The program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Penn State combines course work, research, and supervised practical experience to prepare students for positions in a variety of industrial, governmental, consulting, and academic settings. Students participate seminars based on topics such as personnel selection, training and development, and organizational psychology. In addition to conducting research for their master's theses and doctoral dissertations, students participate in practice that provides the opportunity to consult, address, and resolve real-world problems facing private and public sector organizations.
Program History and Culture
Program Requirements/Expectations
Applied Experiences
Traditions
Faculty
Graduate Students
Alumni
Publications and Presentations
Frequently Asked Questions
Early beginnings: I/O Psychology at PSU has a long and prestigious tradition. Dr. Bruce V. Moore, the first person in the US to receive a PhD in the field, joined the Penn State faculty in 1921 and built a strong program. To this day the home of the Psychology Department is the Bruce V. Moore Building. [Ironically, the I-O Program has temporarily moved to a different building (Beam) to accommodate the rapid growth in faculty in the psychology department.]
Prominent academic and consultant (now-retired) Frank Landy joined in 1969, followed by Jim Farr in 1971 and Rick Jacobs in 1979, who remain active in the program today. This strong base is complemented by newer hires at the junior and senior level, with Susan Mohammed (1996), Alicia Grandey (1999), Kevin Murphy (2000), Jan Cleveland (2000), and Sam Hunter (2007) continuing to build the program. The esteemed faculty are recognized not just in terms of research productivity but have also received national organizational awards and leadership. For example, four of Penn State’s faculty have been the President of APA's Industrial Psychology 14th Division (now SIOP) starting with Dr. Bruce V. Moore in 1945, followed by Frank Landy, Jim Farr, and Kevin Murphy.
Graduate program: The PSU I-O graduate program is continuously rated as one of the top five I-O psychology doctoral programs in the nation. To obtain this level of success, there are several key characteristics of the program that distinguish the student experience from other programs :
Flexibility/Self-structured – you have choices in the courses you take, the projects you do, and who you work with. You do not ‘belong’ to any one faculty member.
Size/breadth of faculty interests – our seven I-O faculty, plus the high-quality management department, have a wide range of interests in both “I” and “O” topic areas.
Opportunities for Teaching, Research and Practice – Available instructor positions, research groups, and the practicum course mean such that our students can make an informed choice about career options
Thus, the successful graduate student is self-motivated to discuss interests, career goals, and program performance with faculty, seeks out multiple research opportunities, and makes him/herself available for the many opportunities (intra- and extra-departmental) afforded to our students.
Alumni Placement: A big part of our success is the placement of our students after graduation. Since 1976, 51% of our students go to industry, 43% to academics, and the remainder return to military posts with new skills. Over the past few decades our PhD's have been appointed to such positions as Dean of the Air Force Academy and Dean of the MBA Program at UNC. In the last five years, our graduates have obtained consulting positions at Personnel Decisions Incorporated (PDI), Lowe’s, Previsor Consulting, Federal Management Partners, ICF Consulting (formally Caliber), and academic positions in Business or Psychology at Michigan State, Queen’s University, Louisiana State, Florida International University, and Cornell University. A PhD from the PSU Industrial Psychology program indicates that you have worked with the finest faculty in the field and graduate student colleagues and that you are prepared to work at the highest levels of our discipline.
Course Requirements
Core I/O Psychology courses (4 to 5)
All graduate students will be required to take four of the five courses listed
below. However, all five courses are recommended as foundational preparation
for the comprehensive exam.
PSY 522A: Personnel Testing and Selection
PSY 522B: Performance Evaluation and Appraisal
PSY 523A: Micro Organizational Behavior
PSY 523B: Macro Organizational Behavior
PSY 538: Training and Development in Organizations
Special Topics Seminars (at least 2)
All graduate students will be required to take at least two special-topics seminars offered by members of the I/O area faculty on a rotating basis (so the same course will not be taught more often than once in three years). These courses are often numbered PSY597, but other course numbers are also used. Some such courses that have been offered in the past include: Emotions, Customer Service, Teams, Diversity, International I/O, Decision-making, Creativity, Leadership, Counterproductive behaviors, Individual Differences, and Work and Family Perspectives.
