COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN SCIENCES

The Industrial/Organizational Psychology program prepares students to work in areas relating to applied behavioral science in organizations and business. Outside of class, students have opportunities to gain hands-on experience through involvement on various research and applied project teams with faculty supervision through our Applied Research for Organizational Solutions (AROS) group.

The Ph.D. program involves rigorous preparation in psychological foundations, research methods/statistical analysis, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and successful completion and defense of a dissertation involving original research.

The program generally requires three to four years of full-time study post-baccalaureate. The actual amount of time needed varies depending on student prior preparation (a limited amount of credit may be requested for prior graduate work) and progress in the program. Most students accepted into the program receive a graduate assistantship with a stipend.

The I/O Psychology Doctoral Program is committed to diversity and embeds this initiative throughout the program curricula. The I/O Program strives to produce culturally competent professionals who are advocates for social justice and well equipped to meet the needs of a diverse clientele.

Furthermore, the program strives to provide a supportive and encouraging learning environment for the training of diverse individuals and providing opportunities in diverse settings for a broad spectrum of individuals. The program avoids any restrictions that are irrelevant to success in graduate training.

Thus, the program has the expectation that faculty and students “are aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status” (APA Ethics Code, 2002, Principle E, p. 1063).

Contact

Program Coördinator
Dr. Steven Toaddy
toaddy@latech.edu
318.257.3058

Admission

Admission is a two-step process. First, a candidate must apply and be accepted into Louisiana Tech’s Graduate School. Meeting the minimal admission standards for the University or College does not guarantee admission into the I/O doctoral program. Next, the candidate must make it through the review process and be accepted into the I/O doctoral program. Both the requirements for admission and the deadlines for application are different for the Graduate School and the I/O doctoral program

The admission requirements for the program are more stringent than the admission requirements into the Graduate School.

The application deadline for fall admission is Jan. 15 for the following fall. All materials should be received by the deadline to allow for review of your application (late applications may be considered on a space available basis).

Applicants should plan to take the GRE at least one month prior to this deadline to allow for processing

Admission procedure

• A completed Graduate School online application and payment of the required non-refundable application fee.
• Officially reported scores on at least the Verbal (V) and Quantitative (Q) Graduate Record Examination scores, which must have been taken within five (5) years prior to the completed application. While the GRE composite score is a consideration, the I-O psychology program does not use any single criterion in the admissions decision process. In addition to the GRE, we consider each applicant’s letters of recommendation, professional and life experiences, reported career and life goals, research interests, GPA, and their overall “fit” with the program. The statement of purpose is an opportunity for students to communicate a more complete view of themselves and the strengths and contributions they can bring to our program. Request GRE scores from Educational Testing Services (ETS): Institution Code 6372, Dept. Code 2005.
• Official transcripts of all college or university coursework (send to the University Registrar).
• Three letters of reference from individuals who can attest to the applicant’s fitness and level of commitment. Follow the instructions in the online application and inform the people completing your references that they will receive an email from the application system with instructions.
• A statement of purpose outlining the your reasons for wanting to pursue Ph.D. training in I-O Psychology (upload to your online application).
• An email to the training director confirming that the application is complete.
• Applicants making the shortlist will be invited to take part in an Interview Day on the Louisiana Tech campus. Those unable to attend will be offered the option of a telephone interview.

Requirements

• To be competitive, students should have a minimum GRE Verbal and a Quantitative scores above the 50th percentile.
• Students should hold a bachelor’s degree in psychology, or 15 hours of psychology with at least 6 hours of statistics and research, or a master’s degree in psychology.
• A minimum undergraduate GPA is 3.0 for admission to the program.
• The admissions committee may seek and use additional information (e.g., letters of recommendation, sample writing, etc.) in individual cases.

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