Ph.D. Industrial & Organizational Psychology

The Doctoral Program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at the University of Central Florida educates and trains its students “to generate and integrate scientific and professional knowledge, attitudes and skills so as to further psychological science, the professional practice of psychology, and human welfare. The graduate of this training model is capable of functioning as an investigator and as a practitioner, and may function as either or both, consistent with the highest standards in psychology” (National Conference on the Education and Training of Scientist-Practitioners for the Professional Practice of Psychology, 1990, pp. 7-8). Our departmental mission statement directs us to provide high quality education to include “the dissemination of state-of-the-field theoretical and empirical information, training in the methodological, statistical, and technical skills necessary to conduct psychological research, and practice in the application of psychological knowledge to real-life problems.” Our doctoral program aspires to achieve excellence in research training and to contribute to and perpetuate psychological science and practice through faculty and graduate student involvement in scholarly and professional activities. Our faculty and graduate students advocate for initiatives that affect the profession of psychology and the welfare of individuals and groups, and are active members of professional organizations and contributors to psychological science.

The Ph.D. track in Industrial and Organizational Psychology provides students with training that is consistent with the scientist-practitioner model. As a result of this training students will be prepared to pursue rewarding careers in either academia (university-based teaching and research) or industry (e.g., consulting). I/O students receive training in work motivation theory, organization theory, organizational development theory, attitude theory, career development theory, decision making, human performance/human factors, assessment of individual differences, small group theory, performance appraisal and feedback, criterion theory and development, personnel selection, placement and classification, research methods, statistical methods, job and task analysis, individual assessment, and training theory, program design and evaluation.

At a glance:

  • Our program ranks 4th in research productivity (i.e., number of publications) and 2nd in presence at SIOP out of all I/O Ph.D. programs (Beiler, Zimmerman, Doerr, & Clark, 2014)
  • The program began in 2000 and has graduated 67 students (47% now work in academic/research positions, 53% now work in applied positions)
  • We have 34 current students

Degree Requirements

The doctoral program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology requires approximately four years of full-time study beyond the baccalaureate and approximately three years beyond the master’s. The first few years are devoted to course work and the final year to the doctoral dissertation. After completing all required course work students are required to pass a Candidacy Examination. This examination may be taken a maximum of two times. Failure to pass the examination on two occasions will result in the student being dismissed from the program.

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Program Admissions

Application Deadline is December 1st

The UCF Psychology Department coordinates the admission process with the UCF Graduate Studies office. In order to enroll in graduate classes, students must have obtained a baccalaureate or higher degree, prior to the start of the term for which the student is admitted, from a regionally accredited institution or from a recognized foreign institution. Students without a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited institution (or equivalent) are not admitted to graduate degree programs, graduate certificate programs, or graduate nondegree status.

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Mailing Address
UCF College of Graduate Studies
Millican Hall 230
PO Box 160112
Orlando, FL  32816-0112

Institution Codes
GRE: 5233
GMAT: RZT-HT-58
TOEFL: 5233
ETS PPI: 5233

Program Goals:

Consistent with the Department’s Mission Statement, the doctoral program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s overall goals are to: (a) train and educate leaders in psychology at the doctoral level within the scientist-practitioner tradition; (b) expand and disseminate scientific knowledge about behavior at work through publications in scientific journals, conference presentations, and teaching; (c) strive to apply psychological principles to solve workplace problems and thus improve the quality of individuals’ work and non-work lives; and (d) produce psychologists who understand the ethics, principles and practice of psychology. Within our broad vision to become renowned scientist-practitioners, our program seeks to enhance scientific understanding of the following three areas: (a) training and team performance, (b) occupational health, and (c) human analytics, big data, and research methods. The overall goals of the training program are consistent with that of the Mission Statement of the Department, the College of Arts and Science, Graduate Studies, and the University.

 

Overview of Curriculum Goals:

The Industrial and Organizational Psychology Doctoral Program curriculum plan (a) provides extensive coverage of and a strong grounding in the substantive core areas of psychology, (b) develops a foundation of knowledge relevant to critical thinking, scientific methods, and data analysis, (c) develops general and specific competency areas specified by SIOP, (d) provides multiple opportunities for students to develop the necessary skills and ambition to generate new knowledge through ongoing research and scholarly activities, (e) develops a foundation of knowledge and requisite skills in career-relevant domains. The integration of science and practice is achieved in several ways. Students are actively engaged in ongoing activities related to research such as literature reviews, the design and implementation of empirical investigations, data collection and analysis, psychometric design and evaluation of measures, and program evaluation.

Training Emphasis:

The Education and Training Committee of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of the American Psychological Association) prepared Guidelines for Education and Training at the Doctoral Level in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (hereafter called, “Guidelines”). The UCF Industrial and Organizational Psychology Ph.D. program is designed to train students according to these American Psychological Association-approved Guidelines.

