FAQ

Industrial/organizational or I/O psychology is concerned with individual, group, and organizational behavior in work settings. Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology graduates contribute to an organization’s success by improving the performance and well-being of its people. An I/O psychologist researches and identifies how behaviors and attitudes can be improved through hiring practices, training programs, and feedback systems. I/O psychologists apply their knowledge of human personality structures, social motivational processes, and statistical measurement to tasks such as selecting people who fit a given work environment or designing more effective organizational structures.I/O psychologists often focus on improving the motivation, performance, training, and job satisfaction of individuals.

Where do I/O psychology graduates work and what do they do?

I/O psychology graduates work across a variety of organizations (e.g. corporate, non-profit, hospitals, government and academia). Industrial-organizational psychology graduates helps develop strategies that build better organizations through internal and external consulting and human resource and related function. I/O graduates work in many different areas:

Employee

Testing
Selection and promotion
Training and development

Organizational Development

Change management
Surveys
Job design and evaluation

Human Resource management

Legal
Compensation and benefits
Performance evaluation and assessment

Research expertise

Research design and methods
Data analysis and statistics

Are the I/O Program and Roosevelt University accredited?

All degree programs at Roosevelt University are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Associations of Colleges and Schools. North Central is the largest of six regional associations, recognized by the United States Secretary of Education and the Committee on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation, whose mission is to establish standards for institutions of higher education and to ensure continuous improvement of programs. APA has not accreditation for I/O programs like they do for clinical programs.

Can I transfer in graduate credits to the I/O program?

You can transfer up to 6 hours of appropriate graduate level course work from an accredited college or university. These courese must be approved by the graduate advisor and must be related to the I/O program.

Do I need to take the GRE?

The GRE is not a requirement for admission to the I/O Psychology program. To be admitted to the program you need to complete the Roosevelt University graduate application, have an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), and complete a goals statement. Student’s undergraduate coursework must include general psychology, introductory statistics, tests and measures, research methods, and one advanced undergraduate course. If you have additional question on admission to any of RU’s graduate program please contact the Office of Admission at 847-619-8600.

When is the application deadline?

There is no deadline for application to the I/O graduate psychology program. What a prospective student should keep in mind is that registration for the fall semester begins in early April and registration for spring and summer begins in early November. To guarantee course registration prospective students should apply before or near these dates.

When do you notify applicants that they have been accepted or not?

Notification of acceptance or not happens on an continual basis.

English is not my first language, what do I need to know about the application process?

An English proficiency test is not required for admission to Roosevelt University. However, proficiency in English must be demonstrated before academic work in any of the five colleges of the university can be taken.

Click here for more information and international student application forms

Does the program hold open houses or information sessions?

Roosevelt University holds open houses 2-3 times per year. Specific program information sessions are held throughout the year as well.

Click her for dates and times of upcoming open houses and information sessions.

Do I need a degree in psychology to be admitted into the program?

Applicants to the I/O graduate psychology program do not have to have an undergraduate degree in psychology.

Do I need specific courses in psychology to be admitted into the program?

One of the admission criteria is to have at least 18 semester hours in psychology at the undergraduate level. Undergraduate courses must include general psychology, introductory statistics, test and measurements, research methods, and one advanced undergraduate course.

What types of financial support are available?

Being a graduate student at Roosevelt University is an exciting opportunity. There are many options for graduate students to consider in financing their graduate education at Roosevelt University. Although most graduate students fund their education through employer based tuition remission or student loans, there are other exciting opportunities including: working as a Graduate Assistant, working in the Federal Work Study Program, and even partial Graduate Scholarships awarded to students demonstrating outstanding academic achievement. A general requirement for all graduate aid (including student loans) is being enrolled on at least a half-time basis. For graduate study (undergraduate as well) that means taking 6 hours per semester.

Click here for more information regarding graduate student financial aid

What if I have already taken an I/O psychology class?

If you have previously taken an Industrial/Organizational psychology class witha grade of "C" or above (undergraduate or graduate) you do not have to take PSYC 444. You will have to make up those hours by selecting an additional 660 Psychology course or an elective course.

Does the I/O program require a Masters Thesis or Practicum?

Students can choose whether they want to complete a thesis or a practicum.

If I choose to do a practicum am I responsible for my own placement?

The student is responsible to find a practicum site or practicum position. Often this is an actual position, not necessarily labeled practicum or internship. The site must involve a supervisor with either an advanced degree in an I/O related area or substantial experience in and I/O related function. To begin a practicum the student must have all their course work completed. The practicum also requires a two-person committee, a chair and a reader.

How many hours are required for the practicum?

Students must complete 1,000 hours of work (about six months of full-time work). After the hours are completed a practicum paper is completed and revised according to the committee’s editing.

If I choose to complete a thesis when should I begin this process?

The thesis (PSYC 690) can be taken anytime, and work can begin at any time during the program. A thesis involves completing an actual original empirical study by the student under the supervision of a two-person committee, a chair and reader. On average, a thesis can take 2 semesters to complete and must be done within the six year time limit for the program.

Click here to find out more information regarding completion of a thesis

How long will it take me to complete the I/O psychology program?

The program requires 36 semester hours for graduation. The course work for the program can be completed in as few as two years if studetns take 3 classes each semester. On average, studetns take 3 years to complete the program (including thesis or practicum), as many students attend part-time (particularly later in the program as some students begin to progress into their career).

Click here to see examples of two and three year schedules