Getting training in industrial-organizational psychology in Kansas is more accessible than it’s ever been. On the one hand, you can start your collegiate career by enrolling in an undergraduate psychology program to get your feet wet in IO psychology principles. On the other hand, you can also advance your education in an online program that prepares you for higher-level IO psychology positions or for a doctoral degree program.
Often, one of the most difficult tasks of going to college is choosing where you’ll get your degree. With some of the popular IO psychology options listed below, though, you can streamline your selection process and enroll in a reputable program. Explore each degree below and find the one that aligns best with your future goals!
Industrial Organizational Psychology Programs in Kansas
Listed below are some of the popular schools offering industrial-organizational psychology programs in Kansas:
- University of Kansas
- Southern New Hampshire University
- Kansas State University
- Walden University
- Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Purdue Global
- American Public University
- The Chicago School
University of Kansas
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
If you’re fresh out of high school or a returning student who hasn’t completed a bachelor’s degree, the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Kansas is a good choice. This general psychology program offers an overview of essential psychology topics and their application in many different niches. Furthermore, you can learn how to apply psychological principles in business settings by combining your psychology coursework with business classes.
The first task of completing this degree is to finish the general education requirement. These classes cover a wide range of academic areas, such as math, science, and the humanities. You’re also required to complete coursework in fine arts, communications, and social sciences, too. Furthermore, you’ll take classes that align with the following areas:
- Culture and Diversity
- Social Responsibility and Ethics
- Integration and Creativity
- Critical Thinking and Quantitative Literacy
From there, you’ll complete the major requirements for psychology. The psychology component starts with core knowledge and skills that you gain in lower-division classes like General Psychology, Research Methods in Psychology, and Statistics in Psychological Research. Together, these courses explore everything from the history of psychology to essential psychological theories to ethical considerations in psychological research.
Then, you’ll expand on your foundational understanding of psychological sciences by taking upper-division classes. You are free to choose the courses you take to fulfill this requirement, meaning you can take classes that most closely align with IO psychology.
For example, you might choose to take Social Psychology; that way, you can better understand the mechanisms and influences of social forces on individual workplace behavior. Furthermore, this class explores issues of personality, communication, leadership, and morale, all of which are critical considerations when learning how to facilitate positive change in a business or organization.
As another example, Behavioral Economics is a class that would be well worth your time as a burgeoning IO psychologist. This class focuses on thoughts, actions, and decision-making. More specifically, you’ll learn how to help yourself and others make more informed and better decisions. Again, this has wide applicability in a workplace setting, from executives down to the lowest-paid employees.
Other electives you might consider taking that have applicability in the world of IO psychology include the following:
- Culture and Psychology
- Group Dynamics
- Positive Psychology
- Design and Analysis for Developmental Research
- Stress and Coping
The university also offers undergraduate internship opportunities, which allow you to get real-world experience in an IO psychology setting. You would be placed in an organization near your hometown to minimize travel and receive guidance from an on-site supervisor as well as from one of your professors.
This program also requires you to complete a capstone element. You have your choice of an honors thesis, an internship exploration, or an experimental psychology class to fulfill this requirement. For your purposes as someone interested in IO psychology, the best options are likely the internship exploration or the thesis. Again, the internship gives you valuable hands-on experience. But if you intend to continue your studies in a graduate or doctoral program, a thesis is extremely valuable because it gives you additional research experience.
You must meet the following requirements to be considered for assured admission as a first-year student:
- Have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.25 or higher.
- Submit official high school transcripts
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university from which you’ve earned credit.
- Submit official ACT or SAT scores. You must score 21 or higher on the ACT or 1060 or higher on the SAT.
Southern New Hampshire University
Bachelor of Science – With a Concentration in Industrial Organizational Psychology
If you prefer to pursue an undergraduate degree with a specific focus on IO psychology, the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University might be a good fit. The advantage of this program is that it’s offered by one of the largest online universities in the nation. As such, you can expect a quality education with many opportunities to customize your learning experience along the way.
This 120-credit program focuses on essential psychological topics as they pertain to organizational settings. Broadly speaking, you’ll learn about learning, perception, and leadership. You’ll also take courses focusing on psychological research, intelligence, and motivation.
The curriculum includes both general education and major-area courses. As discussed earlier, general education classes tend to be lower-division, broad-based studies in key academic areas like natural sciences, math, social sciences, and English, to name a few. Example courses you might take to fulfill these requirements include the following:
- Self, Society, and the Humanities
- Foundations of Written Communication
- Ethics in Global Society
- STEM Principles and Problem-Solving
- Social Issues and Decision-Making
Major-area courses, in this case, include studies in business administration and psychology. The business administration component includes 30 credits of coursework in areas like accounting, business, finance, and marketing. More specifically, you’ll take classes like People, Planet, and Profit, which examines how efficiency, quality, and effectiveness impact the overall operation of businesses. You’ll also learn the importance of adhering to ethical standards of practice to ensure the needs of employees and customers are adequately met.
