New Jersey offers many different industrial organizational (I-O) psychology programs at colleges and universities throughout the state. You can complete your entire education – bachelor’s to doctorate – without leaving the Garden State.
What’s more, New Jersey is a great place to work as an I-O psychologist. The state’s diversified economy includes manufacturing, logistics, and transportation services, all of which can benefit from the knowledge and skills of an industrial organizational psychology graduate.
There are too many I-O programs in New Jersey to list, so we have narrowed the field down to high-quality programs at varying levels. Explore the details of each program in the guide below!
Industrial Organizational Psychology Programs in New Jersey
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering industrial organizational psychology programs in New Jersey:
- The College of New Jersey
- Capella University
- Montclair State University
- Fairleigh Dickinson University
- Rutgers University
- Grand Canyon University
- Purdue Global
The College of New Jersey
In the mid-1800s, the people of New Jersey realized that well-trained teachers were needed to educate the next generation of workers. So, the College of New Jersey was founded as a preparatory college for teachers – the first such college in the state. In fact, the College of New Jersey was the fifth teacher’s college established in the nation.
That trailblazing spirit has guided the development of the College of New Jersey throughout its existence. You can enroll in one of dozens of academic programs and participate in campus activities and organizations that enrich your learning experience. The school’s campus is 300 acres and includes beautiful buildings where you’ll study with faculty who are leaders in their fields.
Industrial Organizational Psychology Program Information
The College of New Jersey offers an undergraduate Industrial and Organizational Psychology specialization that prepares you for entry-level positions in I-O psychology or for pursuing advanced training in a graduate degree program.
This 4-year program includes core, foundation, and specialized courses that give you a broad overview of I-O psychology. Some of the classes you will take include the following:
- Industrial Psychology
- Employment Law
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Psychological Disorders
- Principles of Economics
This program also requires a “senior experience.” You can complete this experience in any number of ways – an internship, a senior thesis, or individual study, to name a few. Furthermore, the psychology department will help you locate externship and research opportunities off campus if you desire.
You can apply to the College of New Jersey as a first-year student online. You must also submit the following in support of your application:
- Official high school transcripts
- Official ACT or SAT scores
- 2-3 letters of recommendation
- A resume (this is optional, though)
Montclair State University
What is known as Montclair State University today was originally established in 1908 as the New Jersey State Normal School. But, like so many teacher prep schools in the early 1900s, the normal school eventually added a great number of other majors and programs and became a full-fledged, comprehensive university. Today, Montclair State has hundreds of programs, including majors, minors, and certificates.
With more than 21,000 students, Montclair State is a sizable school. However, the university strives to keep the learning experience intimate with a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average undergraduate class has just 23 students, and graduate classes have even fewer. Of course, the school’s location is a bonus, too – it’s centrally located to explore New York City when you aren’t in class.
Industrial Organizational Psychology Program Information
The Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Montclair State University is a terminal degree that takes two years to complete. With studies in human resources, organizational management, human capital, and other critical fields, this degree prepares you well for applying psychological principles in a range of work settings.
Your studies are divided into two areas: classroom coursework and a capstone project. The coursework includes broad examinations of critical I-O psychology topics, including the following:
- Personnel Selection: Issues and Procedures
- Performance Management
- Work Attitudes and Motivation: Theory and Application
- Interventions for Effective Organizations
- Psychometrics
The capstone project can be satisfied as either an original master’s thesis or as a supervised internship. In either case, you will have many opportunities to apply what you have learned in the program to solve real-world workplace problems.
Montclair State has an online application process. To qualify for admission to this program, you must have an undergraduate degree in psychology or an undergraduate degree in another field with 12 or more credits in psychology, including statistics and lab research courses. You must also submit the following:
- Transcripts from each college or university attended
- A personal statement
- Two letters of recommendation
- GRE scores
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Though it wasn’t established until 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University has grown steadily into a well-regarded, medium-sized educational institution. FDU is a private, non-profit school that offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. There are two campuses in New Jersey – in Teaneck and Madison – as well as two international campuses – one in England and another in British Columbia.
