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New program announced
Psychology department will offer I-O psychology graduate
By Ashwin Raman
The Psychology Department at SCSU will, for the very first time, offer a graduate program scheduled to begin this coming fall.
The department will be offering a Master of Science degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Industrial-Organizational Psychology (I-O) is the use of psychological principles to understand the behaviors at a workplace to increase productivity of the workplace.
"Industrial Psychology applies psychology in a work setting and one of the advantages will be recruiting better people and retaining good workers," said Jody Illies, director of the new graduate program.
I-O psychologists also try to improve the quality of work-life of employees at all levels in an organization. Students enrolling in this graduate program will be taught the theories of psychology and the techniques that are used in employee selection and training. Students will also be taught organizational behavior topics such as leadership and employee morale.
At present, psychologists with masters in I-O work in various fields such as business, consulting and government. The flexibility of work fields is one reason that has increased the demand for people who hold a master's in I-O.
This, according to Illies, is one of the biggest advantages of the I-O field.
"Industrial psychologists are very marketable even with the poor economy and will only get better once the economy picks up again," she said.
Students with I-O master's degrees can also choose to pursue a doctorate in I-O, which in turn would lead to even more job opportunities.
The deadline for applying to this graduate program is Mar. 1.
Illies estimates eight students will be in the program for the fall semester and that number will increase to 12 in coming years.
Students intending on entering this program need to have taken undergraduate courses like introductory psychology, industrial-organizational psychology, social psychology, statistics and research methods as well as the graduate college requirements.
For some in the psychology faculty department, this graduate program offers the opportunity to expand the psychology program at SCSU.
"We are very excited to have this program. It is the first graduate program we'll be having," said Dr. Christine Jazwinski, professor of psychology and one of the graduate faculty members.
"Industrial psychology is a wonderful area in psychology and has excellent employment prospects," she said.
Students interested in this graduate program are advised to contact Jody Illies at 255-5772. Students may also contact the department of psychology at 255-4157 or visit the Web site at http://condor.stcloudstate.edu/~psy/io.
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