Click on the above photo for information on our MSIO students and alumni
Overview
MSIO Application Prerequisites
MSIO Degree Requirements
MSIO Faculty
Organizations Employing MSIO Alumni
Sampling of MSIO Theses Titles
Funding
Links
Application Procedures
CSULB Campus Tours
Current Students Main Menu
MSIO Student and Alumni Web Page
MSIO Theses Abstracts
Psychology Graduate Advisor
The Master of Science in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology program (MSIO) is a rigorous program designed for students who plan to use psychology in the solution of problems in business and industry. The program combines scientific discipline with professional practice. Student learning is achieved through seminars consisting of both a core sequence and course electives, practicum experience within an organization and development of a thesis. Required seminars examine a variety of content areas within Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology including organizational behavior, personnel psychology, training, and organizational development. Elective courses allow students some flexibility in determining which statistics and research methods courses best suit their personal interests.
The practicum enables students to implement I/O knowledge and skills in an organization. The required thesis provides the opportunity for students to display the culmination of their research and analytical skills. In order to assist student development of a researchable, practical thesis topic, all students take a thesis preparation seminar during the second year of enrollment.
This full time program was established specifically to encourage qualified individuals to advance their formal education beyond the bachelor's degree in areas that emphasize the value of human resources in the industrial community. The program is conceived as leading to a terminal M.S. degree, but some of our students successfully pursue doctorate education. Perhaps due in part to student interest in organizations, the majority of students are employed part time. Such employment can facilitate understanding of Industrial/Organizational theory, and provide the opportunity for practical applications of material discussed in the seminars. Although part time employment (particularly in human resource or organizational development fields) is encouraged, students are advised to work no more than 20 to 25 hours during the first year of enrollment.
The Master of Science in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at CSULB is an academically challenging program that requires a high degree of student dedication for satisfactory completion. Each seminar during the first year of enrollment typically assigns 60 - 80 pages of primary (i.e., journal articles and book chapters) and secondary (i.e., textbook) reading sources weekly, in combination with group assignments, research proposals, class presentations and/or exams. Through experience, faculty have learned that satisfactory progress is unlikely to be achieved by students who attempt to work more than 20 to 25 hours in addition to enrollment in the industrial/organizational program. In order to properly address student academic needs, applicants will not be admitted if they cannot commit to full time enrollment status. The program typically admits approximately 9-10 students annually. Although there are no minimal cutoff scores beyond University requirements for admittance, successful applicants typically possess a GPA greater than 3.5 for their last 60 units, and have combined verbal and quantitative GRE scores over 1050. Most graduates of the program have found positions in industry, have advanced in the companies employing them, or have been accepted into Ph.D. programs elsewhere.
MSIO PROGRAM - STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
An MSIO student will demonstrate competency:
1. as an informed consumer of the knowledge of the history and systems of psychology in general, and the history and systems of I-O psychology in particular.
2. as an informed consumer of the knowledge of core I-O content areas and a practitioner applying this knowledge to I-O issues in workplace settings.
3. as an applied researcher, demonstrating (a) the knowledge of basic applied research methods, (b) data collection and statistical analysis skills and abilities, (c) oral presentation skills, and (d) report writing skills.
4. as a culturally aware participant in diverse organizational settings.
EXAMPLE JOB TITLES OF CSULB MS IN PSYCHOLOGY, OPTION IN INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATES
Personnel Analyst; Performance Assessment; Services Consultant; Compensation Analyst; Human Resources Manager; Special Projects Coordinator; Consultant for Strategic Resources; Director of Marketing; Organizational Effectiveness Consultant; Organizational Development Specialist; Training & Development Manager; Strategic Research Analyst; Research Analyst; Testing & Assessment Specialist
EXAMPLE ORGANIZATIONS FOR WHICH CSULB MS IN PSYCHOLOGY, OPTION IN INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY GRADUATES WORK
Los Angeles USD, Strategic Business Solutions - Rite Aid, Andersen Worldwide, Ford Motor Company, Ernst & Young, Pacific Bell, Hay Group Consulting, Toyota Motor Credit Corporation, Universal Studios, J.D. Power & Associates, City of Los Angeles, City of Santa Monica, City of Huntington Beach, City of Long Beach, County of Los Angeles, County of Orange, Boeing, TRW, Southern California Edison, The Gas Company, Jack-in-the-Box (Corporate), TransAmerica, CSU Dominguez Hills, California State University Chancellor's Office.