The Guidelines follow the scientist-practitioner model and a competency-based approach. The Guidelines state that, “taking the scientist-practitioner model seriously means that doctoral education needs to focus on both the theory and application associated with all content areas” (p. 3). All students, regardless of whether they expect to pursue academic or applied careers, must be knowledgeable in theory, research methods, and the application of the content areas to applied practice. The competency areas to be trained include:

  1. Consulting and Business Skills
  2. Ethical, Legal, and Professional Context of I-O Psychology
  3. Fields of Psychology
  4. History and Systems of Psychology
  5. Research Methods
  6. Statistical Methods/Data Analysis
  7. Attitude Theory, Measurement, and Change
  8. Career Development
  9. Consumer Behavior
  10. Criterion Theory and Development
  11. Health and Stress in Organization
  12. Human Performance/Human Factors
  1. Individual Assessment
  2. Individual Differences
  3. Job Evaluation and Compensation
  4. Job/Task Analysis and Classification
  5. Judgment and Decision Making
  6. Leadership and Management
  7. Organization Development
  8. Organization Theory
  9. Performance Appraisal and Feedback
  10. Personnel Recruitment, Selection, and Placement
  11. Small Group Theory and Team Processes
  12. Training; Theory, Program Design, and Evaluation
  13. Work Motivation

Students should familiarize themselves with the description of each competency area as described on the SIOP website (www.siop.org). Students will develop knowledge and skill in these 25 competency areas through formal course work, internship, independent study, and research experiences. As a major urban university, our program takes advantage of and builds upon a multitude of university and community partnerships consistent with the mission of UCF.

Diversity

Our program values diverse viewpoints from students and faculty, whether based on demographics, cultural background, educational background, or political views, so that students can proactively respond to meet the needs of a global workforce. The program emphasizes the consideration of diverse perspectives through a variety of mechanisms, including through coursework that emphasizes cross-cultural perspectives and considerations. More information about inclusive excellence at UCF can be found here: https://www.ucf.edu/inclusive-excellence/.

Internships & Employments

Applied
  1. Adaptive Assessment Services
  2. AlignMark
  3. Aptima, Inc.
  4. Army Research Institute
  5. Bank of America
  6. Booz Allan Hamilton
  7. Camber Corporation
  8. Capital One
  9. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  10. CHI Systems, Inc.
  11. CIC Planning Group, Inc.
  12. City of Jacksonville
  13. City of Lakeland
  14. City of Orlando
  15. Cognitive Performance Group
  16. CVS Caremark Corporation
  17. Deloitte
  18. Department of Defense
  19. Disney
  20. Educational Testing Services
  21. Exelon
  22. FedEx Management Partners
  23. Ford Motors
  24. General Dynamics
  25. Google
  26. IBM
  27. Institute for Simulation and Training
  28. JetBlue
  29. KAEGAN Corporation
  1. Kenexa
  2. Parks Consulting, Inc.
  3. Lockheed Martin
  4. Marriot Vacation Club
  5. Mountain States Employers Council
  6. Northeast Florida Education Consortium
  7. NASA
  8. NAWCTSD
  9. Northrop Grumman
  10. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
  11. Orange County Sherriff’s Office
  12. Orlando Regional Hospital
  13. Orlando Utilities Commission
  14. Personnel Decisions, Inc.
  15. Publix
  16. RFK and Associates
  17. RSK
  18. Sears
  19. Siemens
  20. TalentKeepers
  21. The Travelers Companies
  22. Universal Studios
  23. S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
  24. S. Navy
  25. Walmart
  26. WLH Consulting
  27. Workforce Central Florida
  28. Facebook
Academic
  1. University of Akron, Department of Psychology
  2. Clemson University, Department of Psychology
  3. Florida Institute of Technology, College of Psychology
  4. Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Psychology
  5. Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine
  6. Rutgers, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development
  7. Ozyegin University, Department of Psychology
  8. Seattle Pacific University, Department of Psychology
  9. Quinnipiac University, School of Business
  10. University of North Texas at Dallas, Department of Business
  11. University of South Florida, Department of Psychology
  12. University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Psychology
  13. Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine
  14. Hofstra University, Department of Psychology
  15. Roosevelt University, Department of Psychology

Faculty in I/O Psychology

Office Support

Program Contacts

If you have any questions regarding the in Ph.D. Program in Industrial Organizational Psychology, please contact:

Mark Ehrhart

Mark Ehrhart

Program Director

Mark.Ehrhart@ucf.edu
PSY 301D (Orlando)

Dani Draper

Dani Draper

Program Assistant

Danielle.Draper@ucf.edu
(407)823-2458