The Master of Arts (MA) in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (IO) program seeks to develop scholars, professional practitioners, and leaders who will actively engage the community and businesses around them, improving organizations and developing people as part of their jobs.
This master’s degree provides a theoretical foundation for addressing a broad range of behavioral issues in the workplace. It develops professionals within human resources, organizational development, and training fields, and provides organizational leaders with a graduate education that relates directly to their practice as leaders.
This master's program begins in Autumn Quarter and admits students once a year.
The MA in Industrial-Organizational psychology is designed with a focus on the science and rigor associated with quality degrees in this field along with an equal emphasis on the practice of industrial-organizational psychology.
The curricula for the master’s program has been structured according to the guidelines for graduate training in industrial-organizational psychology published by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), a division of the American Psychological Association.
The curriculum in this Industrial-Organizational Psychology program satisfies the suggested areas of competence for graduates in industrial-organizational psychology, ensuring that you are fulfilling not only the expectations for master’s- level education, but also fulfill the expectations of experts working in the field.
The MA is a 66-credit program (56 credits required, plus 10 elective credits) and is designed to be taken over a two-year/seven-quarter or three-year/11-quarter sequence.
You may take any of the approved graduate courses to fulfill your elective requirements. As a full-time student, you will typically take 8 credits a quarter (two classes) in the first year and 8–11 credits in the second year.
In your final year of the program, you will complete a master’s project and a portfolio.
From a regionally accredited institution, with minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in all undergraduate work.
A minimum of one business or social science statistics course and two courses in psychology (at a regionally accredited institution) prior to admission to the program.
A combined score of 295 (or 950 on the older version of the test) on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE is preferred.
Three letters with (1) one from a person who has experienced you in a professional setting (i.e., a current or former employer); (2) one academic reference from a former professor or instructor; and (3) a personal recommendation (not a family member).
Have completed recommendations sent to you in a sealed envelope, signed across the flap. Include them with your application package.
If English is not your first language, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and present a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 213 on the computer-based test.
The Admissions Committee of the Industrial-Organizational Psychology program will conduct a preliminary screening process.
Finalists will be invited to come to campus for personal interviews.
Admission to the master’s program depends upon recommendation by the IO faculty and approval from the IO chair.
The entire process is usually completed within eight weeks after the final deadline date for applications.
If you have taken graduate coursework at a regionally accredited institution, you may be allowed to transfer up to 12 quarter credits.
You must provide applicable transcripts and/or syllabi. Each course must be at least 3 graduate quarter credits, equivalent to courses taught in the Organizational Psychology program at Seattle Pacific University and completed within seven years of admission. A minimum grade of B will be needed for transferred work. Any transfer-credit petitions should be submitted only after formal admission to the master’s program.