Indianapolis - IUPUI's master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology ranks top in student perceptions of program culture according to a recent study published by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP).
I/O psychology is the study of human behavior related to current and future workplaces. IUPUI's master's degree in I/O psychology is nationally recognized for its personalized approach to educating I/O psychologists.
"Program culture is something we value and work very hard to foster," says Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, Ph.D., program head for Industrial/Organizational Psychology. "Mentoring and professional development are core values of the program faculty. Each student has unique goals, and we see our role as helping them get the experiences they need to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities to achieve those goals. At the same time, we value friendships and having fun."
The study used surveys completed by current students and recent alumni to compile the student and alumni perception rankings. The surveys contained questions about perceptions of program culture, perceptions of available resources and program satisfaction.
For each question, participants were asked to indicate their satisfaction on a scale of one to five, with one being very dissatisfied and five being very satisfied. Nearly a thousand participants completed the survey. IUPUI received the top score for student perceptions of program culture based on the following questions:
- I am able to achieve a balance between my work in the program and life outside the program
- Students in the program are supportive of each other
- I have meaningful relationships with program faculty
- The faculty in my program care about me as a person
- Faculty are engaged in the program and its students
- Faculty in my program are motivated to provide the best environment for students' professional development
- I have been treated fairly by the faculty in my program
- I am proud to be a student in this program
- Faculty take graduate student ideas seriously
- Students are invested in the success of other students
- Faculty have reasonable expectations of students
- I am given timely and constructive feedback
- There is unhealthy competition within the program
- This program is accepting of people of various backgrounds and perspectives
"The program is small, so the students are close-knit," says Montana Drawbaugh, a first year master's student who attributes this ranking to the environment.
"We actively help each other out and genuinely like doing so," says Drawbaugh. "Each of us have different backgrounds and unique strengths, and we recognize these and even leverage them to our advantage to better the group as a whole. Instead of competing, we help each other grow and enjoy seeing each other succeed."
Nine students are currently enrolled in the IUPUI I/O program. An additional four will be joining in the fall of 2018. More than 150 students, who now work in Indiana and across the country, have graduated from the program since its 1970 inception.