Industrial and Organizational Psychology Program: Careers and Internships
Making business and industry work effectively. That's what we teach and what our graduates do.
- Industrial and Organizational Psychology Careers
- Ph.D. Programs
- Internships
- Networking
- Graduate Assistant and Work Opportunities
Student Spotlight
Industrial and Organizational Psychology student Alyssa Gradus was part of a team of students from several area universities who participated in a graduate student consulting competition for the Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington (PTCMW), an organization dedicated to advancing the science and practice of IO psychology. The goal of the competition was to develop an innovative performance management system for a hypothetical global organization called "Workify." Alyssa’s team, “inNOVAte Consulting,” developed a proposal for an innovative performance management system utilizing evidence-based IO psychology strategies along with utilizing advanced technological methodologies to enhance engagement. Alyssa and her teammates presented their concept to IO psychology professionals from PTCMW and PDRI, a CEB Company, at an event co-sponsored by both companies, and won first place!
Your Career Outlook
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) identifies industrial and organizational psychology as one of the fastest growing, most lucrative psychology careers, with a projected growth rate of more than 53 percent. Median annual wages in 2013 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:
Management and Personnel Consulting Firms
- Accenture
- Allegis Group
- American Institute for Research
- Booz Allen Hamilton
- Caliper Corp.
- DCI Consulting Group
- Deloitte
- Development Dimensions International
- Dynamic People Consulting
- Grant Thornton
- ICF International
- IMPAQ
- PDRI
- Pricewaterhouse Cooper
- Prometric
- Right Management
- Strategic Development Associates, LLC
- Strategic Results Group
- T. Rowe Price
Government Agencies
- Coast Guard
- U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
- Transportation Security Administration
- U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- U.S. Homeland Security
- Maryland Department of Budget and Management
- Maryland Transit Authority
- Maryland Department of Education
- Maryland State Highway Administration
Prepare for a Ph.D. Program
Our graduates have been accepted into top Ph.D. programs at universities across the country. Check out where some of our Industrial and Organizational Psychology graduates have continued their education:
- Bowling Green State University
- Central Michigan University
- Georgia State
- La Salle University
- Lehigh University
- Northeastern University
- Old Dominion University
- Pennsylvania State College of Medicine
- University of Denver
- University of Georgia
- University of Missouri-Kansas City
- University of North Carolina
Practice Makes Perfect
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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. The Schaefer Center for Public Policy at The University of Baltimore, also offers selective fellowships for full-time students to work on the center's applied research projects. In addition, there are opportunities for students to work as student assistants or as research assistants on various center projects. Deadlines are April 15 (for the fall semester) and Oct. 15 (for the spring semester).
- 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.
Connect to the Field
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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 IO psychologists working for the federal government and area consulting agencies. Faculty and students attend and often present research at the annual SIOP conference.
Graduate Assistant and Work Opportunities
We have 2-3 graduate assistant (GA) positions available with UBalt's Career and Internship Center (CIC) which offer partial or full tuition coverage plus a stipend. These positions are ONLY open to students enrolled in the IO Psychology program.
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Front Desk Operations: The GA in this position will coordinate scheduling for front desk assistants, provide support for office projects and events, work with staff to develop and implement training programs, and provide other technology and data management support.
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Employer Relations: The GA in this position will assist with the recruitment function in the CIC, and help with a variety of activities as needed, including: career fairs, programs and outreach, developing resource materials, workshop facilitation, etc.
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Employer Relations Assistant: The student in this Federal Work-Study position will support the employer relations team through managing the electronic job board postings, assist with the on campus interview program, and provide administrative support and customer service for the CIC Career Closet.
Contact Prof. Tom Mitchell for more information about applying for these positions.