如果你正在考虑追求工业与组织（I-O）心理学领域的职业生涯，你应该尽早在本科阶段就开始考虑研究生学习。研究生项目提供多种I-O领域的高级学位，包括文学硕士（M.A.）、理学硕士（M.S.）、哲学博士（Ph.D.）或心理学博士（Psy.D.）。不同学位项目之间的学术要求各不相同，完成项目所需的时间也有所不同，而且每个项目都为你准备了该领域潜在的不同职业类型。虽然你应该咨询你感兴趣的每个项目的要求和独特特点，但有一些一般特征可以区分这些学位。Ph.D.学位要求完成一篇论文，许多提供博士教育的项目还要求学生在追求论文之前完成硕士论文。因此，完成Ph.D.项目的学生通常在完成Ph.D.的要求中获得M.A.或M.S.学位。博士项目通常以要求学生在项目期间积极参与研究项目而著称。相比之下，有些项目只提供M.A.或M.S.学位。这类项目可能要求学生除了课程学习外，还需完成论文或研究，也可能不要求。提供Psy.D.的课程通常更注重应用，对积极参与研究的学生的重视较少。此外，有些研究生项目要求完成应用实习。你应该直接咨询项目，了解具体的学位要求和完成项目所需的时间。有关任何I-O研究生项目的详细信息，你应该查阅SIOP网站上的研究生培训页面。
理想情况下，你应该在申请之前完成与你兴趣领域相关的课程，以便这些信息包含在你的成绩单上。特别是，统计学和实验室课程的成绩对于研究生项目的录取通常至关重要。不要过于担心缺乏I-O课程。许多本科院校不提供I-O课程。你不能选择没有提供的课程。许多研究生项目不会对此给予太多重视。相反，他们通常更感兴趣的是你为何有兴趣在该领域追求高级学位。这可以在你的个人陈述中解决。当然，总体平均成绩（GPA）高是可取的，心理学课程的GPA高也是。此外，加入荣誉社团如Psi Chi和Phi Beta Kappa反映了强大的学术背景。
对于Ph.D.项目，研究生入学考试（GRE）的分数是你申请中特别重要的部分。对I-O研究生项目录取学生的GRE分数的粗略审查表明，500分或更高的语言分数和600分的定量分数是常见的。与任何此类测试一样，准备起着重要作用。你应该通过参加模拟考试和熟悉考试内容、题型和指令集来准备考试。许多公司提供此类辅导和考试准备服务。然而，这些服务通常相当昂贵，可能不是每个人都需要的。重要的是，GRE分数是你申请中值得注意的部分，但它们不是项目用来做出录取决定的唯一标准。
推荐信是你申请的关键组成部分，你应该谨慎选择你的推荐人。大多数项目要求你从3或4位熟悉你近期学术表现和未来学术潜力的人那里征求推荐信。理想情况下，你的推荐人应该是与你有持续、个人互动的教职员工。你希望你的推荐人能够评论你所拥有的具体技能和能力。这些通常是诸如口头和书面沟通技能、定量能力、成熟度、创造力、与他人良好合作的能力、研究生学习的动机以及其他研究技能等特征。此外，推荐人通常被要求将申请人相对于他们观察到的其他学生进行排名，以及关于申请人在研究生项目中成功能力的评估。显然，你的推荐人越了解你，他或她的推荐信就越具体和明确。如果你的推荐人是你上过大课的人，只知道你在课程中的表现，那么为你写的推荐信将无法提供关于你能力的详细信息。
通过参与独立研究项目或荣誉论文，建立与潜在推荐人的关系是一个很好的方式。如果你的学校提供与正在进行研究的教职员工一起获得独立学习学分的选项，你应该确保利用这些机会。你在本科生涯中越早参与这些机会，你的推荐人在提交申请时拥有的信息就越多。除了为教职员工提供了解你的机会外，这些经历也有益，因为你可能会与当前的研究生互动，从而收集一些有价值的第一手研究生信息。
当你开始整理你的申请材料时，想想你在纸上的形象。如果你进行一个公正、冷静的自我评估，你会更好地了解哪些项目最适合你。记住，你随申请提交的内容是项目教职员工了解你的全部信息。如果你的申请中有特定元素低于项目规定的标准（例如，低GPA，低GRE分数），你应该确保说明为什么这些数据不能准确反映你的技能、能力或动机。你的推荐人也可能对与你的学术成就或潜力不一致的信息发表评论。
你的个人陈述也应该说明你为什么有兴趣追求特定学位，更重要的是，为什么你认为你申请的项目将为你的能力和兴趣提供良好的契合。通过将你的信件针对特定学校，你传达了你已经花时间考虑自己最适合哪里。特别是在Ph.D.项目中，教职员工对具有互补兴趣以及整体学术潜力的学生感兴趣。
一些其他一般建议：
与你本科院校的教职员工讨论你的职业兴趣。这些人不仅可以提供与你的职业计划直接相关的指导，还可以提供关于你在各种项目中可能的录取机会的坦率反馈，并帮助你定位提供最佳机会的项目。
花时间起草你的个人陈述。这真的是你向申请的项目直接提供关于你自己信息的唯一机会。你应该确保传达你对该领域的兴趣以及它们是如何发展起来的。大多数申请研究生院的人没有具体的、具体的职业目标（例如，学术职业与应用职业）或明确定义的研究兴趣。另一方面，你要避免表明完全没有方向或兴趣的陈述。相反，你的陈述可能表明一般感兴趣的领域（例如，选拔、培训、动机或领导力）以及你认为哪个项目的教职员工的研究最吸引你。最重要的是，确保你从几个人那里征求关于你的个人陈述的反馈，以便它是清晰、逻辑的，并且没有排版或语法错误。
如果你有兴趣了解更多关于I-O心理学的各种子学科，有几个来源可以咨询。首先，你可能希望查阅许多可用的I-O入门教材。如果你的大学书店没有这些书名，你应该咨询你的图书馆。你也可以通过搜索工业心理学的标题，在许多不同的大型书店网站上在线找到这些教材。另一个关于I-O心理学家通常研究的主题的优秀信息来源是学术期刊。特别是，《应用心理学杂志》和《人事心理学》是发表I-O研究的渠道。
对于博士项目，与教职员工直接进行研究经验是一项宝贵的资产。研究的实际内容和实质性领域不那么重要。
联系你计划申请的项目中的当前学生。学生可以提供不一定出现在纸上的研究生项目的详细信息。
申请研究生项目可能有些成本。大多数项目都有录取费用，如果你申请几个项目，这些费用会迅速累积。有些项目为一些经济困难的个人提供免除费用的选项。如果这适用于你，请确保与每个项目核实如何请求这种安排。
这是一篇比较旧的，寄托的某位童鞋转载SIOP（www.siop.org）的文章
