Fritz Drasgow wins Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award

Thank you for visiting the website of the University of Illinois I-O psychology program. We hope the information contained here and in the linked pages will answer most of your questions about our program. Questions that are not answered can be directed to one of the program faculty members whose e-mail addresses are included in the section about the program faculty. In this website we describe our graduate program; descriptions of undergraduate training in psychology as well as details about applications for graduate study can be found at http://www.psych.uiuc.edu.

The Illinois I-O Psychology tradition has always emphasized fundamental research applied to organizations. Its faculty have been following this tradition in their research and the training of graduate students for more than 60 years. Our graduate program is concentrated on Ph.D. students although we offer terminal master's training Personnel Psychology to a small number of candidates each year. The philosophy of the program at its inception and continuing to today is to train graduate students for fundamental research and theory applied to individuals in organizations.

World class faculty and program

Our current five person faculty spans interest areas ranging from modern measurement theory (Fritz Drasgow), women's issues and sexual harassment in work organizations (Louise Fitzgerald), job attitudes, motivation, and organizational withdrawal (Chuck Hulin), vocational interests and how they change over the life span (Jim Rounds), organizational justice, employee assessment and development (Deborah Rupp), to racial adverse impact, social networks, time patterns in job attitudes and behavior (Daniel Newman). In addition to this world class faculty, the greatest strength of the program is that it is an integral part of one of the best departments of psychology in the United States. The Department is consistently rated among the top two or three departments in the United States (see the rankings here). Our students get their training in all areas of psychology from experts in the field.

Consistent with our philosophy of training Ph.D. candidates in fundamental research and theory, most of our Ph.D. graduates take jobs in research and teaching universities. Approximately one third of our students take jobs in work organizations or the government. Lists of our alumni and current students are provided. You should feel free to contact these individuals for information about our program from a somewhat different perspective than that of the faculty.

Our philosophy of training Ph.D. candidates is evident in our course offerings and requirements. The program imposes few requirements beyond those of the Department. Our students are expected to demonstrate depth in their special area of interest in I-O psychology as well as breadth in I-O psychology in general and some breadth in the general field of psychology. Breadth requirements are satisfied by appropriate coursework with faculty members in other areas of psychology or in other disciplines. Depth requirements are satisfied by an individualized program of study developed by the students with their advisors. These programs are heavily weighted towards advanced seminars and independent study. The relative lack of formal requirements means individuals’ programs are as varied as the interests of our students.

Financial aid guaranteed

All Ph.D. candidates receive financial aid that includes a stipend of more than $14,500 for the 9-month academic year, plus tuition and fee waivers. This financial aid package is guaranteed for SIX years (effective October 2006) as long as the student is making reasonable progress toward a Ph.D. Students in the program are supported on a combination of fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. The research and teaching assistantships are frequently in their area of interest.

Students normally participate in ongoing research projects of one or more of the faculty during their first year in the program. This research emphasis continues in the second year when students conduct research and write their Master’s Thesis. Students continue their research involvement with faculty and other graduate students for the remainder of their stay in the program; most publish the results of their research in scientific journals before they graduate. Funds to support graduate student research are available enabling graduate students to pursue their own line of study independent of research projects of the faculty.

The graduate program in I-O Psychology at the University of Illinois offers an opportunity for students to work with leading experts in I-O psychology to develop their teaching capabilities and individual research programs. The reputation of the program and the quality of our graduates are strong indications of the breadth and depth of the training and research available at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The list of our graduates is an indication of the breadth of training offered and the success of our students.

Professor Charles Hulin