Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
About this Program
Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology is the scientific study of people in organizations. Both research and application are important to successfully translate scientific knowledge to improve workplaces. Thus, our program emphasizes the scientist-practitioner model, the approach recommended by the leading professional organization in the discipline, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). The program and curriculum are designed for students who intend to pursue an applied, professional career as practitioners in the field. Our program offers both a thesis (41 hours) and a non-thesis (38 hours) option; however, all students enter the program under the non-thesis option. The decision to change to a thesis option will be made on a case-by-case basis and will be based on the student's aptitude and career focus, as well as on the fit between the student and the faculty mentor. Whether the thesis or non-thesis option is chosen, all students earn a Master of Science in I/O Psychology and will therefore be required to conduct research and develop practical skills related to I/O psychology. Students are also required to complete 400 hours of an outside internship and their thesis or non-thesis option (capstone project) at the end of their second year.
Competencies
- Ability to Apply Research: graduates will demonstrate their advanced skills in translating psychological theory and research into everyday life applications.
- Critical Thinking Skills: graduates will be proficient in critically evaluating the adequacy of scientific research in psychology.
- Knowledge of Psychology: graduates will demonstrate their knowledge of psychological theory and research.
Admissions Criteria
Unconditional Admission
There are no fixed criteria for admission to the MS or PhD programs in Psychology. Of course, the student is expected to have successfully completed the appropriate work prior to admission. In the case of the MS program, an undergraduate BA or BS degree is required. As calculated by the UT Arlington's Office of Admissions, a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in undergraduate work is expected for unconditional admission. For the PhD, a minimum of 30 graduate hours with a GPA of 3.0 or better as calculated by the Graduate School is required. Beyond these minimal criteria, there is no single criterion that determines whether a positive or negative admission decision is made.
Our admissions focus is on seeking a positive indication of potential success in the program.
These indications include:
- A detailed examination of the student’s transcript. Grade point average per se is not weighed heavily as most candidates for admission have grade point averages greater than 3.0. Accordingly, we examine the course-work on the students’ transcripts as evidence of his/her research interests. Positive indicants of potential success in our program include greater than average coursework in the biological and physical sciences and mathematics. Similarly, evidence of experimental research previously undertaken is viewed as a predictor of future research productivity. For students interested in specialization in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology at the Master’s level, appropriate coursework in relevant background areas is taken into consideration.
- Letters of reference, in general, have little impact except where they offer evidence of commitment to experimental research (as in letters from an undergraduate research sponsor). Evidence of success in employment relevant to IO psychology will be considered for the Master’s degree in that area.
- The personal statement describing the applicant’s laboratory, field, or applied interests, career plans, and discussion of how the UTA program can serve to further these interests and plans will be examined for evidence of the appropriateness of the candidate to the UTA program.
- Finally, successful completion of a Master’s degree in another department is viewed positively even when the degree was received in an area outside of psychology. In this latter case, some conditions in terms of make-up coursework may be specified.
In summary, the department views its mission in the MS/ PhD program as to train students to be enthusiastic about conducting psychological research. Accordingly, we seek students who show aptitude in as well as motivation for research. Students interested in the terminal MS program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology will have their records examined for indicants of potential to succeed in industrial settings.
Admission steps:
- Submit Application and Pay Application Fee: Apply - Admissions - The University of Texas at Arlington
- Domestic Applicants: Graduate Students - Admissions - The University of Texas at Arlington
- International Applicants: International Graduates - Admissions - The University of Texas at Arlington
- Submit official transcripts from all 4-year institutions attended
- FOR NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS: If applicable, submit official English Language Test scores as determined by Graduate Admissions to demonstrate a sufficient level of skill with the English language to ensure success in your studies. Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance and programs may give preference to students with higher scores. Only scores submitted directly by ETS or IELTS to UTA are acceptable. UTA’s ETD Institutional code is 6013. See minimum score requirements for each test at the bottom of this section.
- This requirement will be waived for non-native speakers of English who possess a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited US institution OR for applicants who have graduated from secondary schools or post-secondary schools in the following countries and meet English language proficiency as indicated by the university catalog: Graduate Admissions | University of Texas at Arlington University Catalog. International applicants may still be expected to submit a test score of English language proficiency to be eligible for a graduate teaching assistantship.
