I-O Psychology Program Home Page
SF State's IO Psychology graduate program is recognized as STEM program!
Our program meets the STEM requirements set by the Department of Homeland Security. Our STEM status improves the post-graduation employment opportunities for our F-1 international students. We welcome applicants from around the globe.
Our faculty, staff, and students are dedicated to building a community based on SF State's Core Values:
Success is dependent upon supportive relationships within the university and the surrounding community. Being part of an applied science is special because of the ample opportunities to give back to the community that we are part of. We encourage faculty and students to identify ways in which psychological theory can be used to improve San Francisco organizations and the global community. Our faculty provide talks about how local organizations can improve effectiveness and worker well-being. Our internship opportunity also provides an outlet to students to get involved in organizations based in San Francisco. We are also proud that many of our alumni choose to work in local organizations and regularly return to SF State to provide guest lectures on the current state of I/O psychology.
Our faculty and students are encouraged to take risks, express their self in tasks, and stand up for beliefs. The I/O Psychology Program provides many outlets for students to safely express themselves and present their ideas. As part of the College of Science & Engineering, our graduate students participate in university research showcases, national conferences, and openly explore their beliefs in small seminar courses. In addition, our faculty research labs focus on tackling challenging business and social issues, which have resulted in publications in top-tier academic journals and government funded research grants.
SF State is a world leader in fostering campus diversity, respect, and dignity. Our students are not only demographically diverse, but they vary in work and research experience. We encourage applicants who are beginning their career journey, current full-time workers who are interested in developing their management and human resource skills, and those with goals of applying to doctoral degree programs. In addition, our faculty actively research equity issues in organizations, such as developing fair and valid selection strategies and policy development to protect workers based on sexual orientation.
Adapting to challenges and transforming adversity into opportunity is not only a value of our faculty and students, but important for the success of organizations and workers. Our faculty research labs are thought leaders in how teams communicate during demanding tasks, organizational factors that promote growth and development, and best practices for selecting workers that will thrive in demanding occupations.
Based on the scientist/practitioner model, the SF State I/O Psychology Program excels in development and discovery. We believe in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge through approaches beyond the traditional classroom. Our students learn from small seminar courses in I/O psychology (8 to 14 students), an applied internship during their 2nd year, and have the option between either a research thesis or comprehensive exam for their culminating experience. In addition, our students have opportunities to work on applied consulting projects led by I/O faculty, work in faculty research labs, and take elective courses from the College of Business.