Industrial and Organizational Psychology, (Ph.D.)

Program Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology is a post-master’s program that prepares students for careers in corporate, consulting, academic, and public sector human capital and human resource work settings. The curriculum is composed of a blend of courses covering information and theories across human motivation, social psychology, cognitive psychology, leadership, and organizational development. The program has a heavy emphasis on evidence-based decision-making and provides deep exploration of statistics and research methods to inform fiscally and ethically guided recommendations. Courses in the Ph.D. program will allow for the application of concepts defined within an industrial and organizational psychology master’s program. Courses will feature application of the learning for various career opportunities, from consulting to academic, to corporate. Program faculty have a broad range of backgrounds with specialties in corporate, nonprofit, and consultative settings. This program combines academic theory with current, real-world examples and professional materials to prepare students for roles across industries.

The program stresses the importance of field-relevant ethical codes and statutes, such as the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists, APA Code of Conduct, and the EEOC Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, 1978, to ensure principled practice.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of this degree program, graduates will be able to:

1. Demonstrate respect and understanding for human capital-related issues.
2. Apply legal and ethical codes specific to industrial and organizational psychology.
3. Apply academic knowledge and consulting skills to solve complex business challenges.
4. Utilize interpersonal skills to integrate diversity and various perspectives in professional settings.
5. Leverage data input and analysis to identify business problems and propose thoughtful, well-rounded solutions.
6. Analyze theories and concepts related to the value of individuals and groups in the workplace.

Minimum Admission Requirements

Applicants to this program are required to have:

• A master’s degree, by the date of matriculation, in industrial and organizational psychology, psychology, business, or a related discipline. Applicants who did not graduate from Adler University’s Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology or an equivalent program may be required to complete the equivalency requirements in addition to the doctoral curriculum. See program requisites.
• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better (on a 4.0 scale) in their master’s degree. Successful applicants typically have a GPA of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale for graduate-level coursework.
• Two letters of recommendation from an individual who can speak to the applicant’s likelihood of success in a doctoral program.*
• A writing sample (e.g., a publication, report, or an essay or paper previously submitted as an assignment).
• Admissions interview.

*Applicants who are graduates or current students in good standing from Adler University master’s degree programs may have one letter of recommendation and/or interview waived.

Program Requisites

Applicants are expected to have adequate coursework in the areas listed below. Applicants who did not graduate from Adler University’s Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, or an equivalent program, will be assessed to determine whether they have adequate coursework in the following master’s-level course areas, with a letter grade of B or better.

Course Areas and Equivalent Courses at Adler

• One graduate-level research methods course: Research Methods (INDS-503) or Research Methods in Organizational Psychology (MAOP 546).

Provisional Admission Status

Applicants admitted on a provisional basis must submit all outstanding collateral, as defined in their acceptance letter, prior to the end of their first course to achieve full admission status and continue in the program. Applicants not meeting this standard may be dismissed from the University.

Doctoral Qualifying Exams

Doctoral qualifying exams are a key feature of the Ph.D. program and allow students to demonstrate understanding and application of the program material before formally embarking on their dissertation process. Students are eligible to apply to take comprehensive exams after all program coursework has been completed. Doctoral qualifying exams will take place during a predetermined course, and students will need to indicate their desire to take doctoral qualifying exams by signing up via the formal Doctoral Qualifying Exam Application Process. This process not only designates the exact time interactive components of the exam will take place but will act as a review of the student’s current course standing and course completion status to ensure the student is eligible to take doctoral qualifying exams at that time.

The content of doctoral qualifying exams is made up of both written responses and a “live” presentation/discussion format.