- English Proficiency for Graduate Teaching Assistants: Before being appointed to an assistantship at UT Arlington, a student whose native language is not English must demonstrate acceptable skill with spoken English by providing a minimum score of 23 (OR 4.5 on the 6-point scale) on the Speaking portion of the TOEFL iBT exam OR a minimum score of 7 on the Speaking portion of the IELTS exam OR take and pass the UTA Developmental English course to meet this requirement. Only official scores provided directly to UT Arlington by ETS or IELTS are acceptable. The English proficiency requirement will be waived for non-native speakers of English who possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. institution.
- Submit an academic resume (CV) via SLATE.
- Submit a minimum of 3 recommendation letters via SLATE preferably from professors or employers.
- Submit your statement of purpose via SLATE. On average, most personal statements are 2-3 pages long, however, there is no page limit.
- This statement should cover laboratory field or applied interests, career plans, research experience, and how our graduate psychology program at UT Arlington can serve to further your interests and plans. PHD applicants will need to include information about their intended research specialization (a singular/specific focus) and one preferred faculty member. PhD applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the specific faculty member of interest prior to or during the application process. Please note that MS applicants are not required to list or include any reference to preferred faculty mentors.
- Please include a cover page with your personal statement that includes your name, UTA ID number, Program of Interest, and preferred faculty mentor except for MS programs. Your last name and page numbers should be on the header.
- Check your application status via SLATE. You may also email psychologydepartment@uta.edu if you have any questions OR issues submitting any departmental materials via SLATE.
English Language Test Score Minimums
TOEFL IBT (INTERNET-BASED)1
4 on 6-point scale or 79 on 120-point scale (6-point sectional scores of: 4.5 Writing, 4 Speaking, 4 Reading, 3.5 Listening or 120-point sectional scores of: 22 Writing, 21 Speaking, 20 Reading, 16 Listening)
TOEFL (COMPUTER-BASED)
213
TOEFL (PAPER-BASED)
550
IELTS
6.5 (Sectional score of: 7 Speaking)
DUOLINGO
100
1For the TOEFL score scale update:
https://www.ets.org/toefl/institutions/ibt/score-scale-update.html
Admission Status
As noted in the Graduate Catalog, there are several categories of admission in addition to unconditional admission to the Graduate Program in Psychology.
Unconditional Admission
An applicant who meets all requirements is normally considered for unconditional admission.
Probationary Admission
If an applicant does not evidence a majority of the positive indicators for the unconditional admission described above, they may, after careful examination of their application materials, be given probationary admission. Probationary admission requires that the new student receive a 3.0 (B average) GPA or better in the first 9-12 hours of graduate course work at UT Arlington.
Deferred Admission
A deferred decision may be granted when a file is incomplete or when denial of admission is not currently appropriate.
Provisional Admission
An applicant unable to supply all documentation (including certified transcripts, GRE scores, letters of reference, and personal statement) prior to the admission deadline, but otherwise appears to meet admission requirements, may be granted provisional admission.
Denial of Admission
Applicants whose records in the aggregate do not show sufficient positive indications of potential success will be denied admission. Please note that not all "qualified" applicants are admitted. Successful admission depends upon the competitiveness of the applicant pool, the number of positions available, and the applicant's fit with the current research interests of the faculty.
UT Arlington Graduates
Facilitated Admission of Outstanding UT Arlington Undergraduates
Students with extraordinarily strong undergraduate records at UT Arlington may receive advanced admission to the program without having to pass through the normal application process. Qualified students will be able to gain admission without completing a formal application or paying application fees. The following conditions must be met in order to qualify for advanced admission of outstanding undergraduates:
- The student must have graduated from a commensurate bachelor's degree program at UT Arlington no more than one academic year prior to the semester for which admission to a graduate program is sought. A commensurate bachelor's degree program is on that is a normal feeder program for the master's degree or doctoral degree-bound program to which the student seeks admission. Undergraduate students in their final year of study are also eligible; in such cases, facilitated admission is a conditional upon a successful completion of the bachelor's degree.
- The student's GPA must equal or exceed 3.5 in each of the following calculations:
- The grade-point average in the last 60 hours of study as calculated in UT Arlington's Office of Admission for admission purposes.
