Wayne State University

Introduction

The primary goals of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology doctoral program are (1) to prepare students to be effective scientists and practitioners in a wide range of career settings, (2) to contribute to the knowledge base of human behavior and interaction at work through research that is both practically and theoretically meaningful, and (3) to pursue these goals in a setting in which faculty and students teach and learn from each other through collaboration, discussion, classes, and other opportunities for interaction. The Industrial/Organizational Psychology doctoral program has graduated well over 100 students. These graduates have accepted positions in business and industry, at colleges and major universities, in government agencies, and with applied research and consulting firms.

Research

Wayne State University has a strong research orientation, adhering to Lewin's maxim that "There is nothing so practical as a good theory." Throughout their educational program, we encourage our doctoral students to become involved in research, both through collaboration with faculty members and through conducting their own thesis, dissertation, and other original research. Students are encouraged to present their findings at professional meetings and to publish papers in professional journals. The hardwork of Wayne State students has been recognized in the form of awards and fellowships, including:

·         John C. Flanagan Award for the Best Student Paper at SIOP 

·         Humboldt University Research Fellowship 

·         Crawford HumRRO Fellowship 

·         Kenneth E. Clark Outstanding Leadership Research Award, presented by the Center for Creative Leadership 

·         Best Leadership Dissertation of the Year Award, presented by the Jepson School of Leadership Studies 

·         Michigan Association of Industrial Organizational Psychologists (MAIOP) Best Student Paper Award 

·         Research highlighted on SIOP website’s frontpage 

Applied Opportunities

The IO program at Wayne State recognizes the need to apply that which we have learned.  Wayne State's location in a major metropolitan area and its ties with local business and industry provide our students with the opportunity to interact with practicing I/O psychologists, to gain valuable field research and work experience, and to access data pertinent to their studies. An exciting aspect of our I/O Program is the Applied Psychology and Organizational Research Group (APORG). APORG provides consulting servies to local and national organizations, allowing students to gain experience in the real world. For more on the APORG program, click here.

Curriculum  

The doctoral program in Industrial/Organizational Psychology prepares students to be knowledgeable in all phases of I/O psychology. Our courses cover such topics as:

·         Research methods in I/O psychology

·         Job analysis

·         Criterion development 

·         Performance appraisal and feedback 

·         Personnel selection and placement 

·         Employee training and development 

·         Work motivation and job attitudes 

·         Leadership 

·         Analysis of organizations 

·         Organizational change and development 

·         Organizational climate and culture 

·         International/cross-cultural issues in the workplace 

In addition, through master's and doctoral research and both minor and cognate courses, students can specialize in a variety of areas within the realm of I/O psychology.  Cognate offerings include social psychology, small group processes, the social psychology of justice and fairness, environmental psychology, consumer behavior, personality and interpersonal processes, cognitive psychology, and learning theory. Quantitative courses cover such topics as meta-analysis, advanced statistics, psychometric theory and methods, advanced measurement, research design, advanced experimental design, multivariate analysis, structural equation modeling, and longitudinal data analysis.

Wayne State's faculty have been recognized for their teaching and mentoring:

·      Outstanding Graduate Mentor in the Social Sciences

·      At least six teaching awards, including the WSU President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the SIOP  Distinguished Contributions in Teaching Award 

 Resources 

CARMA

Dr. Larry J. Williams is an exciting new addition to Wayne State.  Dr. Williams is a Professor of Management in the business school, and plans to partner with the IO program frequently. With Dr. Williams comes the CARMA program, a virtual forum for education in reserach methods.  Through CARMA, a number of esteemed colleagues present topics related to the advancement of reserach methods in the field.

Subject Pool

Wayne State University's undergraduate population is more diverse than the general population, presenting researchers with an incredibly diverse sample.  Furthermore, Wayne State is the largest urban research university in the nation, allowing students to conduct research in a big city environment.   

Libraries

The library system consists of five major libraries and an ALA-accredited Library and Information Science Program. The Purdy/Kresge Library, which serves as the primary research library for the social sciences, is conveniently located near the Psychology Department. For more information click here. 

Our Building

The Psychology Department is located in the 7th and 8th floors of the Maccabees building. On the seventh floor, graduate students enjoy spacious offices, the Graduate Computer Lab with several computers and a printer, and the graduate student lounge. Common areas are shared with other psychology students. On the 8th floor, the I/O area has the APORG office and also the APORG conference room, where brown bags and other meetings take place. Each faculty member has their own laboratory space to conduct research.