Haley Goodes ’15 is currently attending Radford University’s Industrial-Organizational Psychology Master’s Program! We reached out to her answer some questions about graduate school. Feel free to reach out to Haley if you have any questions (see end of article for contact info).
THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS FEBRUARY 15TH, 2017.
- What’s your program like?
The Industrial-Organizational Psychology Master’s Program at Radford University is a two-year program that is project-oriented. In comparison to other programs, we work directly with clients in the majority of our classes to assess their needs and present them with materials to help resolve these organizational needs. It is also required of every student to have an internship, which is extremely helpful in getting experience in the field outside the classroom setting. In our program, our culture involves teamwork and communication. The professors are very helpful and strive to teach us to be the best evidence-based practitioners that we can be. In general, this degree supports those who are looking to go into consulting (internal, external) or human resources fields.
- What type of classes and assignments intrigue you the most in your program?
Every class is designed to teach us best practices for different topics; however, the materials and best practices somewhat overlap in an organized way to provide us with a better overall understanding of I/O Psychology. Classes such as Organizational Psychology, Employee Selection, Psychometric Theory, and Performance Appraisal have been the most interesting to me since these classes provide a framework for how to perform most of our practices in the most effective ways.
- Any advice for current students?
If students are looking to further their education in Psychology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology differs since it focuses on specific issues in business settings. The analysis and comprehension of data is a strong component in I/O Psychology so that we can provide the most useful information to organizations with the support of evidence. Be passionate about what you think you would like to do in a career path and be very prepared with research, etc. before applying to any program. Asking advice from your professors about how to apply to graduate school and how to present yourself to each school is important. Also, the online information source to explore professions, O*NET, is a very helpful tool to see various aspects of different jobs.
- What do you think prepared you the most for grad school?
At Roanoke College, my Human Resource Management concentration and psychology courses, such as Research Methods, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, etc. prepared me for the content of the courses and how to study and present myself to clients. I believe my involvement in many different groups around campus helped me understand how to better communicate and lead others. I also had an internship in a human resources department before graduating from Roanoke College, which helped me get experience and interact with professionals in a human resources setting.
- Would you be willing to list your contact info on the post so students can reach out to you?
Yes. My email is hgoodes@email.radford.edu. The Radford University link to the I/O Psychology Program is https://www.radford.edu/content/chbs/home/psychology/programs/industrial-organizational.html.