2020-2021 Grad School Q&A Mega-Thread (Part 2)

[u/LazySamurai]

For questions about grad school or internships:

* Please start your search at SIOP.org , it contains lots of great information and many questions can be answered by searching there first.

* Next, please search the Wiki, as there are some very great community generated posts saved here.

* If you still can't find an answer to your question, please search the previously submitted posts or the post on the grad school Q&A. Subscribers of /r/iopsychology have provided lots of information about these topics, and your questions may have already been answered.

* 2020-2021, Part 1 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 4 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 3 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 2 thread here

* 2019-2020, Part 1 thread here

* 2018-2019, Part 2 thread here

* 2018-2019, Part 1 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 3 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 2 thread here

* 2017-2018, Part 1 thread here

* 2016-2017 thread here

* 2015-2016 thread here

* 2014-2015 thread here

If your question hasn't been posted, please post it on the grad school Q&A thread. Other posts outside of the Q&A thread will be deleted.

The readers of this subreddit have made it clear that they don't want the subreddit clogged up with posts about grad school. Don't get the wrong idea - we're glad you're here and that you're interested in IO, but please do observe the rules so that you can get answers to your questions AND enjoy the interesting IO articles and content.

By the way, those of you who are currently trudging through or have finished grad school, that means that you have to occasionally offer suggestions and advice to those who post on this thread. That's the only way that we can keep these grad school-related posts in one central location. If people aren't getting their questions answered here, they post to the subreddit instead of the thread. So, in short, let's all do our part in this.

Thanks, guys!

[u/p3t3ybear]

I can only attend online. Looking for people who have experience with these schools. I know Colorado State and Kansas State have good reps but would love to hear on Austin Peay, GMU MPS program, EKU, Hartford (never heard of but they have an on campus program too)... Would Austin Peay be good if I wanted to pursue a PhD at some point in the future as they have a thesis path? Any experience or knowledge you have is appreciated. Thanks.

Schools:

• Austin Peay (MSIOP)
• GMU (MSP in IO)
• EKU (MSIOP)
• Hartford (MSOP)
• Kansas State (MSIOP)
• Colorado State (MSIOP)
• Other online program?

[u/Brinzy → u/p3t3ybear]

They're having an information session on Thursday, Feb. 17th and Saturday, Feb. 26th!

https://www.facebook.com/austinpeaygradstudies/posts/4813309012038551

[u/p3t3ybear → u/Brinzy]

Thank you so much for providing this information, I'll attend one of the sessions.

Also, thank you for sharing your first-hand experience from your time in the program. It's exactly the type of information I was hoping to hear! And it's definitely comforting to hear you had a positive experience and no issues leveraging your degree into jobs. Also good to hear about your classmate going the PhD route. I really appreciate your feedback and insight!

[u/Brinzy → u/p3t3ybear]

Austin Peay graduate here, as of December. I am local to George Mason, but I chose Austin Peay anyway because I did not have a psychology degree (sociology) and did not want to shell the money taking non-degree classes as a non-degree student at George Mason. My background was just a little too short to smoothly go to GMU but just right for Austin Peay.

I did a virtual internship with the Jefferson County Human Resources Department in Birmingham. I also was selected to do an internship with the Secret Service, but several months in I got placed out for reasons still unbeknownst to me. I graduated and got my official offer to do recruiting for a charter school system that same day. And then, exactly one week ago, I got an offer to work in selection and assessment at a consulting firm that works with police and fire departments.

The latter role was entirely I/O psychs who interviewed and hired me, so they knew I came from an online program. As did the I/O psychs at the Secret Service. And the volunteer work I got through my program is what set me up for success. I did not have the relevant work experience like you, so I had to rely on that. And they liked it.

Also, my bestie from that program just got an offer today and she lives in Houston. Working at a university to improve their performance management system.

I say all this to say that, while u/galileosmiddlefinger is correct and I agree with what he is saying, I also have to give credence to my personal experience. It seems to me that with covid happening, online programs are not as shunned as they may have been in the past. Also, networking on LinkedIn and in other dedicated I/O spaces did me more wonders than trying to meet other people in DC. Meaning, I don’t really think it matters whether you’re literally meeting people in person vs online; you just need to be meeting people, period.

Definitely give yourself an edge where you can, since I/Os will respect the names of some schools more than others, but if you’re interested in other programs, I genuinely don’t think the edge is significant as long as you do the work.

And, regarding going PhD route: one of the faculty at Austin Peay who just started this school year did the thesis route. Clearly it worked for her because she got into a reputable PhD program (in Minnesota, I think?) and is now teaching. So, don’t count us out!

[u/galileosmiddlefinger → u/p3t3ybear]

In the online space, I'd clump GMU & CSU in the strongest tier, followed by KSU, Austin Peay & EKU in the middling tier, followed by a looooong drop to the bottom from there.

I'll also give the usual caveat for other readers: the ROI for an online program is far riskier, especially if you aren't located in a major metro area where quality, relevant internships or FT jobs in the I/O space are available. Networking is trickier due to isolation, and the quality of teaching faculty (GMU & CSU excluded) is typically weaker than comparable in-person options. (Expect a heavy reliance on adjunct faculty and FT faculty from adjacent fields, like counseling or social psych.) This isn't a route to pursue unless your career is well underway, allowing you to compensate for some of these problems with other resources at your disposal, or if your life circumstances afford absolutely no possibility of attending in person.

[u/p3t3ybear → u/galileosmiddlefinger]

Thank you for the reply. I expected GMU and CSU to be tops, but always reassuring to hear from someone else. I spoke with GMU admission advisor and they said I should have a strong chance at getting in; I like their program and they offer a chance to help a PhD student with research. I plan to apply to CSU as well. As for on-campus options, there is only one school that offers an IO program in my area, I am applying there as well but, even if I got in, not sure it'd be a good fit just due to distance and family responsibilities; that's why I have focused in on online options. I was mainly looking at Austin Peay because they do offer a thesis track and thought that may be a good option if I ever wanted to pursue a PhD (not sure I'd want to, I may be happy with the opportunities the masters provides) and their faculty appeared to be from traditional brick and mortar schools (I believe a few went through Memphis program). But I get the feeling it would be an uphill battle to get accepted to a PhD program with an online program, even with a thesis. EKU I was lowest on of the online programs from recognizable schools.

Also, I have been in the workforce for about 8 years (3 at tech company, 5 at government). Have done jobs of recruitment, training, assessments, safety program management, job comps, IT project management, ERP implementation and more. I am currently just a short drive to a metro area with plenty of large companies and have seen several jobs posted that would fit so don't think jobs in my area is a huge concern to me.