If you are mapping out your future in industrial organizational (I-O) psychology, you might find that Illinois offers excellent educational opportunities and potential employment after you graduate.
Illinois is home to numerous popular psychology colleges that have I-O psychology programs of all levels, including bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees. Many of these programs are well-respected, too.
But getting a degree is only part of your journey – you want to be employable upon your graduation. As a state with over 12,000,000 people that’s home to thousands of businesses in cities large and small, there are ample opportunities to find employment.
Chicago alone offers the chance to become an industrial organizational psychologist and work in a host of areas, from education to scientific research to local governments. To help you get started in your pursuit of a degree in this field, we have identified three excellent industrial organizational psychology programs in Illinois.
Industrial Organizational Psychology Programs in Illinois
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering industrial organizational psychology programs in Illinois:
- The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Illinois State University
- Grand Canyon University
- Capella University
- Northern Illinois University
- Purdue University
- DePaul University
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
School Information
The University of Illinois was founded in 1867 as one of the first land-grant institutions created by the Morrill Act of 1862. Today, the university includes 15 colleges and instructional units that range from education to media to business.
As a student at the University of Illinois, you can choose from more than 150 programs of study, including industrial organizational psychology. There are more than 5,000 courses offered to more than 33,000 undergraduate students and more than 15,000 graduate students.
I-O Psychology Program Information
The Ph.D. program at the University of Illinois is a research-based curriculum that focuses on specific areas of psychological inquiry. You might focus your research on the area of vocational interest, social networks, or work-related stress. Likewise, you might study emotional intelligence, work-related attitudes, or the effects of job loss.
As a student in this program, you can choose a specialty in which to specialize in both breadth and depth courses. For example, depth courses focus specifically on industrial organizational topics, while breadth courses focus on a broader spectrum of psychological study.
In fact, there are very few specific curriculum requirements. Instead, the University of Illinois has designed the program to meet the individual, diverse needs of its students. You will take many seminar and independent study courses in the areas of your choosing and develop a bespoke curriculum with your advisor that addresses your educational goals.
Illinois State University
School Information
Illinois State University is a public research institution that offers baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. The university is located in Bloomington-Normal, which is consistently ranked as one of the best college towns in the United States.
With more than 20,000 undergraduate students and less than 3,000 graduate students, Illinois State is a large school, but not so large that you feel overwhelmed. There’s a nice blend of degrees offered, many on-campus activities, and a diverse student population that enriches your educational experience.
I-O Psychology Program Information
If you have completed your undergraduate studies and want to continue your education with a master’s degree, Illinois State’s master’s in industrial organizational-social psychology is a great choice.
This two-year program (if you study full-time) focuses on the application of psychological principles in work settings. The curriculum is based on the scientist-practitioner model, so you’ll learn how to apply psychological theory and methods to resolve work-related issues.
Whether you pursue a master of science or master of arts, you will need to complete 41 credit hours of study. This includes courses like:
- Personnel Psychology
- Organizational Psychology
- Learning And Cognition
- Theory & Research in Social Psychology
- Statistics: Data Analysis and Methodology
Additionally, you must take nine credits of psychological research and statistics courses, nine credits of elective courses, and four to six credits of independent research. You can choose to complete a professional practicum for credit as well.
Northern Illinois University
School Information
Located in DeKalb, Northern Illinois University has more than 16,000 students between its undergraduate and graduate programs. The graduate school accounts for more than 4,000 students.
The university is structured into seven colleges with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees available. Undergraduate students can choose between 66 different majors, while graduate students can choose from more than 90 options.
Northern Illinois University’s mission is to “empower students through educational excellence and experiential learning.” As such, your studies in the school’s industrial organizational psychology program will be research-based and afford you plenty of opportunities to put your learning into practice.
I-O Psychology Program Information
This doctoral program in Social-Industrial/Organizational Psychology is a unique combination of studies that focuses on social psychology, industrial organizational psychology, and quantitative methods. All told, you must complete 90 credit hours between the master’s program and doctoral program.
The core coursework focuses on the following areas:
- Organizational Psychology
- Experimental Social Psychology
- Analysis of Variance
- Research Ethics and Professional Issues in Organizations
- Regression
- Psychometrics
There are also several classes in quantitative methods, including:
- Evaluation Research
- Multivariate Statistics
- Structural Equation Modeling
- Meta-Analysis
- Multilevel Modeling
Additionally, you must choose to focus on either social psychology or industrial organizational psychology. As a student in the industrial organizational psychology program, you would take further courses in:
- Personnel Psychology
- Individual Assessment within Organizational Settings
- Psychology of Organizational Development and Training
- Occupational Health Psychology
- Practicum in I/O Psychology
- Performance Appraisals
I-O Psychology Work Opportunities in Illinois
Regardless of which I-O psychology program you choose, you can look forward to solid job prospects in Illinois and across the nation.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs in the field of psychology are expected to grow at an six percent rate through 2032. This rate is about average for all occupations and will result in more than 13,000 job openings in the U.S. during the same period.
As noted in the introduction, I-O psychologists work in many different settings, which might help you find work opportunities upon your graduation. For example, many industrial organizational psychologists work for state and local governments.
In Illinois, there are nearly 1,300 incorporated municipalities. While not every city or town needs an industrial organizational psychologist on staff, there are a good number of cities and towns that do. Having a major metropolitan area like Chicago certainly helps, too.
Other industrial organizational psychologists work in scientific research. In some cases, this might be at private research labs, while in others, it might be in an educational setting.
There are more than 200 educational institutions in the state and many research institutions as well. This bodes well for you as a graduate in this field because you could very well find a research-based position right at home in Illinois.
Ultimately, the work opportunities you find depends on your performance in school, plus your specific areas of training and research. Your educational level will inform your job search as well. For example, some positions in industrial organizational psychology require that you have a doctoral degree.
Whatever your course of action, getting an education in industrial organizational psychology from one of the programs discussed above will prepare you well for your future career.
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