Minnesota is a place of unrivaled beauty with millions of acres of lakes and forests. Though the winter weather can be harsh, fall and spring usually bring beautiful weather during which you can enjoy the spoils of the North Star State.
Minnesota also has a robust higher education system that makes it easy to access degrees and programs to advance your education. There are dozens of graduate and doctoral psychology degree programs in Minnesota.
Among these programs are various options for getting a degree in industrial organizational (I-O) psychology. Most of these programs are at the master’s level, but doctoral options are available, too. Get more details about these popular programs in the guide that follows!
Industrial Organizational Psychology Graduate Programs in Minnesota
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering industrial organizational psychology graduate programs in Minnesota:
- The University of Minnesota-Duluth
- Capella University
- Minnesota State University-Mankato
- St. Cloud State University
- The University of Minnesota
- Purdue Global
- Grand Canyon University
The University of Minnesota-Duluth
In 1895, the Minnesota State Legislature established a normal school in Duluth for training teachers. It remained as such until 1947, when the school became a satellite campus of the University of Minnesota. Today, that school is the University of Minnesota-Duluth, a regional university that serves roughly 10,000 students.
Most UMD students are undergraduates, but there are a few hundred graduate students, medical students, and pharmacy students, too.
UMD’s 244-acre campus is situated on Lake Superior’s shores, giving you easy access to recreational activities on and near the lake. On campus, you can enjoy cultural and athletic events, dozens of student clubs and organizations, and even tour Glensheen, a 27,000-square-foot mansion given to the university in 1968.
Industrial Organizational Program Information
The University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Industrial Organizational Psychology graduate program requires two years of full-time studies to complete. This is a residential program, so you must come to the Duluth campus to complete the required 36 credits for graduation.
Your graduate studies will focus on topics like human resources development, employee training and retention, and organizational leadership, to name a few. Other courses you’ll take include the following:
- Advanced Personnel Psychology
- Research Methods and Evaluation
- Organizational Systems and Development
- Personnel Training and Development
- Performance Evaluation and Management
This degree also requires that you complete a six-credit research project in which you integrate your learning from the program into a complete scholarly work. A faculty advisor will guide you through the process, and when the project is complete, you will present it to a committee.
You will also have opportunities throughout the program to apply your skills in businesses and organizations in the Duluth area. These experiences aren’t full-blown practica or internships but are short-term projects that give you real-world experience working in I-O psychology.
The requirements for admission to the UMD graduate school are as follows:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and have a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or higher. A degree in psychology is preferred, though other degrees might be considered depending on the undergraduate psychology coursework you’ve completed.
- Submit an applicant statement.
- Submit a work sample.
- Provide three letters of recommendation.
- Provide a curriculum vitae.
International applicants must also demonstrate English language proficiency.
Minnesota State University-Mankato
In 1868, a new school – the Mankato Normal School – was established to provide teacher training for Minnesota’s growing school system. Classes began with just 27 students, none of whom could have imagined that their small school would grow into Minnesota State University-Mankato, a comprehensive public university with over 14,000 students. Of those, about 1,300 students are from more than 90 countries worldwide.
The MSU-Mankato campus sits on 300 acres overlooking the Minnesota River Valley. This location offers easy access to recreational opportunities like hiking, biking, camping, and water sports. The campus is also just one-and-a-half hours from Minnesota-St.Paul, where you can enjoy the amenities of the big city.
While you are in class, though, you will learn from expert faculty in small classes that facilitate your understanding of crucial I-O psychology subjects.
Industrial Organizational Program Information
The Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from MSU-Mankato is a full-time, two-year program that takes place on the MSU-Mankato campus. The program focuses on building skills that enable you to solve crucial workplace-related problems by giving you real-world experiences to apply your learning throughout the program.
In fact, MSU-Mankato’s program is unique in that it has an in-house consulting group called the Organizational Effectiveness Research Group. Working within this group, you will gain practical, collaborative experience, build collegiality with professionals and other students, and have the opportunity to take part in faculty-student mentoring, too.
Some of the courses you will take in this program include the following:
- Psychometric Theory
- Job Analysis and Performance Appraisals
- Workplace Diversity and Inclusion
- Organization Development
- Employee Selection
Furthermore, you’re required to build a portfolio over the course of the program, and you will take a comprehensive examination. A three-month internship or a thesis is required as well.
You can apply to the MSU-Mankato graduate school online. To do so, you must have a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a bachelor’s degree with at least 15 credits of psychology courses.
You need a 3.0 GPA or higher for your undergraduate coursework, and you must score in the 35th percentile or higher on the GRE Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning subtest. A score of 3.0 or higher on the GRE Analytical Writing subtest is also required.