Links: APA Monitor I/O article
SIOP Brochure
(www.SIOP.org)
I/O Psychology - A Brief Description
PREREQUISITES TO ENROLLMENT IN THE MS IN PSYCHOLOGY, OPTION IN INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM:
Applicants to the industrial/organizational program are expected to have a bachelor's degree with a major in Psychology or 24 upper division units (eight semester upper division courses) of Psychology coursework, as well as some lower division courses. (If your bachelor's degree is not in Psychology, please visit this page.) The following courses (or their equivalents) must be included. Students may be admitted to the industrial/organizational program if they lack only one required prerequisite course. The missing course must be completed within the first year of graduate study. Students missing more than one prerequisite course at the time of application may be offered provisional admission, if they submit a plan to take the missing courses along with their application, subject to approval. However, because these 2 course areas are prerequisites for the first semester MS in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational program courses, PSY 314 or 315 AND 351 or 581 or 453/553 must be taken prior to program entry.
Prerequisite Coursework must include the following CSULB courses (or equivalents, to be determined by Psychology Dept.):
PSY 220 (Research Methods)
PSY 310 (Intermediate Statistics; requires Introductory Statistics)
PSY 314 (Psychological Assessment) or PSY 315 (Principles of Psychological Testing)
*** CSULB will be offering PSY 314 during the Winter 2010 session - registration will begin late October ***
PSY 332 (Cognition) or PSY 333 (Psychology of Learning)
PSY 351 (Social Psychology) or PSY 381 (Introduction to IndustrialOrganizational Psychology) or PSY 453/553 (Principles of Group Dynamics)
See Prerequisite course descriptions below (PSY 100 is prerequisite for all courses):
100. General Psychology (3)
Introduction to the scientific study of human behavior. Provides a basis for further study and for application to everyday life. Topics include biological foundations of behavior, motivation, emotion, learning, memory, thinking, personality, development, social behavior, abnormal behavior, methods of therapy.
210. Introductory Statistics (4)
Calculation and meaning of statistical measures. Descriptive and inferential statistics.
220. Research Methods (4)
Introduction to basic research methods in Psychology. Principles of experimentation, naturalistic observation, correlational studies.
310. Intermediate Statistics (3)
Prerequisites: PSY 210 or introductory statistics course.
Basic theoretical concepts of statistics and the use of these concepts in the selection and development of model testing, hypothesis testing and parameter estimation procedures. Both single measure (univariate) and correlational (bivariate) concepts will be covered.
314. Psychological Assessment (3)
Prerequisites: PSY 210, 220.
Principles of assessment applied to the measurement of individual behavior and to programs intended to affect behavior. Includes interviews, tests and other methods.
315. Principles of Psychological Testing (3)
Prerequisites: PSY 210, 220.
Principles and practices of group and individual testing in the fields of intelligence, aptitude, achievement, personality and interest. Emphasis on the evaluation of tests as measuring devices, their applicability and limitations.
332. Cognition (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 220, 241.
Study of higher-order processes basic to the acquisition of knowledge. Includes thinking, problem solving, creativity, information processing, decision making, judgment, concepts and imagination.
333. Psychology of Learning (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 220, 241.
Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior resulting from experience. Emphasizes interaction of biological and environmental variables in the processes of instinct, habituation, sensitization, Pavlovian conditioning, instrumental learning, and cognition; examination of methods, theory and applications.
351. Social Psychology (3)
Study of individuals and groups as they are affected by social interactions. Topics may include social cognition, attitudes and persuasion, social influence, interpersonal perception and attraction, aggression, altruism, and group dynamics.
Not open to students with credit in SOC335I.
381. Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3)
Introduction to theories, methods, findings, and aplications of industrial-organizational (IO) psychology. Topics covered include job analysis, employee recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, employee training and development, work stress, teams, satisfaction, motivation, and leadership.
453/553. Principles of Group Dynamics (3)
Prerequisite: PSY 351 or consent of instructor.
Behavior in groups with attention to such factors as leadership, followership, interaction and influence including organization, management, morale, and efficiency. Problems, techniques and methods of investigation.
DUAL NUMBERED COURSES
A number of the courses in the MS in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational program are dual numbered, i.e., while course material is the same there is a separate numbering for graduate (500-level) and undergraduate (400-level). All graduate students are to enroll in the 500-level courses. Courses that are double numbered include the following: 401/501; 407/507; 411/511; 412/512; 415/515; 418/518; 423/523; 427/527; 433/533; 436/536; 438/538; 441/541; 444/544; 451/551; 456/553; 456/556; 475/575.
