Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology: Curriculum

*** Admissions Status *** 

For all Fall 2012 applicants, please be aware that due to the small nature of our program, we must send out multiple waves of acceptances and rejections.  Our initial waves are scheduled to be sent by the end of February, with subsequent waves throughout the month of March.  However in order to allow the last decisions to go out we must hear back.  If you have not received word of your decision, you’re application is still live (including those who have not heard by April 15th).  Please check back with us on 4/22.

Fall 2012 I/O applicants must complete the supplemental case study for Medtronic, Inc. Scroll down this page for this information, or click here

For general information about the program please view this informational brochure

Formal requirements for the MA degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology include the satisfactory completion of 36 points (i.e., credits).  At least 24 of those credits must be taken in the Graduate School of Arts & Science at NYU, and at least 21 must be in the Psychology Department.  One consequence of these restrictions is that no more than 12 credits can be transferred in from another university.

In addition, (1) all core courses must be taken at NYU in the Psychology Department, and (2) students must earn a grade of at least B in all core courses.

All of the courses in the M.A. program are 3 points each, so 12 courses must be taken. Students may take anywhere between one and three courses each semester. The program is expected to take two years to complete in most cases, but can be completed a little sooner for full-time students (especially if some courses are taken during the summer session), or somewhat later for those working full-time. A student who has completed all course work, but must stay enrolled to take the comprehensive examination or complete a thesis, must pay a matriculation fee each semester until graduation. A maximum of five years from the date of first registration is allowed for completing the degree.

Basic course requirements (all of the following are required for all students, and must be completed within the first two semesters of the M.A. program):

Introductory Course: G89.2032 Intro to I/O Psychology. Only if a student has taken a very similar, graduate-level course at another institution can this requirement be waived.

Statistics: G89.2016 Master's Statistics. In special cases, G89.1016 (Introductory) or a doctoral course may be substituted.

Research: G89.2067 Applied Research Methods. In special cases, another research course may be substituted.

Core Course requirements (two courses must be taken from each core):

The above requirements allow for five elective courses, which can be taken from the general program (e.g., Psychology of Social Behavior; Introduction to Psychological Testing), other divisions of NYU (e.g., graduate-level Economics; Stern School of Business-MBA program), or other universities (a limit of 9 credits can be transferred from graduate programs at other institutions). Courses taken outside of the psychology department must have some psychological content, and be approved by an adviser. Elective credits can also be taken in the form of non-classroom courses, such as Fieldwork, Independent Research, and MA Thesis Seminar. Although Fieldwork (generally, an unpaid internship in an HR department or consulting firm) is not required, it is strongly recommended for students who enter the program without relevant work experience.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM / M.A. THESIS REQUIREMENT

All students must either pass the comprehensive exam, or write an acceptable M.A. thesis.

The Comprehensive Exam: This is a three-hour written test that is given three times each year: October, February, and June. The questions are integrative in nature and are randomly selected from a large study list that is available to all students at any time. Except for rare exceptions, a student must have completed all of the basic and core requirements, as outlined above, before sitting for the exam.

MA Thesis: As an alternative to the comprehensive exam, a student may seek permission to write an M.A. thesis. To be eligible to write a thesis, a student must have passed all of the basic and core requirements with at least a B+ average, and have secured the sponsorship of a full-time faculty member (in consultation with the MA director). In general, an MA thesis does not require that the student perform original or independent research, but that the student make an original contribution to the research of his/her sponsor.

Supplemental Application Question:  I/O Psychology MA Program (Required for all applicants)

**Note: Below is the required case study question for the Fall, 2012 application cycle. Responses to previous case study questions for other semesters will not be accepted. Fall, 2012 applicants must submit an essay about the Medtronic, Inc. case.

Instructions:
The I/O Psychology MA Program requires a writing sample essay. This is a business case analysis that asks you to write about the company, Medtronic, Inc. from an I/O Psychology perspective.  Describe how your personal strengths, challenges, goals, and achievements would help you provide a consultative perspective to such a human capital related real-world business case.

The Case
Medtronic is the world’s largest medical technology company focused on research and manufacture of medical products to alleviate pain, restore health and extend life (http://www.medtronic.com).

Overall, Medtronic’s earnings are reported to be up, and Omar Ishrak, the new chief executive officer plans to revive the company’s growth by expanding it internationally and improving returns from research spending while exploring smaller acquisitions. However, risks and potential problems face Medtronic.

