Department of Psychology | Baruch College

The goal of the subprogram is to educate students in the general discipline of psychology, with an emphasis on training competent academics and practitioners in the area of human behavior at work and in organizations. The program places a heavy emphasis on developing basic and applied research and analytical skills. Students are expected to be actively involved in research during their graduate training. Current research spans the traditional domains of I/O psychology (Current Student Research Activities; Current Faculty Research Activities). Student and faculty research interests can be found on their individual web pages.

The coursework and research experiences provide thorough training in the basic areas of psychology, research design, and statistics and in all facets of the field of industrial and organizational psychology. The core curriculum is designed so that students who wish to do so will be able to meet state requirements for professional licensure application. The Ph.D. training will prepare students for a variety of academic, consulting, and practitioner career paths.

Application Procedures and Admissions Requirements

All application materials are to be sent to The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The deadline for receipt of all application materials by the Admissions office of the Graduate Center is February 1 for the following Fall’s class. There are no Spring admissions.

Students may apply with a baccalaureate degree only, or may apply after having taken graduate courses elsewhere. Applicants are expected to have completed at least 15 undergraduate credits in psychology, including a laboratory course in experimental psychology or research methods, a course in I/O psychology or equivalent (e.g., a business school course in Organizational Behavior), and a course in statistics.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required–both the General Test and the Subject Test in Psychology. Applicants are responsible for taking the examination early enough that their scores can be forwarded to the CUNY admissions office by the February 1st deadline. (For information call 1-800-GRE-CALL.)

GRE scores, as with all other application material, should be submitted to The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave., New York City, NY 10016. The College Code of the Graduate Center for reporting GRE scores is 2113. Do not submit GRE scores or other application material to the Psychology Department or to Baruch College.

A personal interview may be required prior to admission. This interview allows the admission committee to make a more comprehensive assessment and also affords the applicant an opportunity to visit the College and to meet with faculty and current students.

CUNY Ph.D. Program

Requirements for the Degree

Course Work: There is a 72-credit course curriculum. Students take 24 credits the first year, 18 credits in years two and three, and 12 credits in the fourth year. Previously earned credits in an I/O psychology Ph.D. program may be transfered in some situations. Credits from a terminal master's degree do not apply to the Ph.D. requirements.

Ph.D. Course Requirements

Master's Thesis: All students are required to complete a master's thesis. A committee chair and two additional committee members are selected who advise the student throughout the process of developing a proposal, obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, implementing the research, and completing the thesis.

Written Comprehensive Examination: After the completion of the master's thesis and all courses, students take a two-day written comprehensive examination covering all facets of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, research methods, psychometrics, and ethical/professional issues.

Dissertation: All students are required to complete a doctoral dissertation. A committee chair and two additional committee members are selected who advise the student throughout the process of developing a proposal, obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, implementing the research, and completing the dissertation. Once the written dissertation is conditionally accepted by the initial committee and by two “outside readers,” a successful oral defense completes the course of graduate study.

Student Funding

Since the inception of the program all students have received some form of financial aid. Students admitted to the subprogram ordinarily receive financial assistance for three or four years, in the form of a Baruch College Graduate Research Assistantship or a University Fellowship, which entails working 20 hours/week as a Research Assistant with an advisor. Supervised research experience is a requisite aspect of the student's training. A limited number of five-year Graduate Teaching Fellowships are also available. Students are also encouraged to teach as Adjunct Faculty during summers and beginning in the fourth year.

Advanced students are encouraged to teach undergraduate courses in the psychology department at Baruch, at other CUNY campuses, or at other colleges and universities in the New York area. All students will have taken a teaching practicum in the first year. When finished with course work, after their fourth year, students typically apply for a variety of part-time internships and other personnel research positions in both the private corporate sector and the public sector of New York City employers.

Respecialization Program in Industrial-Organizational Psychology

Recent years have seen an increase in the number of Ph.D.-level psychologists trained in other specialty areas who demonstrate an interest in the practice of I-O psychology. In order for such practice to be performed competently and ethically these psychologists must comply with the American Psychological Association’s Specialty Guidelines for the Delivery of Services by I/O Psychologists, which provides an outline of the requisite “knowledge base.” The Baruch/CUNY I-O program provides this opportunity for qualified psychologists by having them enroll as nonmatriculated students.

Admission requirements include a Ph.D. degree in psychology from a regionally accredited university, including one course each in psychometric theory and research design, and two terms of statistics. A minimum of 36 credits course work is required, and candidates are required to enroll for a minimum of six credits per semester. For further details, please contact Joel_Lefkowitz@Baruch.cuny.edu.