding, very few people can actually say "I got accepted to a PhD program"- So high five y'all!

 

Melissa Jo, if I were in your situation, I would probably veer away from IIT. Auburn and FIT seem to be better funded programs, which means more potential for financial assistance (possibly later on?) and overall better programs (at least that's what I've gathered). Also, you'll probably find Auburn and FIT will undoubtedly have far more affordable living expenses than Chicago. 

 

Would being accepted to the master's program at UTA sway your decision at all? I can't seem to figure out if a PhD is necessary to make money in I/O. 

I'm currently torn between the Master's program at NYU (no funding) and the Organizational Science PhD program at UNC Charlotte (full funding). I know, I know, it sounds like an obvious choice to go where there's full funding - but I'm starting to have qualms about enrolling in a PhD program so soon after undergrad. I'm young for my age, haven't spent a penny on undergrad, and am lucky enough to have money saved for tuition and living in NYC.

Some professionals have told me that the only reason to get a PhD would be to teach or conduct research (neither of which seem attractive to me after graduate school). Don't get me wrong - I love research, but it'll probably lose its zest after ~4/5 years.

 

Phew, I get exhausted thinking about this!

[Munashi]

I can't seem to figure out if a PhD is necessary to make money in I/O. 

 

Some professionals have told me that the only reason to get a PhD would be to teach or conduct research (neither of which seem attractive to me after graduate school). Don't get me wrong - I love research, but it'll probably lose its zest after ~4/5 years.

 

 

I disagree.  I don't think that a PhD is necessary to make good money in I/O, but I wouldn't say the only reason to get a PhD is to teach.  I'm entering my program with the intent to go applied at the end of the road (at this point, I don't intend to enter academia).  But having the PhD makes you eligible for higher paying positions, even in the applied world.

 

Is the PhD route for everyone?  No.  Is it required to have a good salary?  Certainly not.  On average, a PhD holder will have a higher starting salary than someone with a terminal MS, but that doesn't automatically make the extra time worth it for everyone.  Ultimately, it's your decision!  I will also note that the PhD program you are looking at is in Organizational Science, not I/O Psych which I do think makes a difference and may limit your ability to go applied after finishing school.

 

Edited to fix a typo or two...

Edited March 26, 2014 by Munashi

[Shushu]

Melissa Jo, did you have to email IIT for them to tell you about the 2k work study and half tuition?

I was accepted there too and didn't get any email.

From what I gather, there is competition for the TA and ga positions at IIT but what does that really mean??

[tanneraustin]

Congrats everybody! As corny as it sounds, I think we should all be so proud of ourselves! These acceptances are the first of many rewards for our hard work. Think about it - even though we might be complaining over not getting our first choice, being waitlisted, or not receiving funding, very few people can actually say "I got accepted to a PhD program"- So high five y'all!

 

Melissa Jo, if I were in your situation, I would probably veer away from IIT. Auburn and FIT seem to be better funded programs, which means more potential for financial assistance (possibly later on?) and overall better programs (at least that's what I've gathered). Also, you'll probably find Auburn and FIT will undoubtedly have far more affordable living expenses than Chicago. 

 

Would being accepted to the master's program at UTA sway your decision at all? I can't seem to figure out if a PhD is necessary to make money in I/O. 

I'm currently torn between the Master's program at NYU (no funding) and the Organizational Science PhD program at UNC Charlotte (full funding). I know, I know, it sounds like an obvious choice to go where there's full funding - but I'm starting to have qualms about enrolling in a PhD program so soon after undergrad. I'm young for my age, haven't spent a penny on undergrad, and am lucky enough to have money saved for tuition and living in NYC.

Some professionals have told me that the only reason to get a PhD would be to teach or conduct research (neither of which seem attractive to me after graduate school). Don't get me wrong - I love research, but it'll probably lose its zest after ~4/5 years.

 

Phew, I get exhausted thinking about this!

 

I'm not sure about the advice you were given about PhD programs only being used for academic or teaching positions. While a Master's in IO will get you plenty of job opportunities in applied settings, I've been told by several faculty and students that a PhD in IO is preferable for applied settings because it gives a leg up over Master's students for positions of leadership in consulting firms, human resources departments, etc. Your pay will be higher, you'll have more status at the onset of getting a job, and you'll have more knowledge to help organizations. I'm also not confident that two years of training in IO would be enough to prepare me to truly be successful without significant job experience first. 