Quantitative Methods (at least 2)
All graduate students will be required to take the following courses, usually
in their first year in the program. Additional methodological and statistical
courses are optional but encouraged; see the HDFS program.
PSY 507: Data Analysis I
PSY 508: Data Analysis II
I/O Practicum (at least 6)
All graduate students are required to be enrolled in the I/O Practicum course (PSY 534) for six consecutive semesters beginning with the first year in the program. First-year students attend practicum, but have a substantially reduced involvement in and responsibility for practicum projects.
Additional Psychology Courses (2-6)
All I-O graduate students are required to take at least two 500-level courses in Psychology outside of the area of I/O. These might be taught by I-O faculty; you should check with your academic advisor to determine what courses might count as a special topics seminar versus courses outside of I/O. Note that I/O graduate students must also meet the Department of Psychology's breadth requirement. The I-O program strongly encourages you to take 500-level courses to satisfy any of the Department's breadth requirement options, but some 400-level courses may be used if approved by your advisor. Note that courses taken to satisfy the I-O Additional Psychology Courses requirement often can also be used to satisfy the Department breadth requirement, depending on the option you choose and the specific courses you take. See your advisor about this.
Graduate Coursework at Other Institutions
Many students come to Penn State with a Master’s degree or with some graduate course work at other institutions. Others might have an occasion to take graduate courses at other institutions while enrolled at PSU. Courses taken elsewhere can satisfy many of the requirements laid out above. Requests to use courses taken elsewhere to satisfy particular requirements are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the I/O area faculty.
Timeline and Evaluations
TIMELY PROGRESS: To be meeting timely progress, students must:
Propose master’s thesis prior to the beginning of the 3rd year
Defend master’s thesis by the end of the 3rd year
Complete required coursework by the end of the 3rd year
Take the comp exam by the end of the 3rd year or within 6 months of the thesis
defense
EVALUATION OF PROGRESS IN PROGRAM
Departmental evaluation requirement: Students must submit an
annual review of their degree progress and accomplishments for the preceding
year. This must be filed by 15 May each year with the area coordinator and department
(Jean Courter). Students are required to schedule a meeting with their adviser
to discuss the annual progress review. It is recommended that this meeting take
place soon after the progress review is filed.
If timely progress is not being made, assistantships and funding may not be
allocated to the student.
Plan of Study: Students are required to submit a plan for their graduate education
to their academic advisor by the end of 2nd year. This plan will include a proposed
time line for the completion of all doctoral degree requirements (major course
requirements, breadth and minor requirements, Master's thesis, comprehensive
exam, doctoral thesis). This plan must be approved and signed by the adviser,
and forwarded to the area coordinator.
Practicum
A fundamental goal of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at Penn State has been to develop scientist-practitioners. The focus on a scientist-practitioner model of graduate education was first developed by Bruce V. Moore and this tradition has continued to date. Moore was able to develop a scientist-practitioner model by creating opportunities for faculty and student interactions with state and local organizations a feature of the program, along with typical graduate program coursework.
What are practicum’s goals? Today, practicum work is still a primary means for providing graduate students with experience in both the science and practice of I/O psychology. The practicum program has several specific goals that are consistent with SIOP Training Guidelines (1999). The primary goal involves direct exposure to and participation in solving applied problems. Another goal is that students are able to gain insight into such issues as building client relationships and learning client management skills. Additionally, students are able to learn how to balance theory, research, and practice in ongoing organizational projects with their resource and time constraints and continually changing demands.
Three-year commitment. In order to ensure that contracts are successfully satisfied and that all graduate students are trained in a scientist-practitioner model, the practicum experience is a requirement for all graduate I/O students in their first through third years in the program (6 semesters). This length of time was chosen to maximize students’ field experience….. Not only does the 3-year requirement provide ample opportunity to work with applied projects, it means students are exposed to a wide variety of projects and organizations. Through direct work efforts and discussions during weekly meetings, students in practicum are exposed to between 8 and 10 projects, usually covering 4 to 6 organizations over their tenure in the course.
Project Timing. Project work is generally arranged to be accomplished from September though May, although project work often continues into the summer, especially when client organizations are part of a multi-year agreement. In addition to project team meetings, weekly meetings of all students working on practicum projects are held in order to update all students on project progress and to allow for all students' input into important issues. Typically, multiple projects occur at the same time and students will work on two of more than one projects, maximizing the students’ exposure to different types of organizational issues and interact with more than one organization.
