I/O Psychology Graduate School: MA/MS?

[Tomtchen7]

Hoping to get some responses from people who have experience with any MA/MS programs in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology.

I pored through nearly every existent page in SIOP and Neoacademic, but still have trouble deciding which programs are best for me. I am currently in NYC and would love to stay here (Columbia, NYU, Baruch, U of Albany SUNY), but I also hope to apply to 4-6 more schools and don't know which ones would give me the best experience.

I am willing to move anywhere in the US if the school has good faculty and a strong program. I/O psychology MA/MS program rankings are basically nonexistent since it is still a relatively new field, so I would really appreciate hearing about any experiences in such programs.

Thanks!

- Tom

Edited September 10, 2016 by Tomtchen7

[eternallyephemeral]

Hi!

I think it depends on what you want to do later, how much of a focus on research vs applied work you want, whether you want it to be funded or unfunded, and whether the alumni at that school work in positions you would want after graduating.

This requires looking at more of the school's websites/program information. But I would say any place that has a good I/O PhD program would have a good Masters program.

Good luck!

[I/O The Derry-O]

Hi Tomtchen7,

I second eternallyephemeral's comment about looking at PhD programs that offer terminal master's is a good start. For example, some terminal master's programs have their master's students take pretty much the same classes as the PhD students - except the PhD students take classes for an additional year, but this additional year may amount to mostly non-IO Psychology courses (e.g., social psych, developmental). If this is the case, then you are getting similar preparation as the PhD students.

I can't speak for any other I/O programs, but I graduated from SUNY Albany's master's program and we had the same classes as the PhD students (with the exception of a couple of advanced stats classes and some non-I/O courses). The other thing to keep in mind is the "caliber" of the grad school isn't a huge deal in the I/O field. Since it is such a small field, most employers truly only care if you went to a reputable program (i.e., not a completely online, for-profit school) or not. I have seen people land jobs at good companies in that come from well-known grad programs and I have also seen people land jobs at these same companies who come from small, lesser-known programs.

Another important distinction you should make is whether you want to work in a role that is more on the "I" side or the "O" side of I/O. This will help you narrow down your choice. Although there is some overlap between the two areas, if you are into employee selection, training, performance appraisal, then finding a grad program that leans to the "I" side is important. If you are interested in organizational development/change, motivation, etc. you may want to find a program that leans to the "O" side

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions!