INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S PROGRAM
(36 HOURS)

The master's degree program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology requires the completion of 36-credit hours. It prepares students, through a combination of classroom training and practicum, for human resource management and organizational systems analysis positions in business, government and human service organizations. Students may elect a program of study that enables them to practice immediately upon graduation, or enter a Ph.D. program for advanced study.

Many of our graduates pursue doctoral training in the behavioral analysis program here at WMU with the same faculty members who advised them in the MA program.  Graduates who seek employment after completing the MA degree are qualified to fill a variety of jobs in organizations including positions concerned with training and development, performance management, quality enhancement, safety improvement, and organizational systems analysis.  Positions are usually found in personnel departments within organizations or in consulting firms.  Starting salaries for individuals with a master's degree usually range from $50,000-$55,000. A master's degree is usually required for the types of positions described above.  A Ph.D. is not necessary, although for some positions, such as a consulting position, it may be helpful.

The conceptual basis of the program is behavior analysis.  Thus, environmental-change strategies for the management of human performance are emphasized throughout the curriculum.

An undergraduate major in psychology is preferred, and a minimum of 15 undergraduate credit hours in psychology and 3 credit hours of statistics is required. Preferred qualifications include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and a minimum score of 500 on each of the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the GRE. Other admission criteria taken into consideration include letters of reference, research activity, work experience, social and professional skills, and the extent to which the applicant's interests are judged to match the program's offerings and strengths.

Students must complete a minimum of 36 credit hours with a minimum grade of B in each course.  There are two options in the program that depend upon the career objectives of the students: the thesis option or practicum option. Students indicate the option they prefer when applying to the program. Students may also indicate “either” if undecided about their professional career goals. Students admitted to the thesis option conduct a 6-credit hour research study. Students admitted to the practicum option complete two required professional practicum courses. Students selected into one option may switch to the other option after admission, but their faculty advisor must approve that change.