Industrial/Organizational Psychology

College of Adult Undergraduate Studies

Overview
Major
Four-year plan
Course descriptions

Maria Mouratidis, Psy.D., Chair
Sally N. Wall, Ph.D.

The psychology department of the School of Arts and Sciences offers a major in industrial-organizational psychology (I/O Psychology) in the College of Adult Undergraduate Studies. Industrial-organizational psychology uses principles of psychology and business to study and improve the workplace. Industrial-organizational psychology is a dynamic field that explores workplace issues at both the individual and the organizational levels, with a goal of improving the performance and well-being of employees and employers. Notre Dame of Maryland University's Industrial-Organizational Psychology major promotes multidisciplinary competencies in psychology and business, with attention to both real-world applications and analytical methods. The program prepares professionals for human resource functions, such as employee selection, job analysis, training, facilitating organizational change, and performance evaluation, as well as broader psychosocial aspects of the workplace, such as attitudes, behavior, emotions, health, balance, and motivation. Industrial-organizational psychology involves the scientific study of the workplace, applying psychological methods and theories to issues including management, coaching, assessment, selection, training, organizational development, performance, and work-life balance.

Adapting to the fast-changing and competitive economy, the public and private sectors use principles of industrial-organizational psychology to enhance their ability to build a productive workforce, serve client needs, and realize strategic priorities. Students in this major develop the cognitive, analytical, communication, and problem-solving abilities to be highly adaptive and flexible themselves. They also learn how to develop these skills in others. Industrial-Organizational Psychology emphasizes workforce development, human resource management, program management, consulting, organizational change, leadership development, and career counseling. Industrial-organizational psychologists will be in increasing demand in coming years; their skills will be called upon to boost worker productivity and retention in many industries and to help companies deal with issues like workplace diversity and anti-discrimination.

The curriculum develops students' core competencies in theoretical and applied areas, including data collection and analysis, professional ethics, work motivation, attitude theory, assessments and evaluation, leadership, teamwork, professional communication, group theory and practice, organizational behavior, and human resource management. Graduates will be prepared to: (1) Apply psychological practices and procedures to a variety of organizational settings; (2) Use appropriate methodologies, research analysis, and leadership principles to train managers, evaluate performance, and incorporate workforce planning into strategic plans; (3) Enable workplace goals such as creating positive environments, increasing productivity, selecting, training, and assessing employees, and promoting bias-free organizations; and (4) Make ethical, values-based decisions that encourage positive organizational climate and maintain integrity in employer-employee relationships.

The program is designed to prepare students for graduate school (masters or doctoral) or entry-level positions that use psychological skills and knowledge in a business setting such as consulting firms, human resource offices, research organizations, or independent consulting practice.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology majors must complete all courses for the major with a grade of C or higher.

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Program of Study

Required Courses for a Major in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (Credits)

PSY-101 Introduction to Psychology (4)
PSY-209 Social Psychology (3)
PSY-210 Research Methods I (4) OR BUS 360 (3)
PSY-260 Positive Psychology (3)
BUS-302 Principles of Management (3)
BUS-334 Teamwork and Negotiation (3)
BUS-400 Leadership and Empowerment (3)
BUS-416 Managing Financial Resources (3)
BUS-486 Human Resource Management (3)
PSY-342 Assessment and Evaluation (3)
PSY-370 Principles of Learning (3)
PSY-390 Career Counseling (3)
SOC-360 Sociology of Work (3)
PSY-411, SOC-411, or BUS-411 Advanced Topics (3)
One course in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (3)

In fulfilling general education requirements, industrial-organizational psychology students take the following courses, which also satisfy major program requirements and prerequisites:

• MAT-215 Statistics (3 cr) fulfills math general education requirement
• PHL-334 Business Ethics (3 cr) fulfills upper level philosophy and values requirements
• SOC-101 Introductory Sociology (3 cr) fulfills social science requirement; however, students are not required to take SOC-101 if they have already completed the social science general education requirement through other coursework.

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Industrial/Organizational Psychology Four-year Plan

Sample program of full-time study for the industrial/organizational psychology major. Students should select courses with the assistance of a faculty advisor in the psychology department. It is recommended that students complete MAT-215 and PSY-210 OR BUS-360 in their first year. Courses are not guaranteed to be offered in the semester noted in the plan below; all courses are not offered every year. Students are encouraged to take required courses when they are offered.

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Course Descriptions

Please see the psychology, sociology, business, mathematics, philosophy, and physical education sections for course descriptions.

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