[roebuck1]

I'm not sure about the advice you were given about PhD programs only being used for academic or teaching positions. While a Master's in IO will get you plenty of job opportunities in applied settings, I've been told by several faculty and students that a PhD in IO is preferable for applied settings because it gives a leg up over Master's students for positions of leadership in consulting firms, human resources departments, etc. Your pay will be higher, you'll have more status at the onset of getting a job, and you'll have more knowledge to help organizations. I'm also not confident that two years of training in IO would be enough to prepare me to truly be successful without significant job experience first. 

 

I actually work at a consulting firm with Ph.D. and Master's level I/Os. The situation here is unique in that our Ph.D. employees are actually encouraged to put out papers (along with all of the applied work they do). Hence, they almost have to keep current with the research and are actually putting their statistics knowledge to good use. Not many firms allow for this to happen, but there are some. The Master's level I/Os here, on the other hand, do little to no research and hardly ever help with analyses (scholar or practitioner based). In other consulting firms, Ph.D.s work almost entirely with correlation analyses and hardly have to go beyond regressions. In those same firms, Master's level I/Os might manage a project or consult (depending on their experience or position), but I can almost guarantee that they aren't doing much research. Hope this helps...

[dannydevitofan]

Not to be picky, but... wot?

young for my grade*** 

[phatlilpanda]

So it looks like Penn State sent out its first wave of rejection letters today judging from the results search. I'm slightly confused since I haven't received a rejection letter yet, I was sure I'd be one of the first ones rejected but it looks like there might still be some hope or they just haven't gotten around to emailing mine yet haha.

Edited March 26, 2014 by phatlilpanda

[Melissa Jo]

Congrats everybody! As corny as it sounds, I think we should all be so proud of ourselves! These acceptances are the first of many rewards for our hard work. Think about it - even though we might be complaining over not getting our first choice, being waitlisted, or not receiving funding, very few people can actually say "I got accepted to a PhD program"- So high five y'all!

 

Melissa Jo, if I were in your situation, I would probably veer away from IIT. Auburn and FIT seem to be better funded programs, which means more potential for financial assistance (possibly later on?) and overall better programs (at least that's what I've gathered). Also, you'll probably find Auburn and FIT will undoubtedly have far more affordable living expenses than Chicago. 

 

Would being accepted to the master's program at UTA sway your decision at all? I can't seem to figure out if a PhD is necessary to make money in I/O. 

I'm currently torn between the Master's program at NYU (no funding) and the Organizational Science PhD program at UNC Charlotte (full funding). I know, I know, it sounds like an obvious choice to go where there's full funding - but I'm starting to have qualms about enrolling in a PhD program so soon after undergrad. I'm young for my age, haven't spent a penny on undergrad, and am lucky enough to have money saved for tuition and living in NYC.

Some professionals have told me that the only reason to get a PhD would be to teach or conduct research (neither of which seem attractive to me after graduate school). Don't get me wrong - I love research, but it'll probably lose its zest after ~4/5 years.

 

Phew, I get exhausted thinking about this!

I am leaning more and more away from IIT, it just doesn't seem financially feasible for me. Then the choice is Auburn (more funding options, more recognized name) and FIT (expensive with limited funding but it has an International concentration).  Getting accepted into the masters program may sway my decision depending on if they offer any funding and how they answer some of the questions I am planning to ask. I plan to ultimately get a PhD but going to a masters program first could help boost my application and get me into a fully funded program for my PhD. There is always a gamble with things like that though because you can never guarantee anything. 

 

As for you situation, where do you feel like the "fit" is better? An unfunded masters could be worth it if you feel like the fit is better there. It would also allow you to test the waters, so to speak, and see if you would like to continue on after it and get a PhD. I would imagine going to an unfunded program in New York would cost a pretty penny though. 

 

If worst comes to worst, I say flip a coin. It doesn't matter what side it lands on because when its in the air youll know what you are hoping it will be and thats the choice you should make because thats where you will be happy

[Melissa Jo]

Melissa Jo, did you have to email IIT for them to tell you about the 2k work study and half tuition?

I was accepted there too and didn't get any email.

