Doctor of Philosophy in
Business Administration (PhD-BA),
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
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PhD-BA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology
This specialization explores the application of industrial and organizational psychology and management theory to the understanding of people in work environment. In this interdisciplinary specialization, students complete courses in the School of Business and Economics and the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences in order to develop competencies in theory, research, and applications of psychology related to human behavior in organizations. Students conduct advanced research related to the application of organizational and psychological theory to human resource management. Students must take both IOP courses and can select from either MGT 7006 or MGT 7022 to fulfill the specialization requirement.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete at least 9 credit hours in a single area of specialization at the University (not counting foundational courses) and may elect to have the specialization recorded on their transcript and diploma. The remaining 9 elective credits must be appropriate to the student’s degree program. Students may opt to use the remaining 9 elective credits towards an additional specialization.
(3 courses; 9 semester credit hours)
All PhD-BA specializations require completion of the PhD-BA core curriculum, three specialization courses, three doctoral electives, and the dissertation sequence, including prospectus, proposal, data collection and analysis, and final manuscript and defense.
Specialization Course Listings
In this course, you’ll focus on how psychological principles are applied in work settings. Current models, theories, and research in industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology will be explored. In order to develop a better social context for the workplace, you’ll also explore the roles of attitude, motivation, group factors, and leadership.
Consulting in businesses, schools, and health settings requires an array of personal skills, knowledge, and techniques. In this course, you’ll learn to develop the personal skills and understanding for developing a successful consulting program.
Choose one of the following:
You’ll investigate organizational behavior (OB) and the impact of individuals, groups, and structure on it. Specifically, you’ll focus on how to improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and turnover, and increase job satisfaction. You’ll also study the tools and perspectives needed to guide the productivity of others, predict human behavior at work, and manage individuals from diverse backgrounds.
In this course, you’ll synthesize and assess the current theories and research of organizational development. Among many topics, you’ll assess behavior in all sizes of organizations, evaluate groupthink and group behavior, and weigh the structure and design of successful businesses.
Electives selected on the initial degree plan can be changed upon request to an Academic and Finance Counselor.
Learning Outcomes
Students earning the Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration, Industrial/Organizational Psychology specialization will learn to:
- Frame complex problems or questions within the specialization using appropriate conceptual, analytical, and contextual lenses
Program Disclosure
Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.
Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.
NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.
All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.
National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.