Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Types of Degrees Industrial and Organizational Psychology Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many industrial & organizational psychology graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	2,091
Bachelor’s Degree	375
Doctor’s Degree	214
Graduate Certificate	100
Basic Certificate	5

What Industrial and Organizational Psychology Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to industrial and organizational psychology and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Majors

When studying industrial and organizational psychology, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a industrial and organizational psychology student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Industrial and Organizational Psychology Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with industrial and organizational psychology:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Industrial-Organizational Psychologists	5.9%	$97,260
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Psychology Professors	15.1%	$76,710
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Security Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Supply Chain Managers	8.0%	$107,480

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology?

This major is dominated by women with about 70% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of industrial and organizational psychology majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	8
Black or African American	63
Hispanic or Latino	94
White	127
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	77

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. About 1.6% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Some careers associated with industrial and organizational psychology require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to industrial and organizational psychology have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.5%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	41.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.2%
Master’s Degree	26.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	1.5%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	15.8%
Post-Doctoral Training	6.2%

Online Industrial and Organizational Psychology Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	11	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	106	24
Post-Master’s	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	35	6
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	4	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Industrial and Organizational Psychology

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to industrial and organizational psychology.

Major	Number of Grads
Counseling Psychology	11,005
Applied Behavior Analysis	6,810
Clinical Psychology	5,823
School Psychology	3,646
Forensic Psychology	2,601
Applied Psychology	2,536
Educational Psychology	2,114
Other Psychology & Counseling	638
Community Psychology	544
Health/Medical Psychology	396
Performance and Sport Psychology	210
Clinical Child Psychology	126
Family Psychology	56
Transpersonal/Spiritual Psychology	28
Environmental Psychology	8
Geropsychology	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.