Program Overview

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Industrial-Organizational Psychology (MA)

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.

About the Program

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.

Distinctives

• The program curriculum provides a strong theoretical foundation for meeting real-world challenges.
• Field-practicum experiences allow students to design and deliver interventions, conduct research, and develop leaders.
• A wide variety of electives encourages students to tailor their coursework to meet their individual vocational and professional goals.

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.

Curriculum

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.

• Students may take any of the approved graduate courses to fulfill their elective requirements.
• As a full-time student, students will typically take 8 credits a quarter (two classes) in the first year and 8–11 credits in the second year.
• In the final year of the program, students will complete a final master's project and portfolio as part of their coursework.

Admission Requirements

For admission to this master's degree program, the following are required:

• Online application and processing fee
• A bachelor's degree
  • Degree must be from a regionally accredited institution, with a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in all undergraduate work.
  • Completion of at least one business, math, or social science statistics course, from a regionally accredited institution.
  • Completion of at least two courses in psychology, from a regionally accredited institution. One course in business, political science, or sociology (completed at a regionally accredited institution) may be substituted for one of the two required psychology courses.
• Graduate record exam (GRE)
  • Administered within five years of the deadline date for application 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.
• Personal statement, typed
  • Demonstrating writing and grammatical skills
  • Addressing career objectives, personal qualifications, experience, and other insights as deemed appropriate by the student
  • The rationale for seeking the degree and choosing to attend Seattle Pacific
• Letters of recommendation
  • Three letters with (1) one from a person who has experienced the student 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).
  • Recommendations must be submitted on the forms provided in the online application.

International Students

• If English is not the first language, students must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and present a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test, 213 on the computer-based test, or an 80 on the internet-based test.
• If students are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents, they must provide an official confidential statement of financial support covering each year of intended enrollment.

Deadline

• December 15

Admission Process

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 twelve weeks after the final deadline date for applications.

Transfer of Credit

If students have taken graduate coursework at a regionally accredited institution, they may be allowed to transfer up to 12 quarter credits.

• Students 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.