Industrial Psychology: Definition, Courses & Careers

As the organisational culture is evolving and becoming more flexible, the emphasis on the physical and mental health of the workforce is incrementally emphasised upon. Owing to the stress of meeting the deadlines, the environment of a workplace can become frustrating thus potentially causing an impact on the mental health of the personnel. This is where industrial psychology plays a pivotal role by helping the workforce cope with the dynamic organisational environment and equipping them with the essential productivity techniques. In this blog, we will provide you with an insight this sought-after specialisations of psychology and the career prospects it has on offer. 

What is Industrial Psychology?

Also called Organizational Psychology, Industrial Psychology deals with the application of psychological principles and theories in a working environment to improve the working efficiency of the organization as well as its employees. It is a new and growing field of medicinal psychology wherein the practitioners focus on studying the attitude and behaviours of the employees and also perform human resource functions to help the employees in personality development and facilitate better productivity by taking part in training sessions and workshops.

Also Read: Counseling Psychology

Educational Qualifications

There are numerous universities in the world that offer various undergraduate and graduate degrees in this specialised field of Psychology. If you want to start your career in Industrial Psychology, we have detailed the educational pathways in the following paragraphs.

• To begin with, you need to enrol yourself in a bachelor’s degree in either psychology or a major in organizational psychology. Upon the completion of your graduation, you will be eligible for internships or beginner-level roles in various organizations in business management, human resource or marketing.
• Further, to progress towards the next step, students who want to practice industrial psychology in reputed private and government organizations need to have a master’s degree with the specialization in organisational/industrial psychology. The aspirants can either opt for a Master of Arts (MA) or a Master of Science (MS) degree wherein they will be required to complete a thesis which is a pivotal part of the program after which you can either explore career prospects or opt for the research and development domain by opting for PhD programs. Also, pursuing an MBA can also work as a complementary degree thus helping students acquire knowledge related to economics and the management aspects.
• The students who want to further their career in research or academia, they need to complete a doctoral degree. Depending on the coursework the student is interested in, doctoral courses take around 4-5 years to complete. 
• If the student wants to practice industrial psychology, they need to get licensed upon graduating with a PhD or doctoral degree along with a considerable amount of work experience in the form of an internship. To get the licensure, the individual may have to reach out to the state or national level boards relevant to the field of industrial psychology. 

Also Read: PhD in Psychology

Best Universities Offering Courses in Industrial Psychology

As the workplaces are becoming goal-oriented to establish their place in the competitive world, the demand for industrial psychologists is gaining momentum as well. Given below are some of the best universities that are renowned for their specialised programs in industrial psychology.

• The University of Western Australia
• Saint Louis University
• Western Michigan University
• University of Guelph
• University College London
• Southern New Hampshire University
• Curtin University
• Saint Mary’s University
• George Washington University

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Career Prospects in Industrial Psychology

Being one of the best and emerging specialities of Psychology, industrial psychologists play an incremental part in helping employees cope up with the organisational culture and ensuring that the personnel is happy, healthy and productive. Below are some of the best career options, students can choose to pursue apart from the conventional job profiles in Industrial Psychology:

• Human Resource Organizational Development Manager
• Behaviour Analyst
• Talent Management Specialist
• Research Analyst
• University Professor
• Consultant
• Team Development Manager
• Human Resource Practice Manager
• Organizational Development Psychologist
• Consumer Psychologist
• Personnel Analyst
• Instructional Designer

The aspirants wanting to establish their career in industrial psychology can explore opportunities in varied organizational settings such as factories, private and government offices, hospitals, schools, etc.

Hopefully, this blog covered every aspect you need to know a career in industrial psychology. Take the assistance of Leverage Edu’s AI-based tool to explore an array of courses in Psychology and it will bring you the best-suited combinations of programs and universities that aligns with your skills, interests and career aspirations.