Example projects. Recent projects include conducting job analyses of several positions for the Pennsylvania State Police, assisting in developing competency-based screening tools for use in employee selection for a large national consulting firm, and identifying factors that lead to commitment and participation of unionized teachers for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. (View individual practicum project descriptions <link to applied experiences page>)
Benefits: Projects are actively managed by the more experienced and
senior students, usually two per project, under the guidance of an I/O program
faculty member. Thus, students managing a project learn not only the skills
described above but also project leadership. This leadership experience is a
critical part of the program as it allows the students to develop skills that
they they can apply to various occupations(teaching, research, consulting, etc.)
upon graduation. Some students have been hired by client organizations before
and after graduation (the latter being the preferred progression), former students
hiring practicum to work for their organizations, and data for theses/dissertations.
Perhaps the biggest benefit for students, faculty, and client organizations
is a greater understanding of how science and practice can and should be integrated.
Research Requirements
a. Two Research Projects (minimum): You are required to conduct two
independent research projects, the master’s thesis (ideally defended prior
to your third year) and the doctoral dissertation (ideally defended prior between
your fourth and fifth year). You work with your advisor to form the committees.
Thesis committee (3): Chair, I-O professor, and a psychology professor (more
are optional)
Dissertation committee (4): Chair, 2 I-O professors, one external to psychology
member
b. Two research mentors (minimum): You are also required by the department
to conduct research with more than one member of the PSU faculty for at least
two semesters, preferably consecutive, and in separate areas of psychology.
Students with interests in areas outside the boundaries of Psychology Department
faculty interests are encouraged to pursue their research interests with appropriate
faculty from other departments and colleges (e.g., management, statistics).
There are many options for how this research requirement can be met. For example,
experience as a research assistant, minor project, working on the master's and
doctoral thesis count towards this requirement as well. This requirement can
be met at any time during the graduate career, but must be met before the Ph.D.
degree is granted.
c. Other research experiences. If obtaining a minor degree, that is
likely to involve a research project with your minor advisor. You are also encouraged
to become involved in research projects of interest with faculty in I-O or other
relevant area, especially if you are interested in an academic career path.
Comprehensive Exam
The purpose of the ‘comp exam’ is to encourage our students to review, synthesize and deepen their knowledge of I-O topics. Students generally spend a semester studying their prior coursework, current literature, and doing independent study on any weak areas to prepare. The exam is made up of two parts: an oral and written portion.
Written exam.. The “closed-book” written portion is eight hours (one day, or 4 hours for 2 days) of writing a broad set of questions about various I-O topics (including stats/methods), selected by your doctoral committee chair from a possible list of questions submitted by all I-O faculty. The committee evaluates the written portion, and the chair provides general feedback to the student prior to the oral.
Oral defense. The oral portion is where you defend your answers and have the opportunity to expand upon or clarify the responses. The committee will also ask other questions. If the evaluation is passing, short discussion of your dissertation ideas ends the meeting.
Though this is often a highly stressful time, afterward students have recognized the benefit of being pushed to review their course teachings, do independent readings, and see how everything ‘fits’ together. A recent study showed that 93% of students believed it added uniquely to their education.
Practicum
Students in our program have taken part in a wide variety of applied projects,
undertaking duties ranging from job analyses to selection system development.
Throughout the three years that students act as either co-leaders or team members,
they put to use valuable knowledge, skills and abilities gained through their
experiences
inside the classroom. Below is a sample of projects that students have worked
on throughout the past few years:
Center for Creative Leadership (CCL; 2002-2003): Summarized systemic practices that could support leadership development from an organizational perspective rather than individual, leader-development, perspective. Developed a survey instrument to help assess systemic leadership development, including scales such as organizational alignment.
Development Dimensions International (DDI; 2005-2006): Developed selection
system elements based on an extensive competency library. Tasks included scale
item
generation, refinement, retranslation, and psychometric analysis for use in
Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) and interview development.
Development Dimensions International (DDI; 2006-2007): Wrote a literature review on global leadership topics, such as training and development and competencies required for effective leadership. Created items based on the literature review to include in a survey administered to global leaders and human resources personnel.
