Your Career Outlook

 

Making business and industry work effectively. That's what we teach and what our graduates do.

• Industrial and Organizational Psychology Careers
• Alumni Testimonials on Career Preparation
• Internships
• Networking

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Your Career Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor identifies industrial and organizational psychology as one of the fastest growing, most lucrative psychology careers, with a projected growth rate of more than 29 percent. Median annual wages in 2011 reached nearly six figures.

As a graduate of this program, you'll join others who have launched careers in both the public and private sectors and abroad as a direct result of their master's studies. Many have even established their own consulting companies. It's tough to keep up with our graduates' continuous success, but here are some of the places they've landed jobs:

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What Our Alumni and Employers Have to Say

I have been particularly impressed with the job knowledge that students build as part of the program as well as the strong skill set they develop related to statistical methods, psychometrics and research design. This skill set is not easy to find at the master's level, but UB has developed a curriculum that emphasizes these particular characteristics.
—Eric M. Dunleavy, principal consultant, DCI Consulting Group (employer of several alumni)

My professors served as great mentors to me in my two years at UB. They helped me to see options I didn't realize were open to me and helped me to explore all levels of the industrial/organizational world. By encouraging me to attend the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychologists conferences both years, they also helped me to increase my I/O network, better understand my specific I/O interests and see federal opportunities that I was not aware existed, which ultimately helped me to secure my current position as a personnel psychologist for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
—Jessica Griggs, M.S. '10, personnel psychologist, U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency

I am with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, all thanks to the I/O program at UB. I started as an intern and was offered a full-time position when I graduated.
—Wendy Su, M.S. '09, I/O psychologist, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

I chose UB's program from many others because of the faculty, the type of classes offered that were specific to my interests and the focus on doing practical work. I probably wouldn't have gotten my job at Caliper (the company's main products are personality instruments) if it weren't for Dr. Mitchell's class on Personality at Work (APPL 657).
—Trevor Shylock, M.S. '09, consultant, Caliper Corp.

I relocated from Alabama to join the program. Through the program, I obtained valuable work experience with the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, Ala., as an assessor in their assessment center.
—Hermanski Jackson, student

I chose UB for its small program and intimate nature. I got an internship at the Maryland State Highway Administration in my second year and had three employment offers upon graduation.
—Elizabeth Cregg, M.S. '07, senior human resources generalist, BorgWarner Morse TEC Inc.

I would not be where I am today without the program. The faculty encouraged me to participate in SIOP, APA, PTC and MAPAC (various industrial and organizational psychology professional organizations). I secured two internships that prepared me for my consulting career.
—Matthew Ruble, M.S. '07, manager of advisory services, Grant Thornton International Consulting

The program helped propel me to where I am today, a tenure-track assistant professor in the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University. While in the program, I published a peer-reviewed journal article while working as an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and I took my first job with the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C., one of the most prestigious consulting firms.
—Brian Lyons, M.S. '02, assistant professor, Wright State University

One of my biggest management challenges is the lack of available candidates to fill master's-level positions. Without UB graduates, my pool of potential new hires would be reduced even further. UB is fortunate to be located in a region that is experiencing an increased need for I/O professionals. A number  of agencies in the federal government rely on I/O psychologists, not to mention the consulting firms in and around Washington, D.C., that must also meet the needs of their customers.
—Christine Parker, M.S. '98, I/O psychologist, U.S. Department of Defense

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Practice Makes Perfect

• Gain experience: Although an internship is not required (as some students are already employed in the field), most of our students find internships with local, state and federal agencies and with private sector employers such as PHH-Arval, Safenet Inc., and ICF International.
• Get paid: Typically, students complete a paid internship in the summer after the first year of coursework. Because of our long history of providing employers with talented interns, we have a rich network of organizations that willingly provide internship opportunities both locally and regionally. Some of our out-of state students complete internships with organizations in their home states.

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Connect to the Field

• Connect electronically: The IOINTERN listserv guides you to job opportunities and internships and also provides connections to alumni and other students.
• Connect to the community: You can serve as a student member of the Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology and of the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington, the central association for I/O psychologists working for the federal government and area consulting agencies. Faculty and students attend and often present research at the annual SIOP conference.