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The Master of Arts with a major in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology program prepares students to function as master’s-level I/O psychologist practitioners. The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology defines I/O psychology as "the scientific study of workplace issues facing individuals, teams and organizations. The scientific method and rigor is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to business, including talent management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, and work-life balance.”

91¸£ÀûÉç's  33-credit (11 course) evening program focuses on theory for application and professional practice and can be completed in one academic year. It prepares students to perform quality professional services in a variety of workplace settings, including human resources, organizational culture and development, talent management, leadership development and workforce analytics and research across any industry and organizational type.

The degree prepares students to:

• Address multi-cultural and international workplace issues
• Design, implement and evaluate training and development programs
• Develop methods to improve job satisfaction, employee retention and organizational environments
• Measure employee satisfaction, performance and motivation
• Perform advanced research and statistical analyses
• Execute selection, placement and talent management programs
• Construct, administer and analyze psychometric assessments and evaluation tools
• Manage, plan, implement and evaluate projects and programs
• Consider ethical implications of workplace strategies

As southeastern Michigan’s longest running terminal master’s degree program, this highly specialized and competitive educational and practical experience in I/O psychology is distinct from graduate business education such as a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) and from doctoral training in I/O psychology. The intent of the program is career-related employment upon graduation.

The program equips students with competencies outlined by the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology and by the University 91¸£ÀûÉç Social Change Model. It also provides career advancement, professional development, as well as entry-level opportunities in private, non-profit and public sector organizations.

Students engage in managing, leading, enhancing, assessing and evaluating these programs and utilize a variety of industrial/organizational psychology skills to enhance organizational growth and effectiveness. Students have also conducted and/or created job analysis, surveys, training modules, assessment tools, onboarding programs, training manuals, databases, formal presentations and other industry deliverables that can be shared with future employers in their growing work portfolios. In addition, three of the courses include service learning which allows students to live the 91¸£ÀûÉç mission and vision, while contributing to their practical experience and meeting the needs of other University units (human resources, programs, services, etc.), grants or neighboring communities and non-profit organizations. All students provide a professional presentation to their program peers and prospective students describing their internship experiences and gained competencies.

Students may attend either full-time (three or four courses per semester) or part-time (two courses per semester). Courses are offered exclusively in the evening and several courses are partially online to allow students to engage in either intensive studies, full- or part-time employment or graduate research and program assistant positions while in the program.

Full-time students complete the program in one academic year, taking four courses in the fall semester, four courses in the winter semester, and three courses during the summer semester (May and June). The program includes a comprehensive examination and a 250-hour internship/practicum experience. The internship/practicum consists of paid and/or unpaid supervised practice of industrial/organizational psychology in a private, non-profit or public-sector organization. Paralleling the internship/practicum experience is a capstone course. This course allows for the synthesis of courses taken throughout the program, focuses on career development and professionalization and the reflection and integration of the internship experience with psychological theory and practice.