EB Jacobs (2006-2007): Developed multiple selection instruments for entry-level firefighters and police applicants. Tasks included item generation, pre-testing, subject recruitment, retranslation, and psychometric analysis of the items.
Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA; 2005-2006): Conducted longitudinal dataset analysis to address issues pertaining to member commitment and participation, member priorities, and member views regarding the compensation system. Tasks included data analysis, technical report writing, and presenting findings to PSEA management.
Pennsylvania State Police (PSP; 2000-2001): Developed a standardized, situational interview protocol for officer selection. Developed a training module and administered rater training for the interview to help ensure standardization across raters.
Pennsylvania State Police (PSP; 2003-2006): Conducted job analyses for a number of positions including State Trooper, Corporal, and Enforcement Officer 3. Project work included development of job descriptions, conducting focus groups with employees, designing and administering job analysis and linkage surveys, analyzing data, and delivery of technical report outlining the project.
Pennsylvania State Police (PSP; 2006-2007): Conducted research on vendors and testing facilities in order to determine the best method for transforming PSP’s current paper-and-pencil Cadet exam into a web-based test for all applicants. Tasks included extensive communication with the top testing vendors in the areas of personnel selection and organizational solutions, as well as survey development and implementation.
Internships
Many of our students have also accepted internships throughout their time in
the program. Below is a sample of internships that our students have held throughout
the past few years:
Freddie Mac: Nicole Neff, a fifth-year student, is currently completing an internship at Freddie Mac, located in McLean, Virginia. Although Freddie Mac is in the Fortune 50, it's a smaller organization, with approximately 5,000 employees. Freddie Mac expands opportunities for homeownership and affordable rental housing, while bringing stability and liquidity into the housing market by purchasing mortgages, packaging them into securities, and then selling the securities to investors. During her internship, Nicole has been able to contribute in the following areas: Employee Selection, Employee Engagement, Performance Management, Culture Change, and Succession Planning.
Personnel Decisions Research Institutes (PDRI): Jessica Dzieweczynski, a fifth-year student, completed an internship with PDRI during the summer of 2006. As part of her internship, she developed competency-based minimum qualifications for a number of occupational groups within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Tasks included compiling and reviewing job information in order to draft competency assessment items, and she presented the project and conducted focus groups with a number of DHS employees.
TraQs Consulting: Hanna Johnson, a third-year student, completed a one month internship with TraQs Consulting just outside London, England. TraQs specializes in working with organizations to develop strategic plans for supporting their international assignees. This small firm allowed her the opportunity to work one-on-one with everyone involved in the process and get experience interacting with clients. This internship also allowed her the opportunity to use her skills in applying research to practical issues and development of measurement tools. Overall, a great experience!
1st year party
Every Spring semester, the 1st year I/O graduate students throw a party for
their fellow students and faculty, complete with food, music, costumes and activities
to go along with the evening’s theme. Past themes have included a tribute
to the Grammies (complete with karaoke), flashback to the ‘80s (with special
attention paid to the dating shows made popular during this wonderfully tacky
decade), tropical fiesta (Salsa dancing!), and The Future is Now (picture Twilight
Zone meets Shrek).
SIOP reception
At the annual Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology conference
each spring, Penn State University hosts a reception for students, faculty,
alumni, and invited friends of the program. The reception, which is planned
by PSU graduate students, allows the Penn State I/O community to get together,
catch up, and stay in touch, and is always a highlight of conference weekend.
Service Award
One of the best aspects of Penn State’s I/O program is the people, and
we firmly believe that the people make the place. Therefore, to show our appreciation
to those who make I/O a pleasant program to be a part of, each February for
the past 3 years graduate students in the program have nominated fellow graduate
students whom they believe serve our program best. Then, those individuals who
have the most nominations are recognized at our annual SIOP reception and awarded
a plaque, as well as a gift certificate to a local restaurant.
I/O Information Night
Twice per academic year (Fall and Spring semesters), students in the program
volunteer their time to discuss the trials and tribulations of applying to,
and being a part of, a graduate program in I/O psychology with interested undergraduate
students. Generally, about 5 students field questions about everything from
studying for the GRE to finding time to read articles, conduct research, and
still have a life outside of school. The undergraduate students are always appreciative
of this effort, which makes for an enjoyable evening.
