Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology - Industrial Organizational Psychology

University of Waterloo

The mission of the Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology program is to provide students with a well-rounded education that will both afford them flexibility in their future career path and enable them to positively impact the workplace. This is accomplished by exposing students to psychological theory and methods through coursework, as well as providing students with hands-on opportunities to conduct research and consulting projects in collaboration with faculty. In short, our goal is to develop exceptional researchers and practitioners who can make a difference to organizations, to workers, and to the I-O field broadly. The I-O graduate program is founded on the principle that effective practice depends on solid research. Our faculty and students work collaboratively to conduct cutting-edge research that contributes to the scientific literature, which in turn can serve as the basis for evidence-based application. Students also gain practical experience during their graduate training through their involvement in various applied projects. We facilitate outstanding skill development toward whichever career path a student chooses. Since its inception in the 1960s, our graduate program has produced an impressive list of outstanding researchers and practitioners. Our students have an excellent track record of obtaining research grant support and scholarships, and landing desirable jobs. Approximately half of our alumni obtain academic positions in departments of psychology or in schools of business, and the other half obtain positions in private or public sector industry in various consulting or staff roles in human resources management.