From what I gather, there is competition for the TA and ga positions at IIT but what does that really mean??

I got a letter in the mail (snail mail) on friday about the work study and what loans I am eligible for. I emailed them when I was first accepted about funding and got no reply, but randomly got an email from Dr. Ayman yesterday informing me that I am one of the recipients of the half tuition scholarship. The letter did stress that they are not a funded program and are unable to fully cover the costs of attending. 

 

After being accepted I searched through all the old I/O threads on this site. A few said that IIT uses the first year as a weed out year. They accept more students than they plan to have continue on to year two. No clue how much truth there is to that but it does seem rather disheartening. I know all PhD programs are going to be competitive in some aspects, but I feel like I thrive in environments that are more collaborative in nature. When everyone is bouncing ideas off one another it tends to give me the fresh perspective I need to make a good idea better. Their website also lists that TAships also come with tuition remission and a stipend but it doesn't say how much you can expect either of those to be. 

[Shushu]

The seem very hesitant to detail stipend or assistantships information. How do you, or anyone, think they proceed with the "weeding out"?

[tanneraustin]

The seem very hesitant to detail stipend or assistantships information. How do you, or anyone, think they proceed with the "weeding out"?

My guess would be the use of some sort of curve for course grades. If below a B- is failing like in many programs, they might assign failing grades to a certain number of people based on how well they do relative to other students, perhaps regardless of how well they do objectively.

[iopsych]

The seem very hesitant to detail stipend or assistantships information. How do you, or anyone, think they proceed with the "weeding out"?

 

What I have heard from IIT is that there isn't enough advisor time to go around, so if you aren't extremely active in research and aren't pushing to get in good with an advisor you end up getting left behind, which makes it difficult to complete. After the first 1-2 years students will start to fall behind on their progress thesis, research, etc. and just drop out of the program or try to finish the thesis and get out with the MS because they know finishing a dissertation will be nearly impossible without advisor support. 

 

So if you are driven, know what your research interests are and what research you want to do, have a perfect match with an IIT professor, etc. you will likely do fine. Again this is just what I heard through the grapevine from a graduate of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign that was one of my professors. He steered me away from even applying. 

 

I'd go where the most funding is. 

[stwtseng]

I'm deciding between two Master's programs and would greatly appreciate any insight from everyone:

 

San Jose State University

M.S. in I/O Psychology

 

Teacher's College, Columbia University

M.A. in Psychology - Organizational

 

I don't hear much about these two programs on the net, making the decision difficult.

SJSU is near Silicon Valley and boasts connections with companies like Apple and Google, but the school itself is not very well known. TC is near New York and gives a degree from a famous school, but the program itself is "not I/O". I'm unsure whether the fame of a school or the available connections is more important in the long run.

 

I am interested in obtaining a degree that will allow me to work in an applied setting, but also prepare me with the option of further education in Ph.D. 

 

Thanks in advance for your time and input!

[Munashi]

Is cost a factor for you?  How do the prices/cost of living for these schools compare?

 

If you're interested in pursuing a PhD, it may be possible to ask these programs for information about their placement records in terms of both PhD programs and where alumni work.  Current students may be a good resource for this too.

[stwtseng]

Is cost a factor for you?  How do the prices/cost of living for these schools compare?

 

If you're interested in pursuing a PhD, it may be possible to ask these programs for information about their placement records in terms of both PhD programs and where alumni work.  Current students may be a good resource for this too.

 

Cost is not a deciding factor, though TC will be much more expensive than SJSU so I would prefer the latter.

 

I guess it boils down to: which degree will be most rewarding immediately (work after MS/MA) and most flexible for the future (pursue Ph.D.)?

 

I've already contacted both program directors for that info (thank you for the tip though!) and am waiting for their reply. I was hoping to get more perspectives (on reputation of the programs, hearsay, experience, etc) from this forum.

[BeingThere]

I'm deciding between two Master's programs and would greatly appreciate any insight from everyone:

 

San Jose State University

M.S. in I/O Psychology

 

Teacher's College, Columbia University

M.A. in Psychology - Organizational

 

I don't hear much about these two programs on the net, making the decision difficult.