• Written component: Students will receive three prompts and be required to respond in writing to two of the three prompts during the course. Written components will include literature reviews and should incorporate research aligned to the student’s dissertation topic. Prompts will be given to students three weeks before responses are due. Replies to the prompts will be due by a specific date and time, and failure to submit responses by the deadline will render the student’s submission ineligible. Late deliverables are not accepted for doctoral qualifying exam submissions. Further information on the detail needed for the written component will be given after the student receives approval to participate in the doctoral qualifying exams.
• Presentation component: After submission of the written component, students will have one week to prepare for and deliver a “live” online meeting to present ideas and recommendations related to one of the written prompts. The live meeting will be interactive, and students will be expected to field questions related to their ideas and recommendations. Further information on the detail needed for the presentation component will be given after the student receives approval to participate in the doctoral qualifying exams.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone of the Ph.D. program and showcases a student’s research skills, critical thinking, and command of theories and data related to a topic of his or her choosing. Prior to working on the dissertation, students must complete all required coursework and pass the doctoral qualifying exams. To register for dissertation credit hours, students must be in compliance with the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy. Upon successfully passing the competency exams, students will be assigned to a dissertation chair. The online program director will assign readers who have experience and expertise related to the dissertation topic. These additional committee members, as well as the chair, serve as the formal dissertation committee for the student.

Ushering the dissertation process along is a student-owned process. Students should meet with their dissertation chair to discuss possible dissertation topics and plans for completing the dissertation. Dissertation chairs can provide perspective on research needed, as well as possible measurement strategies. Students should be meeting with the dissertation chair on an agreed-upon schedule. Students should also work with the appointed committee members to understand their expectations on key milestones, drafts to be submitted, and so on.

Students should incorporate feedback given by the dissertation chair and readers on all iterations of the dissertation deliverables. Students will continue to work on the dissertation to refine it and incorporate feedback, until such a point when a decision will be collaboratively made by the student and the dissertation chair that a dissertation defense may be scheduled. A date for presenting the final dissertation will be selected by the dissertation chair and the student. In the dissertation defense, students will present their materials to the committee and demonstrate their ability to discuss research, hypotheses, data, and findings on their selected topic and respond to questions posed by the committee. Dissertation defenses are open to the academic community, and individuals outside of the dissertation committee may be in attendance. Typically, revisions to the dissertation will need to be addressed after the defense. After a student has presented his or her findings during the defense, the committee will make one of the following decisions:

• Student does not pass.
• Student passes with major revisions needed; core analyses and/or theories need to be reworked, the literature review needs to be enhanced, and so on.
• Student passes with minor revisions needed; edits needed are likely cosmetic and could include creating a better reading flow in the document or clarifying points or findings for greater impact.
• Student passes with no revisions needed; the committee determines no revisions are needed.

Optional Professional Portfolio

For the benefit of capitalizing on career opportunities and aspirations, Adler University offers an optional professional portfolio submission. Students are strongly encouraged to build and submit a professional portfolio at the conclusion of the program because they may be requested during the hiring process. Students will receive constructive feedback on ways to enhance the portfolio for greatest impact. A template will be provided specifying what should be addressed in the portfolio, including course activities, comprehensive exam responses, and dissertation outputs.

Graduation Requirements

1. Satisfactory completion of all required credit hours, including all required courses.
2. Satisfactory completion of the Social Justice Practicum.
3. Satisfactory completion of the Doctoral Qualifying Examination.
4. Satisfactory completion of a doctoral dissertation proposal, dissertation, oral defense, and submission of the final document.
5. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
6. Submission of completed graduation application and full payment of all outstanding tuition and fees.
7. Faculty approval for graduation and recommendation to the Board of Trustees for the conferral of the Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Social Justice Practicum

The Social Justice Practicum (SJP) is a nonclinical and non-discipline-specific experiential practicum. Students gain the knowledge, skills, and perspectives to utilize collective power and social justice strategies to build a more equitable society.

The SJP is designed to help students learn how to work alongside different communities as agents of social change and serves as the catalyst for students to realize and understand their strengths and responsibility to contribute to social equity.

The SJP unites the academic institution and larger communities and is an anchor of student learning at Adler University. This experiential learning process includes attending monthly workshops to explore civics, intersectionality, and community organizing and completing a practicum at community-based organizations to work on projects that will strengthen the social justice missions of our community partner members.

All students must complete the SJP before advancing onto any clinical or discipline-specific training, respective of the program in which they are enrolled. SJP requirements include:

- Completion of a minimum of 200 hours at an approved SJP site.
- Completion of online modules. 

- A formal SJP presentation at the Social Justice Symposium. 

- Students must receive a grade of “Pass” for the midterm and final evaluation to receive credit for completing the SJP.

The SJP may not be waived, and life credit is not admissible to meet this requirement.