1. PSY 581 Organizational Psychology
2. PSY 585 Personnel Psychology
3. Two (2) of the following advanced statistical courses:
PSY 511 Statistical Design and Analysis of Experiments
PSY 512 Multivariate Analysis
PSY 523 Qualitative Methods in Psychology
4. One (1) of the following courses:
PSY 518 Computer Applications in Psychology
PSY 527 Human Factors
PSY 553 Principles of Group Dynamics
PSY 575 Clinical Interviewing
PSY 634 Seminar in Cognition
PSY 637 Seminar in Emotion and Motivation
PSY 651 Seminar in Social Psychology
PSY 656 Seminar in Personality
HRM 445 Compensation Administration
5. PSY 515 Test Construction
6. PSY 582 Research in Industrial Psychology
7. PSY 683 Issues in Organizational Development
8. PSY 686 Issues in Training
9. PSY 688 Practicum in Industrial Organizational (2 units)
10. PSY 681 Thesis Prep/App Psych in Industry
11. PSY 698 Thesis (4 units)
Hannah-Hanh Nguyen
Assistant Professor
PhD, Michigan State University
Workplace diversity and/or discrimination and cross-cultural I/O psychology issues, including include prejudice against nappers in the workplace, stereotype threat effects on cognitive ability test performance, international discriminatory practices, and multiple-choice test test-taking strategies. Discriminatory hiring decisions in a personnel selection context and Asian, Asian-American and/or immigrant entrepreneurship.
Christopher Warren
Assistant Professor
PhD, Tulane University
Affective variables in job performance, investigating the various predispositions that shape the way we view our environment and interpret our work settings, along with more momentary job related affective reactions to workplace environments. Individual performance, especially regarding both internal and external determinants of self regulation, and how those translate into worker safety behaviors. Psychometrics, or the study of psychological measurement, focuses on reliability, or test consistency, and how this effects things such as agreement indices, and be effected by test length and mood.
David Whitney
Professor
PhD, Michigan State University
Research interests in promoting employment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities. Interview and other forms of test coaching for both typical applicant and special populations. Personnel selection.
List of CSULB Psychology Faculty and Contact Information
"Repatriation Adjustment: A Study of American Employees after Return from Overseas Assignments"
"The Effects of Humor on Perceptions of Organizational Conflict"
"Feng Shui and Psychology: Situational and Individual Predictors of Dominance"
"Applicant Reactions to Biodata Item Types"
"Cultural Differences in Perceptions of Effective Leadership Behaviors"
"The Effects of Physical Attractiveness and Interview Structure on Hiring Decisions"
"The Effects on Leader-Member Exchange on Supervisor's Downward Influence Attempts"
List of MS Industrial/Organizational Psychology Masters' Theses Abstracts
Psychology Department Graduate Assistant Positions
The Psychology department has a number of graduate assistantship positions available. These provide financial support and professional experience, as well as additional contact between students and faculty. These positions are awarded on a competitive basis to new and continuing students. Types of positions include graduate assistants in laboratory and other courses.
APPLICATION
Students interested in serving as a Graduate Assistant (GA) should submit a GA application to the Graduate Advisor. Applications must be submitted for each semester. Positions are open until filled. Review of applications will begin April 15th for the Fall semester and November 15th for the Spring semester, and should be submitted by these deadlines.
Applications may be printed using the links provided below (students who have not worked a GA position in the past must also submit a SC-1 form). Applications should be sent to the Graduate Advisor's office.
TYPES OF GA JOBS
Each semester the department of Psychology hires about 10-13 graduate assistants to perform various activities. The assignments are usually 10 hours per week for 17 weeks in the Fall and 17 weeks in the Spring. Most GA assignments fall into two major categories. Some assignments are to assist in the introductory research methods course. This involves preparing materials, grading papers and assisting students. Other GA assignments support introductory and intermediate statistics courses. These assignments generally involve grading papers, assisting students and helping students with various statistical software packages. Both research methods and statistics GA positions also involve providing support for the department computer lab. An EEO/AA/Title IX policy is followed.
BENEFITS OF A GA POSITION
J. Robert Newman Scholars Program
Due to a generous bequeathment from a faculty member beloved by students, staff and colleagues, the Psychology department is able to award two students funding that will cover a portion of the cost of in-state enrollment fees. The MA in Psychology, Option in Psychological Research, and the MS in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational committees may each select an outstanding incoming student as a J. Robert Newman scholar. The recipient receives $1750/semester, up to four semesters.
Additional Sources of Financial Support