Another business core class you’ll take is Business Law. This class discusses the relationship between conducting business and the U.S. legal system. You’ll learn about criminal law, sales, and product liability, as well as cyber law, torts, and business organizations. Other business core courses include the following:
- Financial Accounting
- Managerial Accounting
- Critical Business Skills for Success
- Driving Business Opportunities
- Global Dimensions of Business
Meanwhile, the IO psychology focus includes five specialized courses. You’re required to take either Introduction to Psychology or Cross-Cultural Psychology. Then, you’re required to take each of the following four classes:
- Human Resource Functions
- Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- Leadership and Motivation in the Workplace
- Industrial-Organizational Psychology Consulting and Analysis
Together, these classes help you form a strong understanding of how to apply psychological principles in the workplace. For example, the Human Resource Functions class introduces you to the processes of searching for talent, onboarding new employees, and managing interpersonal issues in the office. Likewise, the Leadership and Motivation class helps you identify and develop your personal leadership style.
Of course, you’ll take each of these classes in an online learning environment called Brightspace. There, you can access weekly assignments, check your grades, view instructor announcements, and participate in discussion boards with your professors and classmates. All the while, you’ll have plenty of support, including the ability to chat live with professors, access the online library, and work with an online tutor any time of day or night.
You can apply as an online undergraduate student at SNHU anytime you want. The steps for applying as a first-year student are as follows:
- Complete the online application linked above.
- Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Submit official high school transcripts or equivalency scores.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university from which you’ve earned credit.
Kansas State University
Master of Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Kansas State’s online Master of Industrial and Organizational Psychology teaches you how to make data-driven human resources management decisions. Armed with this specific skill, you’ll be well-positioned to transform businesses and organizations so that they function better and provide improved employee benefits and a better experience for customers.
This program is a terminal degree. In other words, there is no need (and no option) to continue your studies at the doctoral level. You’ll need two full years of studies plus a third summer session to finish all the requirements to graduate. Once you graduate, you’ll be an expert in issues like organizational management, worker motivation, employee behavior, and employment law, to name a few.
Not all IO psychology careers require a master’s degree. However, with this 38-credit degree under your belt, you’ll have a broad range of skills and knowledge applicable to many different fields, including the following:
- Recruiter
- Training Manager
- Workforce Specialist
- Human Resources Manager
- Organizational Consultant
Before you can think about your future career, though, you must first finish the requirements of this degree. The curriculum begins with an Industrial-Organizational Psychology Seminar that introduces you to this field. You’ll learn basic tenets of IO psychology, including the history and development of this field of study, major theories, and techniques you can use to improve the functioning of organizations.
You’ll also take Applied Research Methods during the program’s first semester. This class provides an overview of psychological research techniques and offers instruction on how to use what you learn from your research in an applied setting. For example, you might learn about the value of surveys as research tools and apply your knowledge of survey construction and administration to gauge employee attitudes about new workplace regulations.
During your second semester, you’ll take either Organizational Psychology or Personnel Selection. The Organizational Psychology option is more broadly based and explores many different IO psychology topics and applications, such as motivation, leadership, and learning. Personnel Selection, on the other hand, focuses on more specific competencies, like testing and evaluating prospective employees to determine whether they are a good fit for a specific job. A practicum in IO research also occurs during the second semester.
The third semester follows the same footprint. You can choose between two classes–Performance Appraisal or Industrial Psychology/Personnel Training–and supplement that with another practicum in IO research. The following semester adds two more classes to your course load: Seminar in Professional Problems and Applied Research Methods II.
Semesters five and six include three classes and two research practicums. The classes you take build on what you’ve already learned about IO psychology and its application in the workplace. For example, if you have already taken Organizational Psychology, you’ll take Industrial Psychology/Personnel Selection so you have a clear idea of how organizational psychology, industrial psychology, and working with employees are intertwined.
The last element of this degree is a final practicum in IO psychology research. This six-credit course focuses on the development of your final research report. This summative assessment allows you to reflect on everything you’ve learned in your coursework and the course of your research and demonstrate your ability to collate volumes of information and data into a clear, concise, presentation.
It should be noted that while all classwork is done online, two in-person sessions are also required. Both sessions are two weeks long and occur on the K-State campus. The purpose of these on-campus experiences is to give you hands-on opportunities to learn IO principles with your peers and alongside your professors.
The admissions requirements are as follows:
- Have a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a closely related field or have a bachelor’s degree and successfully complete psychology and statistics classes.
- Have a 3.0 GPA or higher in the last 60 credits of undergraduate coursework.
