Clinical Psych vs I/O psych

[dvm25]

I am in my 3rd year of undergrad and am looking into masters/Ph D programs.

I am interested mainly in clinical psych and I/O psych. I just am unsure of which I would rather pursue. Is I/O as competitive as clinical programs? What do I/O schools tend to look for in the successful applicant?

If anyone can provide some general insight about I/O, id greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

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[Therapist4Chnge]

They are very different career paths.....what do you want to do as a career?

 

[dvm25]

They are very different career paths.....what do you want to do as a career?

Thats the thing, Im notentirely sure yet. Thats why I was hoping someone could provide me with some info regarding both, but I/O in particular since theredoesnt seem to be as much info on this field.

 

[deleted197895]

MSU (Michigan State University) has a verrrry good I/O Psych program which I'm somewhat familiar with since I went to undergrad there. The city is really good (the kind of city you could raise a family in), people are down to earth, and the training is excellent. A good amount of research and teaching opportunities.

In general, I/O Psych programs are not as competitive as clinical psych programs. Some clinical programs have crazy low acceptance rates. I think even at MSU, the % accepted for the I/O psych program is higher than for the clinical program... but I'm not completely sure on the statistics so don't quote me on that!

 

[ouroboro]

I know a few students who just got MAs in I/O psych... its VERY different from other psychology degrees. You don't need a PhD to do very well in the field which is a crazy great plus if you don't want to be in school for 5+ years. They took classes mostly concerning motivation and leadership and topics like that. They were being groomed to work in HR departments or do private business consulting. There is a lot of money to be had in the field but if you're looking to do anything with people with issues then its not really the route to take. PhDs seem to be mostly for people who want to do I/O research or teach. I'm in no way an expert, that's just what I've picked up from my friends in the field.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I/O work, particularly at the Ph.D. level can be VERY stats and research heavy. I would look carefully at the curriculum of each program you are considering, as they can vary.

 

[IOPsych]

I know a few students who just got MAs in I/O psych... its VERY different from other psychology degrees. You don't need a PhD to do very well in the field which is a crazy great plus if you don't want to be in school for 5+ years. They took classes mostly concerning motivation and leadership and topics like that. They were being groomed to work in HR departments or do private business consulting. There is a lot of money to be had in the field but if you're looking to do anything with people with issues then its not really the route to take. PhDs seem to be mostly for people who want to do I/O research or teach. I'm in no way an expert, that's just what I've picked up from my friends in the field.

while you can become a consultant with a master's in I/O most top consulting firms will not let you deal directly with clients without a PhD (seems to be a credentials issue). While you are right that master's degrees are almost exclusively for people who wish to go applied I would say close to half of people with PhDs in the field also go applied.
I am planning on going applied and am in the process of developing connections to open up my own consulting firm. Another thing you would have an extremely difficult time doing with a master's is opening your own consulting practice as the credentials go a long way in the field.

The top Clinical programs are still more competitive than the top I/O programs, but I think that part (notice part all you clinical folks) of the reason the acceptance rates are so much lower for Clinical programs is because of the wider range of applicants (a lot more unqualified people apply for clinical because everyone knows about it). I/O is still a relatively unknown field by the masses. As others have mentioned decide what you would rather do and apply based upon that. If you want to work on improving organizational functioning and the individuals work/family life and areas similar to that than I/O might be for you. If you are more interested in the clinical side I would say go that way.


And I second therapists point. Statistics is a very important part of I/O (prediction is very important). We have around 20 hours of direct stat work (Methods & Psychometrics) in our program; whereas our Clinical program only has 12 (I believe).