industrial/organizational psychology

The Industrial/Organizational Program faculty possess a breadth of knowledge, expertise and experience in both research and applied settings. We also have strong ties to faculty in the College of Business and the College of Information Science and Technology, and have forged partnerships with a variety of businesses and organizations within and outside the Omaha area.

The success of our graduate students is very important to us. Graduate students are mentored by both faculty and senior students. Consistent with the researcher-practitioner model, we provide opportunities for a variety of research and field experiences in addition to relevant course work. Students are also encouraged to become involved in local and national professional societies appropriate to their career goals. Graduates of our program have secured a variety of positions in industry, consulting firms, and academia.

graduate degree programs

There are three degree programs offered in I/O Psychology. I/O Psychology graduate students number from 25-35, with approximately one-third of the students pursuing each of the three graduate degrees in any given year. Applicants are required to indicate the degree program to which they are applying, but it is important to note that students can apply to switch program tracks after they are enrolled.

master of science (M.S.)

Graduate students enrolling in this 2-year, 36-hour program are those seeking employment in applied settings (e.g., Human Resource Departments, Training and Organizational Development Departments, Consulting firms) immediately following completion of the Masters Program. Research is encouraged though not required to complete this program, and therefore M.S. students are not eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program. In lieu of a Master’s thesis, students receive practicum credit for writing a technical report on a 150-hour applied project they conducted in an organization.

master of arts (M.A.)

This 36-hour program is typically pursued by students who ultimately want to earn a Ph.D. Unlike the M.S. degree, the M.A. requires completion of an empirical research project (thesis) and students generally complete the M.A. program in 2 to 3 years. Typically, M.A. students are admitted with the expectation that they will earn the Ph.D. degree, so students working toward the M.A. degree are not in competition with each other for admission to the Ph.D. program. This fosters mutually supportive and cooperative learning.

doctoral program (Ph.D.)

Students completing their M.A. in our program, as well as students with Master’s degrees from other I/O Psychology departments can apply to this program. The doctoral program requires an additional 54 credit hours beyond the 36 hours for a Masters. Students typically complete their Ph.D. work in 3-4 years beyond the M.A. A student pursuing both an M.A. and a Ph.D. at UNO would need to take a total of 90 semester hours. The semester hours include course credit for two practicum/internship experiences as well as dissertation and other research. The majority of recent Ph.D. graduates have sought employment in applied settings, while others have pursued jobs in research firms and academia. Courses for the doctoral program are completed at the Omaha campus, yet the administration of this degree is processed at the Lincoln campus. Please send all application materials to the UNO Psychology Department; our department will forward necessary documentation to the Lincoln campus.