Jeanette Cleveland, Ph.D., 1982, The
Pennsylvania State University; Professor
Research interests: Person and contextual considerations in work and family
interfaces including formal and informal work and nonwork supports and demands,
performance appraisal and management and workforce diversity especially aging
and gender.
James L. Farr, Ph.D., 1971, University of
Maryland; Professor: ON SABBATICAL 07-08
Research interests: Personnel selection, criterion development, and work motivation,
performance feedback seeking and giving; issues related to older workers' job
performance and motivation; innovation and creativity.
Alicia Grandey, Ph.D., 1999, Colorado State
University; Associate Professor
Research interests: Emotions in the workplace, especially the emotional labor
of customer service employees, work-family conflict and facilitation, work-life
supportive policies. THIS YEAR: Lab experiment looking at the role of financial
rewards on emotion regulation and stress from emotional labor. Working on survey
projects about the in-role and extra-role nature of emotion work, alcohol use
as an outcome of EL, and customer aggression and power as an antecedent of EL
and stress.
Sam Hunter, Ph.D. 2007, The University of
Oklahoma; Assistant Professor.
Research interests: Leadership, particularly pragmatic leadership as well as
“darker” leader behaviors, such as leader errors and ideologically-based
violent acts. Second area of interest is innovation and innovation management
with emphasis on multi-level issues. THIS YEAR: Starting lab experiments investigating
leader reactions to errors as well as subordinate reactions to errors made by
leaders. At least one lab study will involve the use of a computerized leadership
simulation. In addition, a historical/biographical investigation of leaders
will begin and involves the content coding of qualitative data.
Rick R. Jacobs, Ph.D., 1978, University
of California, Berkeley; Professor
Research interests: Assessment Centers and their use in assisting college students
preparation for leadership careers, testing and the relationship between validity
and adverse impact, alternative testing procedures for predicting job performance,
and the role of experience in organizations.
Susan Mohammed, Ph.D., 1996, The Ohio
State University; Associate Professor
Research interests: Team composition/diversity (e.g., the influence of personality
and demographic variables on group processes and outcomes); team mental models
(the need for team members to be "on the same page" with regard to
the task and teamwork); the role of temporal factors in team functioning; decision
making (e.g., decision styles, group negotiation).
Kevin Murphy, Ph.D., 1979, The Pennsylvania
State University; Professor
Research interests: Personnel selection and placement, performance appraisal
and honesty in the workplace, counterproductive behaviors.
John Horgan is the new director of the International
Center for the Study of Terrorism and will be affiliated directly with the
I-O program and students. For additional faculty information, please visit the
PSU Website
Baytalskaya, Nataliya
Chesnick, Robert
Diamond, Jennifer
Dzieweczynski, Jessica
Foo, Su Chuen
Grabarek, Patricia
Hamilton, Katherine
Harrison, Michelle
Himelright, Jodi (Buffington)
Johnson, Johanna
Jones, April
Lim, Audrey
Lindsay, Douglas
Neff, Nicole
Pesin, Lily
Sawyer, Katina
Scaduto, Anne
Schwall, Alexander
Graduates of Penn State University’s I/O program have entered into exciting and challenging careers. The following represents just a sample!
Assistant Professor of HR Studies, Cornell University
Assistant Professor of Management, Michigan State University
Associate Professor of Management, Purdue University
Human Capital Consultant, Federal Management Partners Inc.
Lawyer, McCarthy Tetrault LLP
Manager of Product Integration, Previsor Inc.
Professor of Organizational Behavior/Strategy, University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
Professor of Social and I/O Psychology, University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis
Project Consultant, Select International
Research Psychologist, U.S. Army Research Institute
Talent Management Consultant, Lowe’s
Vice President, Personnel Decisions International
Butler, A. & Skattebo, A.L. (2004). What is acceptable for women may not be for men: The effect of family conflicts with work on job performance ratings. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 77, 553-564.
Caligiuri, P & Johnson, J. E. (2007). Expatriate and Spousal Support Practices to Increase Work-Life Balance and Performance. Paper presented at The II International Conference for Work and Family, Barcelona, Spain.
Caligiuri, P. & Johnson, J. E. (2006, December). Perceived Organizational Support, Spousal Adjustment and Work Success of Expatriates. Talk given at the Expatriate Technology Forum, Cologne, Germany.