SJSU is near Silicon Valley and boasts connections with companies like Apple and Google, but the school itself is not very well known. TC is near New York and gives a degree from a famous school, but the program itself is "not I/O". I'm unsure whether the fame of a school or the available connections is more important in the long run.

 

I am interested in obtaining a degree that will allow me to work in an applied setting, but also prepare me with the option of further education in Ph.D. 

 

Thanks in advance for your time and input!

Munashi has good suggestions.  Also, find out about internships at both places.  Do you get the opportunity to intern while you are in each program?  If so (and I hope so), then where do students do their internships?  Find out if there really are Silicon Valley company connections through SJSU. 

 

EDIT: just saw your reply post after I posted this.  Sorry, I don't have any info on the program reputations.  However, I think that the type of connections you can make while in a master's program can be as important as the program reputation if you are not going to go on to a PhD.  And I have to say I'm not really sure program reputation matters much if you are going on to a PhD.  Your performance while there (publications and conference presentations) and the quality of your thesis should carry more weight.

Edited March 31, 2014 by Bren2014

[Elanti]

I'm deciding between two Master's programs and would greatly appreciate any insight from everyone:

 

San Jose State University

M.S. in I/O Psychology

 

Teacher's College, Columbia University

M.A. in Psychology - Organizational

 

I don't hear much about these two programs on the net, making the decision difficult.

SJSU is near Silicon Valley and boasts connections with companies like Apple and Google, but the school itself is not very well known. TC is near New York and gives a degree from a famous school, but the program itself is "not I/O". I'm unsure whether the fame of a school or the available connections is more important in the long run.

 

I am interested in obtaining a degree that will allow me to work in an applied setting, but also prepare me with the option of further education in Ph.D. 

 

Thanks in advance for your time and input!

Well, I also got into SJSU (and plan to attend there), and I know the director offered to send a list of current I/O students as contacts in case we wanted to chat with them about the program. Have you considered asking for their emails and seeing where they've interned and what they thought of the experience? Personally, the draw of Silicone Valley internships with a thesis was what made me decide to go with SJSU, but I don't know what TC has to offer. Have you looked at their courseload there? Do they offer classes/opportunities that would be more in line with your interests?

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a good time. If you do decide on SJSU, let me know, I'm dying to talk about it with someone! 

[stwtseng]

@Bren2014: Thank you for your input! SJSU actually requires an internship and thesis to graduate while Columbia requires neither. This alone has me favoring SJSU currently. Hopefully I hear back from both program coordinators with some more info soon.

 

@Elanti: I currently am leaning toward SJSU at the moment, given the negative things I've been hearing about TC's program. From just the courses, it appears that TC's program is geared more toward human resources and not so much research. I will let you know when I do make a decision!

[Munashi]

Just chiming to say that I think the fact that SJSU requires a thesis (and internship) is a huge plus.  People in academia and industry alike tend to raise an eyebrow at a Masters degree awarded with no thesis.

[stwtseng]

Just chiming to say that I think the fact that SJSU requires a thesis (and internship) is a huge plus.  People in academia and industry alike tend to raise an eyebrow at a Masters degree awarded with no thesis.

 

Duly noted. Thank you!

[BeingThere]

Stay in the Bay Area!  Once you leave, you will never be able to afford to go back!   Just kidding.  No, I'm not.

[iopsych]

Just chiming to say that I think the fact that SJSU requires a thesis (and internship) is a huge plus.  People in academia and industry alike tend to raise an eyebrow at a Masters degree awarded with no thesis.

 

When I was interviewing for positions I was never asked what my thesis and/or my dissertation was on. You can't really go into academia without a PhD and if you want to continue on into a PhD program you are correct, you essentially need a thesis. While people may raise their eyebrow at the fact that your MA/MS did not require a thesis they will likely never know unless you actually go out of your way to tell them. 

 

I interviewed with DDI, PDRI, etc. and none of them asked me directly about my dissertation or my thesis. 

 

Just my thoughts. 

[Munashi]

While people may raise their eyebrow at the fact that your MA/MS did not require a thesis they will likely never know unless you actually go out of your way to tell them. 

 

 

You raise a fair point.  They will not know you did not do a thesis without requesting a transcript or asking you directly.  I have seen this happen in hiring processes before, but I will confess these weren't for I/O positions - it was in other areas of psych.  It is something worth considering, though.