- Submit unofficial transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Provide three professional or academic references.
- Submit a curriculum vitae or current resume.
- Submit a statement of objectives in which you explain your reasons for pursuing this degree, areas of interest for research, and your professional plans.
- Provide a short statement of support from your current employer if you have a job.
Walden University
Master of Science – Industrial and Organizational Psychology
The online Industrial and Organizational Psychology program at Walden University culminates in a Master of Science degree. With this graduate degree, you may qualify for various IO-related careers in psychological research, business and industry, government, or consulting.
To graduate, you must complete 48 quarter credits, including foundational, core, research, specialization, and capstone courses focused on general IO psychology practice issues.
The foundation course, Foundations of Graduate Study in Psychology, introduces you to graduate-level expectations. In this course, you’ll become familiar with the online learning platform, develop essential skills for success, and learn about support systems available to help you progress through the program.
Your core coursework includes three classes on important aspects of IO psychology:
- Themes and Theories of IO Psychology
- Psychology of Organizational Behavior
- Consulting for Organizational Change
Following these, you’ll complete a two-course research sequence. The first course, Research Theory, Design, and Methods, covers key research skills, including quantitative and qualitative inquiry methods, data collection, and research ethics.
The second research course, Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis, focuses on quantitative research. In this course, you’ll study traditional research designs, review common statistical methods, and use statistical software to interpret data and present findings effectively.
Fo the specialization sequence, you’ll take 15-17 credits in one of these areas:
- Consulting Psychology
- Evidence-Based Coaching
- General Practice
- Human Resource Management
- International Business
Alternatively, you may design a specialization with departmental approval.
The program concludes with a capstone experience, allowing you to reflect on your learning and apply it to real-world IO psychology. This capstone involves creating a project focused on promoting positive social change, presented in an integrative paper. Your paper will relate directly to your chosen specialization, demonstrating practical and theoretical understanding and showcasing research skills.
You may choose between a traditional course-based format, with scheduled online classes, or the Tempo Learning format, which allows you to earn credit by demonstrating competency through assessments instead of traditional courses.
The admissions requirements are as follows:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher.
- Submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities.
- Provide personal, academic, and employment information as requested.
- Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae, if required.
This program offers flexibility in pacing and structure, allowing you to tailor your education to your professional goals in industrial-organizational psychology.
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology
At Missouri S&T, you can enroll as a Kansas resident in the Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology program to learn methods for improving the well-being of organizations and their employees. This online program focuses on key aspects of this work, ranging from improving workplace culture to enhancing recruitment strategies to devising training management programs for new employees.
The program requires you to complete 37 credits of coursework, which typically takes one to two years to complete. These credits are divided into three parts: required core courses, methods courses, and electives.
The core coursework is a seven-class sequence that covers essential topics in IO psychology. For example, you’ll take a class entitled Small Group Dynamics, which informs you of the unique considerations that must be made when small groups of people work together toward a common goal. You’ll discuss everything from group-thinking to leadership to group dynamics and many other topics that are part and parcel of making an organization run more smoothly.
Another example of a core class is Personnel Selection. This all-important course teaches you the skills necessary for recognizing talent and placing workers in positions where they will find the most success. You’ll learn about testing strategies, too, such as administering interest inventories to gauge where employees’ interests lie.
Other required core courses include the following:
- Introduction to Industrial-Organizational Psychology
- Job Analysis and Performance Management
- Leadership, Motivation, and Culture
- Organizational Development and Employee Perspectives
- Training and Development
The 10-credit sequence of methods courses begins with Psychometrics. This class examines statistical measures used to quantify everything from a person’s personality traits to their knowledge and abilities. This class is critical for your development as a psychologist; understanding how to administer tests, measure behaviors, and assess the meaning of the data is an essential part of the job of an IO psychologist.
The other methods courses focus on similar topics. In Advanced Research Methods, you’ll learn how to conduct psychological tests and measurements, how to analyze data, and how to effectively report data, too. In Ethics and Professional Responsibilities, you’ll discover general rules and responsibilities you must abide by as a professional psychologist. And in Applied Psychological Data Analysis, you’ll learn powerful statistical processes like R, which allow you to analyze large data sets. You’ll also learn how to use chi-squares, ANOVAs, and regression analysis.
Lastly, you’re required to take six psychology elective credits. You have your choice of a number of classes to fulfill this requirement, including the following:
- Advanced Human Factors
- Advanced Social Psychology
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Special Topics in Psychology
You can also choose to complete a thesis as your elective component.
The application for graduate admission to Missouri S&T is available online. The following admission criteria must be met:
- Have a bachelor’s degree in a related field.
- Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
- Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended.
- Submit official GRE scores showing a verbal and quantitative score of 300 or higher.
International students must also submit scores showing English language proficiency.