Organizational Consulting Courses

Note: PSYC 670 is a prerequisite for the other I/O Courses. Not all courses are offered every semester, and new courses may be added at any time. Check the schedule of classes, for the latest offerings.

Required Courses

PSYC 670: Industrial/Organizational Psychology

This course covers a general survey of industrial psychology, including such topics as personnel selection and evaluation, job satisfaction, environmental factors, and current research on individual behavior in complex organizations.

*Note that this course serves as a pre- or co-requisite for all M.P.S.: I/O Psychology courses.
Starting Fall 2024, this course may be taken at either the UMBC-Shady Grove Campus in Rockville, MD or the UMBC Campus in Catonsville, MD.

PSYC 690: Practicum

The Practicum for I/O Psychology is a specialty course offering within the UMBC I/O program. The overall goal is to provide students with an opportunity to accrue applied experience in the fields of I/O or HR under the mentorship of an I/O or HR executive or highly accomplished and degreed professional. The Practicum context must be carefully selected a priori in order to provide a meaningful experience that is worthy of the three academic credits in the program. This will include an assignment consisting of 16-20 hours per week. This course is graded as Pass/Fail.

Elective Courses – Choose One

PSYC 624: Consulting for I/O Psychology

This course examines the roles, functions, and processes used by human capital consultants to solve organizational problems. Students will acquire a broad perspective of internal and external consulting practices and experiences in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology. Active learning techniques will be used to introduce soft skills such as communication and conflict resolution as well as processes in business development and project management.

Prerequisite: PSYC 670, second year standing, and consent of instructor

LAPT/EDUC 648: Consulting for Learning and Performance Technology

Online (Spring only)

Students examine the various roles, functions, skills and knowledge needed of internal and external consultants to help solve human performance problems.

Prerequisite: LAPT/EDUC 602 and consent of department.

Elective Course – Choose One

PSYC 682: Change Management

This course is an integrated approach to large-scale change in organizations. Change is analyzed from three levels: top management, where leadership and vision are critical, middle management, where implementation is the focus, and lower levels where receptivity and upward influence are the emphases. Cases will provide opportunities to develop diagnostics skills and intervention plans, while experiential learning and a team project is used to develop a tool box of specific intervention technique and skills.

Prerequisite: PSYC 670

PSYC 689: Strategic Planning

This course introduces students to the theories, tools, and processes for strategic planning. The course is highly applied and will provide students the opportunity to plan, conduct, and finalize a strategic plan for an actual organization. This will include preparing interview/focus group protocols, researching industry trends, reviewing historical documents, and conducting interviews/focus groups with an actual client and their leadership team. The final project for this class will be a presentation of the strategic plan to the organization’s leadership.

Prerequisite: PSYC 670

Looking for more info?