About the program
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.
Distinctives
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 program curriculum provides you with a strong theoretical foundation for meeting real-world challenges.
- Field-practicum experiences allow you to design and deliver interventions, conduct research, and develop leaders.
- A wide variety of electives encourages you to tailor your coursework to meet your 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.
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.
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.
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.
Admission requirements
For admission to this master’s degree program, the following are required:
- Online application and $50 processing fee
- A bachelor’s degree
- 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.
- 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 your writing and grammatical skills
- Addressing your career objectives, personal qualifications, experience, and other insights as deemed appropriate by you
- 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 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).
- Recommendations must be submitted on the forms provided in the online application.
- Have completed recommendations sent to you in a sealed envelope, signed across the
flap. Include them with your application package.
International students
- 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.
- If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you must provide an official
confidential statement of financial support covering each year of intended enrollment. This is
necessary in order to issue the paperwork for an I-20 immigration form.
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 eight weeks after the final deadline date for applications.
Transfer of credit
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.