California State University Sacramento

The Master of Arts program in Psychology is designed to provide specialized education in the field of psychology. With a MA in Psychology, one can qualify for positions similar to those associated with a BA, though at a higher level of responsibility. Advisors play an active role in the planning process, and students are strongly encouraged to consult with faculty on a continual and intensive basis as soon as they begin their studies in the program. MA students can prepare for doctoral study in any area of Psychology or specialize in areas such as Applied Behavior Analysis or Industrial-Organizational Psychology. The Graduate Brochure contains the department application procedures, including GRE requirements and the departmental application form.

Although the program is based on a core set of requirements, the structure of the program allows for flexibility. While much material is covered in regular course offerings, the Department recognizes that specialized study and the development of certain types of skills must take place on a one-to-one student-instructor basis. This includes research activities in the laboratory, field, or library; teaching activities; and volunteer work in community mental health agencies, government agencies, schools, and/or businesses. Academic credit under individualized study or fieldwork designations is available for these purposes.

The Industrial-Organizational Psychology Option is designed for students who wish to develop marketable career skills that allow them to apply psychological principles and research methods to work-related issues. The I-O program at Sacramento State was designed with heavy influence from the 2016 Guidelines for Education and Training in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, published by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. While we cover all 24 major competency areas in the SIOP Guidelines to some degree, we give more emphasis to some than we do others—a strategy that is common and fully expected in master’s programs according to the narrative of the SIOP Guidelines. In consideration of the typical jobs held by master’s level I-O practitioners in general and especially in the local employment market for our students and alumni, our program gives primary emphasis to topics in human resource planning and development (e.g., job/work analysis; employee recruitment, testing, and selection; employee training; performance management) and general analytical skills (e.g., research methods; measurement; data analysis). These topics are slanted more toward the “industrial” side of the I-O field. Current literature in organizational psychology topics such as work attitudes and motivation, groups and teams, and occupational health and safety have important implications for the aforementioned human resource planning and development topics, and are covered more briefly in the coursework. In addition to completing the core courses and the culminating requirement for the MA degree, students must also select the Industrial-Organizational Psychology option.