Plan of Study
Check out the Plan of Study below for a snapshot of the classes you will take in our program. More detailed descriptions of the courses are presented below.
Detailed Course Descriptions
Term |
Course Name |
Course Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
PSYC 603 Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology |
Advanced survey of industrial-organizational psychology, including selection, training, motivation, group processes, leadership, organizational psychology, and organizational theory. Readings stressed and seminar time will be used primarily for hands-on activities, discussion, and integration of the reading materials. |
| 1 |
PSYC 653 The Business of Evaluation: Research Methods at Work |
Students in this class will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of commonly employed research methods in business settings. Students will learn about longitudinal research, survey and interview (including focus groups) design, and sampling and weighting, among other topics. Each design module will review best practices and limitations, and will include a discussion of how to handle and make sense of the resulting data. As part of this course, students will work in small groups to design and launch a research study that will answer a pressing business question. |
| 2 |
PSYC 652 Analytical Thinking I: Statistical Methods at Work |
Personal and organizational growth begins with asking and answering great questions. Correspondingly, this course begins with demonstrations of how to translate business questions into research questions. Statistical methods used to answer business questions are taught first conceptually, then computationally using statistical software. This course emphasizes interpreting results, the regression model, and other issues salient to business research, such as handling large datasets. Students will be provided with datasets that they will use in learning how to frame and answer business questions using the techniques covered in this course. At the conclusion of this course, students will be required to provide an executive-level presentation on the business question, their findings, and resulting implications. |
| 2 |
PSYC 655 Talent Development |
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of talent development as an approach for improving organizational and individual-level capabilities and for enhancing the learning climate of organizations. The course will emphasize theories of organizational learning and approaches to employee growth and development, and the practical application of these theories and approaches in today’s organizations. We will cover such topics as: (a) the relationship of talent development to organizational strategy; (b) needs analysis; (c) coaching and feedback; (d) multisource feedback; (e) the design of training/development content and programs; (f) leadership development and high potential systems; (g) evaluating the utility of training and development interventions; and, (h) maximizing organizational transfer of training. |
| 3 |
PSYC 654 Advanced Analytical Thinking II: Statistical Methods at Work |
This course builds on statistical methods taught in Psyc 652. Students will translate, analyze and categorize business questions. Students will complete a variety of small group projects using methods discussed in class to solve business questions. Students will learn how to utilize statistical data by developing “Analytic Question-to-Statistical Methods Matrics” to address business questions on topics such as talent development, selection and classification issues, strategic organizational change, and performance management. Finally, students will present the implications of their findings to a non-technical audience in ways that are creative and clear. |
| 3 |
PSYC 732 Selection and Classification Issues In Organizations |
Consideration of societal, organizational and individual demands for appropriate use of individual differences in (primarily) initial placement of employees. Recruitment, and selection issues, the role of governmental regulations, and the role of individual factors in individual behavior are considered. Extensive coverage given to fundamental psychometric problems and the development of individual and organizational criteria of effectiveness. |
| 4 |
PSYC 656 Business Fundamentals and Legal Issues facing Organizations |
This course provides an overview of the fundamentals of business. The course covers topics key to running successful organizations - like marketing, strategy, finance, accounting, product development, operations, and entrepreneurship. Students will learn core business concepts, about how each major business function enables organizations to run, and how to talk to and understand the leaders of organizations. Additionally, this course reviews professional ethics standards for IO psychology. This course uses case study methodology to hone students’ understanding of business, business strategy and how to create IO psychology interventions with impact. |
| 4 |
PSYC 657 Managing Strategic Organizational Change |
Students will learn to think about organizations as systems and will explore catalysts of organizational change. Issues of strategy, market pressure, competition, workforce planning, and stakeholder buy-in will be discussed. Finally, students will learn about methods for planning, leveraging, and managing organizational change. Case study methodology will be used to deepen learning on the challenges faced during organizational change and how to guide organizations through change – planned or not. |
| 5 |
PSYC 660 Performance Management, Compensation, and Benefits |
This course draws together content on organizational behavior, selection, assessment, development, employee relations, and compensation, among other topics. Students in this course will learn about how to align organizational reward systems, including selection, development, performance appraisal, feedback, and compensation systems. This course will pull from current organizational research and theory on issues ranging from work motivation, employee retention, and feedback processes to issues of organizational strategy and culture. |
| 5 |
PSYC 661 Practicum in I/O Psychology |
In this practicum, students will work in a real organization and will have the opportunity to apply what they have learned in class to real-world problems. Students will write a reflection paper reviewing what skills they have applied – and developed – while completing this practicum. |
Please note the courses in the program are subject to change. Any changes will be reflected on the website.