If you are consideringpursuing a career in industrial and organizational (I-O) psychology, you shouldbegin thinking about graduate study as early as possible in your undergraduatecareer. Graduate programs offer a variety of advanced degrees in I-O includingMaster of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), orDoctor of Psychology (Psy.D.). Academic requirements vary across the differentdegree programs, the time taken to complete programs differs, and each preparesyou for a potentially different type of career in the field. Although youshould consult the requirements and unique features of each program in whichyou are interested, there are some general characteristics that differentiatethe degrees. The Ph.D. degree requires the completion of a dissertation andmany programs that offer doctoral education also require that students completea Masters Thesis prior to pursuing the dissertation. As a result, studentscompleting Ph.D. programs often earn either the M.A. or M.S. as part of therequirements for completing the Ph.D. Doctoral programs are often distinguishedby the requirement that students are actively involved in research projectsthroughout their tenure in the program. In contrast, some programs offer onlyan M.A or M.S. Programs of this type may or may not require students tocomplete a thesis or research in addition to coursework. Programs that offerthe Psy.D. generally have a much more applied focus and less emphasis is placedon active student involvement in research. Additionally, some graduate programsrequire the completion of an applied internship. You should always directlyconsult a program to learn about specific degree requirements and time tocomplete the program. For specific information about any I-O graduate program,you should consult the Graduate Training page on the SIOP Web site.
Ideally, you should have completed courses related toyour area(s) of interest prior to applying so that this information is includedon your transcript. In particular, grades in statistics and lab courses areoften crucial for admission to graduate programs. Dont be overly concernedabout a lack of courses in I-O. Many undergraduate institutions do not offerI-O courses. You cant take what is not offered. Many graduate programs will notplace too much weight on this. Instead, they are generally more interested inwhy you are interested in pursuing an advanced degree in the field. This can beaddressed in your personal statement. Certainly, a high overall grade pointaverage (GPA) is desirable, as well as a high GPA in your Psychology courses.In addition, induction and participation in honorary societies such as Psi Chiand Phi Beta Kappa reflect strong academic credentials.