Caligiuri, P. & Johnson, J. E. (2007, April). Position, Person, and Family: Implications for Talent Management and Risk Management of Assignees. Talk given at the Expatriate Technology Forum, Vienna, Austria.
Cammons, D., Tisserand, J., Williams, D., Seise, A., & Lindsay, D. (2006).
Network Centric Case Study: US V corps and 3rd infantry division (mechanized)
during operation iraqi freedom
combat operations. United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA.
Chiaburu, D. S., & Lindsay, D. R. (2007). A social cognitive approach to effective training transfer: Implications for management development. Revise and resubmit to Human Resource Development International.
Day, D. V., & Tate, B. W. (2006). Continuous learning: Why is it still an issue? Research in Multi-level Issues, 5, 173-188.
Dyche, J., Hoggan, J., & Lindsay, D. R. (2006, June). Sleep behavior of
US Air Force Academy cadets around and during spring break. Poster presented
at the 20th Annual Associated
Professional Sleep Societies Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
Fisk, G. M., Dzieweczynski, J., Lindsay, D. R., Neff, N. (2007, May). Anything
you can do, can I do better? Examining the work-related attitudes of the grandiose
and vulnerable narcissist.
Presented at the 13th Annual European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology,
Stockholm, Sweden.
Harrison, M., Jones, A., & Cleveland, J. (2007, April). Viewing the Work-Family Interface Through a Leadership Perspective. Paper presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. New York, NY.
Johnson, J. E. & Caligiuri, P. (2007, March). Perceived Organizational Support, Spousal Adjustment and Work Success of Expatriates. Poster presented at the Industrial Organizational and Organizational Behavior Conference, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN.
Jones, A., Diamond, J., Baytalskaya, N., & Grandey, A. (2007, April). The Effects of Communication Modality on the Frequency and Outcomes of Customer Verbal Aggression. Paper presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. New York, NY.
Jones, A., & Cleveland, J. (2006, May). The Importance of Managerial Support for Singles in the Workplace. Paper presented at the 21st annual meeting of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Dallas, TX.
Jones, A. (2006, February). The Effects of Parental Status on Teacher Effectiveness Ratings. Poster presented at 27th annual Industrial Organizational/Organizational Behavior (IOOB) graduate student conference. Fairfax, VA.
Lindsay, D. R., & Baumann, M. R. (2007, April). Turnover, ocbs, and counterproductivity:
Affective events theory and part-time employees. Poster presented at the 22nd
Annual Society
for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference, New York City, NY.
Lindsay, D. R., Lee, D., & Dyche, J. (2006, June). Actigraphic assessment of sleep in US Air Force Academy cadets. Poster presented at the 20th Annual Associated Professional Sleep Societies Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT.
Lindsay, D. R., Tate, B. W., & Jacobs, R. R. (2007). Practicum: A teaching tool to highlight the scientist-practitioner model in industrial/organizational psychology. Revise and resubmit to The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist.
McCarthy, A., Jones, A., & Cleveland, J. (2007, April). An Investigation of the Role of Co-Worker Support in Managing Work and Family. Paper to presented at the 22nd annual meeting of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. New York, NY.
Murphy, K.R., Cleveland, J.N., Skattebo, A.L. & Kinney, T.B., (2004). Raters who pursue different goals give different ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 158-164.
Murphy, K. R., Cleveland, J. N., Kinney, T. B., Skattebo, A. L., Newman, D. A. & Sin, H. P. (2003). Unit climate, rater goals, and performance ratings in an instructional setting. Irish Journal of Management, 24, 48-65.
Rate, C. R., Clarke, J. A., Lindsay, D. R., & Sternberg, R. J. (2006, November). Using implicit theories to evaluate others’ courage: The fear factor. Poster presented at the Society of Southeastern Social Psychology Conference, Knoxville, TN.
Rate, C. R., Clarke, J. A., Lindsay, D. R., & Sternberg, R. J. (2007). Implicit theories of courage. Journal of Positive Psychology, 2, 80-98.
Scaduto, A. & Dickinson, T.L. (2007). Psychometric Controversy Involving Job Performance Ratings. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Sociey of Industrial/Organizational Psychology, New York, New York.
