Best degree programs for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, ranked by enrollment
2 college programs and 1,582 schools train Industrial-Organizational Psychologists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $193,950 median wage, 790 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
2 college programs at 1,582 schools train industrial-organizational psychologists, graduating 149,618 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Psychology, General. The job pays a median of $193,950 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About industrial-organizational psychologists
Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems. Activities may include policy planning; employee testing and selection, training, and development; and organizational development and analysis. May work with management to organize the work setting to improve worker productivity.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
2 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 42.0101 | 146,449 | 97.9% | 1,567 | $31,426 | $25,250 |
| 2 | CIP 42.2804 | 3,169 | 2.1% | 127 | $33,805 | $27,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4,942 | Psychology, General | 43% | $34,565 | 100% |
| 2 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1,752 | Psychology, General | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 3 | Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,685 | Psychology, General | 74% | — | 55% |
| 4 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 1,613 | Psychology, General | 78% | — | 40% |
| 5 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,486 | Psychology, General | 0% | — | 67% |
| 6 | Capella University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 1,456 | Psychology, General | 20% | $19,369 | — |
| 7 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,015 | Psychology, General | 70% | — | 91% |
| 8 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,002 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 93% |
| 9 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 981 | Psychology, General | 68% | — | 90% |
| 10 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD Public · 1 feeder programs | 917 | Psychology, General | 33% | — | — |
| 11 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 914 | Psychology, General | 77% | — | 43% |
| 12 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 811 | Psychology, General | 65% | — | 74% |
| 13 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 794 | Psychology, General | 86% | — | 24% |
| 14 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 769 | Psychology, General | 76% | — | 36% |
| 15 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 745 | Psychology, General | 93% | — | 9% |
| 16 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 731 | Psychology, General | 69% | — | 46% |
| 17 | Walden University Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 729 | Psychology, General | — | — | — |
| 18 | The University of Arizona Global Campus Chandler, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 711 | Psychology, General | 11% | $26,445 | — |
| 19 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 687 | Psychology, General | 91% | — | 24% |
| 20 | University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 687 | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | 21% | $15,478 | — |
| 21 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 2 feeder programs | 669 | Psychology, General | 90% | — | 38% |
| 22 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 643 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 54% |
| 23 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 632 | Psychology, General | 84% | — | 57% |
| 24 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 623 | Psychology, General | 84% | — | 58% |
| 25 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 613 | Psychology, General | 56% | — | 94% |
| 26 | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO Public · 1 feeder programs | 606 | Psychology, General | 74% | — | 78% |
| 27 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 595 | Psychology, General | 61% | — | 72% |
| 28 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 584 | Psychology, General | 52% | — | 69% |
| 29 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 583 | Psychology, General | 53% | — | 87% |
| 30 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 579 | Psychology, General | 55% | — | 89% |
| 31 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 572 | Psychology, General | 85% | — | 80% |
| 32 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 564 | Psychology, General | 76% | — | 49% |
| 33 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 558 | Psychology, General | 68% | — | 87% |
| 34 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 554 | Psychology, General | 68% | — | 86% |
| 35 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 1 feeder programs | 548 | Psychology, General | 83% | — | 60% |
| 36 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 542 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 95% |
| 37 | Georgia State University Atlanta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 540 | Psychology, General | 53% | — | 55% |
| 38 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 539 | Psychology, General | 69% | — | 85% |
| 39 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 533 | Psychology, General | 67% | — | 78% |
| 40 | University of Mount Saint Vincent Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 530 | Psychology, General | 57% | $20,371 | 85% |
| 41 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 530 | Psychology, General | 63% | — | 93% |
| 42 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 1 feeder programs | 527 | Psychology, General | 81% | — | 85% |
| 43 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 525 | Psychology, General | 65% | — | 88% |
| 44 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 1 feeder programs | 524 | Psychology, General | 86% | — | 61% |
| 45 | California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 514 | Psychology, General | 43% | — | 93% |
| 46 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV Public · 1 feeder programs | 505 | Psychology, General | 51% | — | 96% |
| 47 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC Public · 2 feeder programs | 500 | Psychology, General | 69% | — | 80% |
| 48 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT Public · 1 feeder programs | 487 | Psychology, General | 45% | — | — |
| 49 | CUNY City College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 486 | Psychology, General | 57% | — | 60% |
| 50 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 485 | Psychology, General | 75% | — | 74% |
What industrial-organizational psychologists earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Provide advice on best practices and implementation for selection.
- Develop and implement employee selection or placement programs.
- Analyze data, using statistical methods and applications, to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of workplace programs.
- Develop interview techniques, rating scales, and psychological tests used to assess skills, abilities, and interests for the purpose of employee selection, placement, or promotion.
- Observe and interview workers to obtain information about the physical, mental, and educational requirements of jobs, as well as information about aspects such as job satisfaction.
- Facilitate organizational development and change.
- Analyze job requirements and content to establish criteria for classification, selection, training, and other related personnel functions.
- Advise management concerning personnel, managerial, and marketing policies and practices and their potential effects on organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
Skills
- Active Listening4.4
- Reading Comprehension4.4
- Writing4.3
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Science3.8
Knowledge areas
- Personnel and Human Resources4.9
- Psychology4.8
- Education and Training4.5
- Administration and Management4.0
- Mathematics4.0
- English Language3.8
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.4
- Oral Expression4.4
- Oral Comprehension4.3
- Written Expression4.3
- Inductive Reasoning4.1
- Deductive Reasoning4.1
Core activities
- Providing Consultation and Advice to Others4.8
- Getting Information4.7
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.7
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.6
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.6
- Analyzing Data or Information4.6
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- On-the-job training
- Internship/residency
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Industrial-Organizational Psychologists2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 42.0101Psychology, General
- 42.2804Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Psychology, General, which awarded 146,449 degrees in 2024-25, 97.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this occupation. The largest are Psychology, Clinical. Together they graduate about 149,618 people a year.
How much do industrial-organizational psychologists earn?+
The median is $193,950 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $79,010 at the 10th percentile to $247,220 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for industrial-organizational psychologists growing?+
BLS projects a +6.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,582 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do industrial-organizational psychologists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Research Scientist, Organizational Consultant, Organizational Psychologist, I-O Psychologist (Industrial-Organizational Psychologist) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-3032.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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