For Ph.D. programs, scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are aparticularly important element of your application. A cursory review of GREscores of admitted students in in I-O graduate programs suggests that verbalscores of 500 or greater and quantitative scores of 600 are better are common.As with any test of this type, preparation plays an important role. You shouldprepare for the test by taking practice exams and getting familiar with theexam content, item type, and the instruction sets. A number of companies offersuch coaching and test preparation. These services however, often can be quiteexpensive and may not be necessary for everyone. Importantly, GRE scores are anotable part of your application, but they are not the only criterion thatprograms use to make admission decisions.
Letters of recommendation are a critical component of your application and youshould choose your letter writers carefully. Most programs require that yousolicit letters from 3 or 4 individuals who are familiar with your recentacademic performance and future academic potential. Ideally, your letter writersshould be faculty members who have interacted with you on a consistent,personal basis. You want your letter writers to be able to comment on specificskills and abilities you possess. Often these are characteristics such as: oraland written communication skills, quantitative ability, maturity, creativity,ability to work well with others, motivation for graduate study, and otherresearch skills. In addition, letter writers are often asked to rank theapplicant relative to other students they have observed and about theapplicants ability to succeed in graduate programs. Obviously, the better yourletter writer knows you, the more specific and explicit his or her letter canbe. If your letter writer is someone with whom you took a large course and onlyknows how you performed in the course, the letter written on your behalf willnot be able to provide detailed information about your abilities.
A great way of building relationships with prospective letter writers isthrough work on independent research projects or honors theses. If your schooloffers options for taking independent study credits with faculty members whoare conducting research, you should be certain to take advantage of theseopportunities. The sooner in your undergraduate career you can take part inthese opportunities, the more information your letter writer will have when yousubmit your application. In addition to providing opportunities for facultymembers to get to know you, these experiences are also beneficial because youmay interact with current graduate students and, thus, collect some valuablefirst-hand graduate information.
When you begin assembling your application materials, think about what you looklike on paper. You will have a better idea of the programs for which you have thebest fit if you make an unbiased, dispassionate self-appraisal. Remember, whatyou submit with your application is all that the program faculty will haveabout you. If there are particular elements of your application that are belowa programs stated criteria (e.g., low GPA, low GRE scores), you should becertain to indicate why these data do not accurately reflect your skills,abilities, or motivation. Your letter writers may also comment on informationthey feel is not consistent with your academic achievement or potential.
Your personal statement should also indicate why you are interested in pursuinga particular degree and, even more importantly, why you think the program towhich you are applying will provide a good fit for your abilities and interests.By tailoring your letter to a particular school, you convey that you have takenthe time to consider where you fit best. Particularly in Ph.D. programs,faculty members are interested in students who are complementary interests aswell as overall academic potential.
Some other general advice:
Talk with faculty members at your undergraduate institution about your careerinterests. Not only can these individuals offer direct guidance related to yourcareer plans, but also they can provide frank feedback about your probablechance of admission at various programs and assist you in targeting programsthat provide you with the best opportunities.
Take time drafting your personal statement. This is really your onlyopportunity to provide the programs to which you are applying directinformation about yourself. You should be certain to convey your interests inthe field and how they developed. Most individuals applying graduate school donot have specific, concrete career objectives (e.g., an academic v. appliedcareer) or well-defined research interests. On the other hand, you want toavoid statements that would indicate absolutely no direction or interests.Instead, your statement may indicate general areas of interest (e.g.,selection, training, motivation, or leadership) and an idea about which of theprograms faculty members research is of most interest to you. Above all, makesure that you solicit feedback about your personal statement from severalindividuals so that is clear, logical, and free of typographical or grammaticalerrors.
There are several sources to consult if you are interested in learning moreabout the various sub disciplines of I-O psychology. First, you may wish toconsult one of the many available introductory I-O texts. If your universitybook store does not carry these titles, you should consult your library. Youcan also find texts online at a number of different large, bookstore Web sitesby searching for the title industrial psychology. Another excellent source ofinformation about the topics commonly studied by I-O psychologists is academicjournals. In particular, the Journal of Applied Psychology and PersonnelPsychology are outlets that publish I-O research.
For doctoral programs, direct research experience with a faculty member is avaluable commodity. The actual content and substantive area of the research isof less concern.
Contact current students in the programs to which you plan to apply. Studentscan provide detailed information about graduate programs that does not necessarilyappear on paper.
Applying to graduate programs can be somewhat costly. Most programs haveadmission fees and if you apply to several programs, those fees can quicklyaccrue. Some programs offer to waive the fee for some individuals with economichardships. If this applies to you, be certain to check with each program abouthow to request this accommodation.
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申请案例
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2012-03-24