Scaduto, A. & McIntryre, R. (2005). Differences in Assessing Interrater Reliability. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Virginia Psychological Association, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Schraeder, M., Self, D. R., & Lindsay, D. R. (2006). Performance appraisals
as a selection criterion in downsizing: A comparison of rank-order and banding
approaches. Managerial Law, 48,
479-494.
Tate, B. W. & Lindsay, D. R. (2006, February). Social Networks, Leadership,
and the Organizational Context. Paper presented at the 27th Annual Industrial-Organizational/Organizational
Behavior Conference, George Mason, Fairfax, VA.
Tate, B. W. (2007). A Longitudinal Study of the Relationships between Self-Monitoring,
Authentic Leadership, and Perceptions of Leadership. Revise and resubmit to
Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies.
How do I apply to Penn State’s I/O program?
Applying to the Graduate School of the Psychology Department is a two step process.
It requires that two applications be submitted, one to the Graduate School of
the Psychology Department, and one to the Graduate Enrollment Services, a division
of the Pennsylvania State University that oversees all of the departmental graduate
schools.
Psychology Department Requirements
The following should be submitted directly to the Psychology Department.
1. One copy of the Departmental Application
There are two ways you can obtain a copy of the Departmental Application:
• Download the Application: Application
for Fall 2008 < http://psych.la.psu.edu/grad/2008app.pdf >
If you have any difficulties printing these documents and would like assistance,
please send us an email.
• Request a Paper Application (bjc2@psu.edu)
. Please allow 6 weeks for delivery.
2. Three Letters of Recommendation - The
Evaluation Form < http://psych.la.psu.edu/grad/eval.pdf>
3. A Sample Paper
4 . Statement of Purpose
5 . Test Scores
• The Penn State Institutional Code for both GRE and TOEFL exams is 2660
• Psychology GRE codes are 2001 (clinical), 2006 (developmental), 2008
(I/O), 2015 (social) and 2099 (cognitive). However, if you use only the 2660
institutional code the scores will still get to us. Psychology does not have
any departmental codes for the TOEFL exam.
• The GRE Psychology Subject Test is not required
6 . Transcripts - Two official copies ; Transcript
Request Form
7. International students must also submit an Application
for Visa Document
Please send the above items to:
Graduate Admissions Committee
Department of Psychology
The Pennsylvania State University
350 Moore Building
University Park, PA 16802-3103
(814) 863-1721
Graduate School Requirements
The Graduate School now requires all applicants to file an Electronic
Application There is an application fee of $45. Please remember it is your
responsibility to be sure that they receive a complete application (transcripts,
test scores, three letters of recommendation, etc.) by December 1st.
What do you look for in a graduate student?
We do not admit students as terminal master's students. Students who enter with
a master's degree generally have the same funding support as all first year
students. Approval of the master's thesis for I-O psychology degree is made
on a case-by-case basis. For admittance, we take a whole picture perspective.
We like to see all of the following:
- good GREs and GPA (no official 'cutoffs', but our admitted students generally
have GREs over 1200, and GPAs over 3.5 to 4.0).
- Research experience - especially psychology, but in other areas as well. This
might be an honors thesis, independent study, class project, or a job.
- Solid letters of recommendation from persons in academics especially (again,
speaking to ability to conduct research).
- A clearly written personal statement that suggests familiarity with I-O topics,
and interest in the research and careers I-O offers
Not required, but they help:
- Enough practical/applied experience to show you can function in team and corporate
settings
- Enough I-O background to show you know what you are getting into, even if
it is informal training through reading on your own (we realize not all programs
have an
I-O instructor)
What is the mentoring model in Penn State’s I/O program?
Our program does not do the mentoring model, where you are selected by, and
only work with, one faculty member. All 7 of us select our incoming class, and
you are actually required to work with multiple faculty during your time here.
One person may remain your thesis or doctoral advisor, if you want, but you
should have research interactions with multiple faculty. We find this provides
more breadth of knowledge and skills, as well as provides students with more
resources and less dependence on any one faculty member. Feel free to mention
your interests in your personal statement, however, so we know our program does
have research that meets your interests.
Please direct any comments, questions, updates, or concerns about this site to April Jones (amj191@psu.edu).