- All work completed at UTA to date.
- The student's record will be assessed for strengths relevant to success in the program. All prospective facilitated admission applicants must also submit a personal statement and two (2) reference letters with the understanding that submitting the facilitated admission form does not guarantee admission into the program; all facilitated admission applicants will be reviewed by committee the same as applicants applying via regular application.
Students who are accepted via facilitated admission will be admitted directly to graduate school without completing the application for admission or submitting an application evaluation charge. Students who believe they qualify for this program should contact the appropriate Graduate Advisor in the Department of Psychology.
For additional information about the I/O MS program, you are encouraged to refer to the psychology department's website and current Graduate Student Handbook.
Curriculum
| Foundations | ||
| PSYC 5324 | APPLIED RESEARCH DESIGN | 3 |
| PSYC 5325 | ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR | 3 |
| PSYC 5326 | EMPLOYEE SELECTION | 3 |
| PSYC 5405 | ADVANCED STATISTICS I | 4 |
| PSYC 5407 | MULTIVARIATE DATA ANALYSIS | 4 |
| PSYC 5227 | INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL INTERNSHIP | 2 |
| PSYC 5127 | INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL INTERNSHIP | 1 |
| Thesis/Non-Thesis | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-6 | |
| RESEARCH IN PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| THESIS | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select two from the following: | 6 | |
| COMPENSATION & REWARD SYSTEMS | ||
| HUMAN RESOURCE LAW | ||
| HR METRICS AND ANALYTICS | ||
| MANAGING DIVERSITY IN ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| INNOVATION, CREATIVITY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP | ||
| ORGANIZATION CONSULTING & RESEARCH | ||
| STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT | ||
| ETHICS AND THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT | ||
| ENTREPRENEURSHIP | ||
| EVIDENCE-BASED MANAGEMENT | ||
| SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP | ||
| HUMAN RESOURCE BUSINESS STRATEGY | ||
| COMMUNICATION IN VIRTUAL ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| ADVANCED BUSINESS COMMUNICATION THEORY & PRACTICE | ||
| MACHINE LEARNING | ||
| PYTHON PROGRAMMING FOR BUSINESS APPLICATIONS | ||
| INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROJECT MANAGEMENT | ||
| MANAGEMENT OF THE DIGITAL ENTERPRISE | ||
| MARKETING | ||
| CONSUMER BEHAVIOR I | ||
Others with approval | ||
| Psychology Graduate Electives | 9 | |
| Not all courses are taught every semester. Students should check with the home department for enrollment restrictions prior to finalizing their schedules. Permission of the home department and/or the instructor may be required. | ||
| Total Hours | 38-41 | |
The following is the recommended plan of study:
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| PSYC 5325 | 3 | PSYC 5326 | 3 |
| PSYC 5227 | 2 | PSYC 5324 | 3 |
| PSYC 5405 | 4 | PSYC 5407 | 4 |
| 9 | 10 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall Semester | Hours | Spring Semester | Hours |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | Restricted Elective | 3 |
| Psychology Elective | 3 | Psychology Elective | 3 |
| Psychology Elective | 3 | PSYC 5391 or 5698 | 3 or 6 |
| PSYC 5127 | 1 | ||
| 9 | 10-13 | ||
| Total Hours: 38-41 | |||
Note: Total hours correspond to a non-thesis (38 hrs) or thesis (41 hrs) option.
Advising Resources
Prospective applicants for the Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology are welcome to reach out to the faculty MSIO program advisor for information regarding our graduate program. Current master students should reach out to have their intended courses approved for the upcoming semester.
Prospective applicants for the PHD in Experimental Psychology (psychological sciences) are welcome to reach out to the faculty program advisor for Experimental Psychology for information regarding our graduate program.
Prospective applicants for the PHD in Experimental Psychology (Health/Neuroscience concentration) are welcome to reach out to the faculty program advisor for Health/Neuroscience for information regarding our graduate program.
Location:
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
SWSH 405A
Psychological Sciences
SWSH 404Y
Health/Neuroscience
LS 503
Email:
psychologydepartment@uta.edu
Phone:
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
817-272-8881
Psychological Sciences
817-272-0746
Health/Neuroscience
817-272-5222