Medtronic’s product Infuse is a bioengineered material used primarily in spinal fusions, a surgical procedure to reduce back pain. Patient concerns about Infuse began several years ago and have been the subject of U.S. government investigative hearings. In June, 2011 The Spine Journal charged that researchers sponsored by Medtronic had generated misleading studies about the product that overstated its benefits and asserted that it did not pose risks. Side effects associated with Infuse have been reported to include infection, bone loss, unwanted bone growth and male sterility.  Responding to the accusations, Ishrak has offered a $2.5 million grant to Yale University to oversee a complete review of the study data that examined the product’s safety and effectiveness.

Particularly in the medical industry, where safety and quality are critical, these events could be perceived to be a serious threat to Medtronic’s brand. Yet, all medical treatments have some potential for healing as well as harming patients. 

Recently, a stronger version of Infuse called Amplify, was recently rejected for approval by the Food and Drug Administration because of concerns about possible cancer risks.  Industry analysts have speculated that sales of Infuse have dropped since The Spine Journal published its special issue.

The potential impact from these challenges could be far-fledged impacting staff personally, group research and production processes, and the overall health and well-being of the firm to be able to compete and survive if Medtronic comes to be viewed as creating cutting-edge treatments, which may or may not be safe beyond a reasonable doubt.

These developments will require specific interventions for which I/O Psychologists could provide assistance and solutions. For example, Medtronic now could see morale and motivation changes, team dynamics problems, ethical debates, and conflicts across internal departments with competing agendas (e.g., product development, marketing, advertising, finance).

The Medtronic case represents both challenges and opportunities.  One could manage the complexity of issues at three levels: 1) leadership, 2) individuals and their teams, and 3) broader organizational factors like culture, structure, and process. The I/O psychologist will drill down into specifics through investigation, assessment, intervention, and measurement of impact of changes made.

Essay Guidelines:
Write a 1,000 word essay describing how you might use your interests, past experiences, current knowledge, and future I/O studies to help Medtronics.

Specifically, what questions and concerns might you have about Medtronic’s situation and what data would you gather to analyze it, both to understand the problem in greater depth and to inform interventions to resolve the potential human capital issues to move forward? In what ways might the pressures of developing new medical products be unique to Medtronic, vs. similar to pressures commonly faced within the medical product sector?  In what ways might the assessment and proposed solutions need to take into account a company like Medtronic, that operates across different cultures globally?  What benefits could Medtronic gain by your suggested interventions? What risks or downside might occur that need to be managed? What tradeoffs need to be evaluated?  How could you measure if your proposed interventions were to be effective?

From a professional development perspective, what in your previous training, education, and work experience, would help you to investigate, inform, and improve Medtronic’s situation? Why might you be the best candidate to combine your history, personal strengths and skills to be selected amidst competition to earn this assignment? What additional education and professional opportunities from the NYU I/O program specifically would help build your developmental needs or professional challenges in taking on this assignment?

Note:  Your essay must be an original work of your own completion. The document submitted must not exceed 1000 words and the essay must be your writing and ideas. Content beyond the 1000 words will not be considered. You may cite ideas or suggestions researched and paraphrased from other sources that support your ideas. You must indicate in writing the references for these external resources cited. Evidence that essays have quoted sources without references or were written by third parties will result in application rejection. This essay is designed to engage your understanding of models of psychology, business, science, and your professional development goals in the service of applied problem solving.

For further investigation of the Medtronic circumstances and situation, you may find the following sources a good starting point, and accessible at a local university, or public library, or a free connection through the New York Times. You may also use the libraries to identify other articles or written materials that are relevant to informing your thinking about I/O psychology and answer about this case.

Online Resources:

Medtronic Company Information and Recent News Articles:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/medtronic_inc/index.html

Omar Ishrak, Head of Medtronic, Outlines Strategy, August 24, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/business/omar-ishrak-head-of-medtronic-outlines-strategy.html?ref=medtronicinc

Medtronic Giving Yale Grant to Review Infuse Research, August 4, 2011
By BARRY MEIER
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/04/health/04device.html?ref=medtronicinc

In The Spine Journal, Specialists Repudiate Medtronic Research, June 29,2011
By BARRY MEIER and DUFF WILSON
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/business/29spine.html?ref=medtronicinc

Medtronic Bone-Growth Product Under Senate Scrutiny, June 22, 2011
By DUFF WILSON
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/health/22device.html?ref=medtronicinc

Medtronic Bone Product Faces Pressure From U.S., April 12, 2011
By BARRY MEIER and DUFF WILSON
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/business/12device.html?ref=medtronicinc 

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