Industrial / Organizational Psychology
MA
Master's in industrial/organizational psychology
Industrial and organizational psychologists focus on how people are hired, developed, and supported at work. Organizations succeed when people are supported and work is designed well. You’ll build practical, applied skills in hiring and assessment, training, performance management, and organizational development, preparing you to solve real workplace problems across a wide range of organizations. CMU’s 30-credit online M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology is designed for working professionals. Courses are fully online and asynchronous, allowing you to complete weekly work on your own schedule without required live class sessions.
AT A GLANCE
What is industrial/organizational psychology?
In this emerging field, you’ll put psychology to work. Industrial/organizational psychologists not only boost a company’s efficiency and productivity, they also improve the quality of life for employees.
You'll graduate with the tools to make a difference in the lives of workers. You'll examine issues such as safety, mental and physical health, quality of life at work and emotional labor. You’ll learn cutting-edge ways to improve employee training, job performance and develop motivational programming to enhance a company’s approach to career development and leadership.
You can tailor your program to meet your individual interests and needs, participating in a collaborative approach where students learn from instructors and one another.
Our graduates take their new skills to top companies where they constantly improve the ways companies and their employees work.
Curriculum and applied skills overview
Our 30-credit curriculum includes core coursework in personnel psychology, organizational psychology, research methods, and applied statistics. Students build practical skills in hiring and selection, training and development, performance management, employee surveys, and people analytics. The program concludes with either a thesis or an applied research capstone, allowing students to tailor the degree to their professional goals.
Applied skills students build include:
- Job analysis and competency modeling
- Structured interviews and selection decision-making
- Training needs analysis, design, and evaluation
- Performance management systems and feedback processes
- Employee engagement and climate survey design and reporting
- Applied research and people analytics, including data cleaning, analysis, and interpretation
I/O psychology program highlights
As an industrial/organizational psychology student at CMU, you'll:
- Explore cutting-edge topics: Complete a unique curriculum that includes cutting-edge seminars on current topics.
- Build core skills: Develop core skills by participating in practicum projects and internships for clients worldwide.
- Conduct research: Conduct independent research on topics of students’ interests.
- Find jobs: 95% of program graduates find career jobs within 6 months.
- Learn from experts: Courses are taught by full-time I/O psychology faculty.
Industrial/organizational psychology jobs
Graduates apply psychology and data to improve hiring, training, performance management, and the employee experience across many types of organizations.
| Career | Projected Salary |
|---|---|
| Industrial/Organizational Psychologist | $154,380 |
| Psychologist | $94,310 |
| Human Resources Specialist | $72,910 |
| Training and Development Specialist | $65,850 |
| Human Resources Consultant | $72,910 |
| Compensation/Benefits Analyst | $77,020 |
| Employee Relations Specialist | $93,500 |
Get involved with a student group
Industrial/Organizational Psychology Association (IOPA) is a registered student organization for graduate and undergraduate students interested in Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology. IOPA promotes interest in I/O Psychology by inviting guest speakers, alumni, faculty and graduate students to present their research and applied projects throughout the academic year.
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