Personnel Psychology Programs

Personnel psychology is a subspecialty of psychology that makes a science out of studying people at work. There are a number of factors that can influence an employee in the workforce, and more companies are acknowledging the vital help that this psychological discipline can bring to profitability and retention.

Walden University

Featured Programs:
BS in Psychology - Graduate School Prep

Southern New Hampshire University

Featured Programs:
BA in Psychology/Child & Adolescent Development (Online)

Many professionals, who work in personnel psychology, can be found in consulting work, human resources, and behind employee benefit programs. The key is to understand corporate culture and be able to accurately analyze employee behaviors and motivations to improve the performance of the company as a whole and the employee as an individual. If you are attracted to the business world and psychology, this career path is the perfect marriage of the two.

Useful Personnel Psychology Resources

• Old Dominion University: Industrial-Organizational Psychology
• Wiley-Blackwell's Personnel Psychology Journal
• Dr. Russell Dewey, Ph.D, Personnel Psychology

Capella University

Featured Programs:
MS in General Psychology (Online)
MS in Child and Adolescent Development

Post University

Featured Programs:
BA in Psychology (Online)

Personnel Psychology Methods of Operation

If wanting to work in this field, there are a number of methods of operation with which one will need to grow comfortable. Industries and organizations use personnel psychologists for everything from recruitment and performance appraisal to determining what full compensation packages and benefits will be in the largest demand from employees.

The fact that the workplace is a constantly changing environment means that personnel psychologists must be constantly in tune with those changes within a given industry. Learning how to adjust for the professional in this field is as important as it is for the employees or the executive leadership of the company as a whole.

Kaplan University

Featured Programs:
BS Psychology (Online)

Northcentral University

Featured Programs:
MA in Health Psychology (Online)

Careers in Mental Health Administration

This career is often synonymously grouped under the larger "industrial-organizational psychology" umbrella. As such, it is a very lucrative field of practice, and one that can earn a practitioner $100,000 or more annually depending on size of company, experience, and geographic location. As businesses are constantly looking for new ways to expand, the outlook for personnel psychologists has never been better.

Many entering this profession have an entrepreneurial mindset, so it is not uncommon to see private consultancy within the field. If one desires a more stable employment outlook, then many companies are happy to welcome the personnel psychology professional into the fold within the human resources department. Careful, though. Human resources is considered a "non-revenue" department, so when the economy is poor, this department is generally susceptible to cuts.

Chicago School of Professional Psychology

Featured Programs:
MA in Applied Forensic Psychology (Online)

Personnel Psychology Degree Training

If looking to go into this profession, it is recommended that one attains a doctorate degree with heavy coursework on the industrial-organizational side of psychology. Business and marketing classes are also recommended. As for licensing, states set the standards, and widely differ in what they prefer to see from these professionals. Check with the licensing board in your area for full information.