About the Program
Graduate students in Psychological Sciences are expected to become qualified researchers and experts in their selected area of concentration and to acquire a broad and in-depth background of the field in general. The graduate program provides comprehensive training leading to the Ph.D. with one of the following six degree options: Clinical, Cognitive, Industrial-Organizational, Mathematical and Computational Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, and Social Psychology.
Industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology is interested in people in the workplace and how work affects people’s lives more broadly. This knowledge of human behavior in organizations allows I-O psychologists to solve workplace problems and enhance workplace well-being, fairness and productivity. Applying psychological theories and principles, the industrial component of I-O psychology focuses on selecting and training workers, and the organizational component focuses on creating a conducive environment for workers. The field of I-O psychology is leading the way in understanding future of work and big data trends.
Ranked No. 7 in the world by U.S. News and World Report, Purdue University’s I-O psychology program is also one of the oldest, having conferred its first degree in 1939. Additionally, Purdue’s I-O psychology program has graduated more PhDs and produced more Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) fellows than any other.
Graduate students are admitted to work with a primary faculty member who will serve as their mentor. Heavily research-oriented, graduate training is based on a science-practice model, so students are trained as both researchers and applied scientists, equipped to work with organizations on human resources-related issues. Graduate students will also have opportunities to gain teaching experience in the program.
All graduate students are admitted with funding and will have guaranteed funding for five years, provided they are making strong progress toward their PhD. An admitted student will typically work as a graduate teaching assistant for 20 hours per week during the academic year and receive a nine-month stipend and tuition waiver. Students may also receive funding during summers if they obtain a teaching assistant position or if they are employed as a research assistant.
Program Website
Additional Information
Students who enter the program with a thesis-based Master’s degree from another institution can request approval to waive the Master’s thesis requirement at Purdue. The student’s Major Professor will chair a three-person committee involving two other faculty members in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Area selected by the Major Professor in consultation with the Area Coordinator. The committee will evaluate whether the previous thesis is acceptable and waive the Purdue thesis requirement if appropriate.
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