One of the best features of FDU is the flexibility of its learning programs. Many programs give you the flexibility of taking classes on nights or weekends so you can continue working your job while you go to school. Traditional daytime classes are also available.
Regardless of the time of day you take your courses, you will learn from well-respected professors that challenge you to integrate what you learn and acquire the skills needed to be a successful I-O psychologist.
Industrial Organizational Psychology Program Information
Fairleigh Dickinson’s Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology is a 12-course, 36-credit program that can be completed in around two years. The curriculum is comprehensive and empirically based, so you will exit the program with a well-rounded toolkit that enables you to apply what you’ve learned in many different workplace settings.
Specifically, you will complete coursework related to the following:
- Employee Engagement
- Leadership
- Selection and Hiring
- Learning and Development
- Technology and Behavior
A semester-long internship in an approved organization is also required. The internship consists of 15 hours of work per week (paid or unpaid) and a final academic paper that summarizes the experience.
You have the option of completing a thesis track or a non-thesis track. If you choose the non-thesis option, you must take two additional courses. Both tracks require 36 credits to graduate.
You can apply to FDU’s graduate school online. You must have a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university. You must also have a 3.0 GPA or higher for your undergraduate studies.
The following documentation is required when applying:
- A personal statement
- GRE scores
- Undergraduate transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation
You might also be asked to sit for a personal interview.
Rutgers University
When Rutgers University was founded in 1766, it was one of just a handful of universities in the American Colonies. Once the United States gained independence from the British Crown, Rutgers continued to grow and became the state university of New Jersey.
Over the years, Rutgers has become a well-respected academic institution. It ranks in the top 20 public schools in the nation and ranks 55th among national universities, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Rutgers is also a very large school. With around 68,000 students, it is one of the largest universities in the nation. The school offers 25,000 courses each academic year and provides students with hundreds of degree options, including 150 undergraduate degrees and more than 400 different graduate programs.
Industrial Organizational Psychology Program Information
Rutgers’ Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology blends the pursuit of scholarly studies, applied psychology, and psychology practitioner skills to develop you into a well-rounded I-O psychologist. The program requires 72-82 credits to complete, which takes most students four to five years.
The core curriculum in this program focuses on organizational psychology and is supplemented by advanced foundation courses, research, and a dissertation. As a result of these experiences, you will be able to:
- Improve the performance of employees
- Improve workplace processes and relationships
- Improve equity and fairness in the workplace
- Improve the subjective well-being of employees
Eight credits of experiential learning (e.g., practicum, internship, capstone project) are required, as is the aforementioned dissertation. These experiences typically occur toward the end of the program and serve as a culminating experience before graduation.
You can apply to this program online at any time, though the deadline to apply for fall admission is January 31st of each year. You must submit the following when you apply:
- Three letters of recommendation
- A resume or curriculum vitae
- A personal statement
- A research statement
- Official transcripts from each college or university you have attended
Industrial Organizational Psychology Work Opportunities in New Jersey
Many people choose to study I-O psychology because it’s interesting and appeals to them. But there’s another reason why this is an excellent field of study – it pays well! The median salary for I-O psychologists in the Garden State is $146,702 per year.
To earn that kind of money, you need two things: education and experience. More specifically, you need a graduate or doctoral degree and close to a decade of work experience before you can make at or above the median. One of the best ways to do that is to work as an independent consultant.
I-O psychology consultants are workers for hire that help businesses and organizations improve their operations, then move on to the next client. As an independent consultant, you can determine how much you charge for your services, when and where you work, and for whom. With the right skill set, this can be a highly lucrative type of I-O psychology employment.
Another option you might consider as an I-O psychologist in New Jersey is to work for a large business or organization in its human resources department. More and more businesses – especially large ones – are hiring full-time I-O psychologists to attend to the needs of workers, help guide business practices, and improve productivity, functionality, and communication.
Yet another possibility is to build a private practice in which you provide services like executive coaching. This is exactly what it sounds like – you mentor business executives and help them maximize their potential as leaders, which in turn helps maximize the company’s efficiency and productivity.
These are just a few of the many types of jobs you can pursue in New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Once you graduate, the most difficult part of the process might be to decide which I-O psychology career path you want to take!
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