When applying, you must provide the following:
- Official transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended
- A personal statement
- A resume or curriculum vitae
- A list of three references
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud State University was founded in 1869 on a small campus near the Mississippi River with just a handful of students. Today, though, St. Cloud State is a bustling medium-sized school with more than 10,000 students. In addition to the abundant recreational opportunities available near campus, you can participate in more than 200 student organizations and clubs on campus, including honor societies, club sports, and academic groups.
St. Cloud State offers over 200 undergraduate programs, 60 graduate programs, and three doctoral programs, so you have plenty of variety when choosing your educational path. No matter what major you select, you’ll learn from experienced, dedicated faculty that work closely with you to ensure you develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in your career.
Industrial Organizational Program Information
St. Cloud State’s Master of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology is a two-year, on-campus program requiring 41 credits to graduate. During your time in the program, you will participate in experiential learning exercises, networking events, and conferences with state and national I-O organizations.
Furthermore, you will work cooperatively with other students to explore important issues in I-O psychology. This collaborative learning environment prepares you to apply what you’ve learned in the program in real-life settings as an I-O psychologist.
Some of the topics you will study include the following:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Job Testing and Assessment
- Organizational Theory
- Group Behavior Theory
- Reward/Punishment Structures
You will also complete 17 credits of I-O psychology research and either a master’s thesis or a research project with a portfolio. Doing so prepares you to be a competent scientist-practitioner in I-O psychology.
The admissions requirements for this program are as follows:
- Have an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution.
- Have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher.
- Meet minimum GRE score standards.
St. Cloud State also notes that undergraduate courses in statistics, research methods, experimental psychology, social psychology, and I-O psychology are helpful.
The University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota was founded in 1851 and is the state’s largest and most comprehensive public university. UM is the only land-grant university in the state and is also one of the most prestigious public universities in the nation. As part of that, UM is one of only five universities with on-campus programs in medicine, law, agriculture, veterinary medicine, and engineering.
UM boasts an enrollment of more than 50,000 students. With that many students comes the need for impeccable facilities and learning experiences. The University has cutting-edge research facilities for students in many disciplines, including psychology.
You will take part in community outreach and volunteerism, collaborative work with other students, and you will learn from world-renowned faculty who help guide you through your education and prepare you for success after graduation.
Industrial Organizational Program Information
The University of Minnesota’s Ph.D. in Industrial Organizational Psychology is the only doctoral-level I-O program in the state and is considered one of the top I-O doctoral programs in the nation. This four- to five-year residential program requires you to study at the Twin Cities campus.
Your studies will revolve around I-O topics like work motivation, training and development in the workplace, individual assessment, and group processes. Specific coursework includes the following:
- Research Methods in IO Psychology
- Analysis of Psychological Data
- Organizational Psychology
- Personnel Psychology
- Psychometrics
A unique feature of this program is the I-O Seminar, a course in which you explore I-O journal articles in depth with two faculty members. There is no book for the course; rather, the goal is to engage in current research and become an expert in a specific area of I-O psychology.
You can apply to this Ph.D. program online. To apply, you must submit the following materials:
- Official transcripts from each college or university you’ve attended
- Official GRE scores
- A personal statement
- A diversity statement
- A resume or curriculum vitae
- Three letters of recommendation
Industrial Organizational Psychology Work Opportunities in Minnesota
Once you become an I-O psychologist, the work you do in Minnesota depends on your specific area of interest. For example, if you are especially interested in talent management, you could work as a headhunter for large businesses and organizations headquartered in Minnesota. This job requires you to find highly qualified people to fill positions within the organization. Moreover, you will work with the human resources department to ensure new hires are trained properly and retained for the long term.
Another option you might consider as a Minnesota-based I-O psychologist is focusing on organizational development. As an organizational development specialist, you will fulfill many important tasks, not the least of which is devising innovative methods to ensure employees work effectively and efficiently. Organizational development specialists tend to focus on employee job satisfaction, on-the-job performance, and productivity, too.
A third career path available to you is to be a workforce analyst. This job focuses more on the numbers of the workplace, such as productivity outputs. Your job is to make inferences about what the data you collect means for the company’s bottom line, then present that information to managers, executives, and other decision-makers. The analyses you provide help guide the direction of the business or organization to be more successful.
There are many other work opportunities in I-O psychology in academics, consulting, workplace efficiency, and so on. But before you think about the job you will have, your task is to choose one of the I-O psychology programs, complete your coursework, and graduate.
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