San Diego State University

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San Diego State University Organizational Psychology Programs

San Diego State University appears in our ranking of the Top 15 Industrial/Organizational Certificate Programs.

Students who want to study organizational psychology at San Diego State University may choose from:

  • a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with an emphasis in Industrial & Organizational Psychology
  • a minor with a track in industrial/organizational psychology
  • a Master of Science in Applied Psychology with an emphasis in Industrial/Organizational

Students who choose the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology must prepare for entry into the major program by completing several course requirements. Classes required include:

  • Intro to Psychology
  • Academic and Career Opportunities in Psychology
  • Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

Students will also take:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Data Analysis in Psychology
  • Statistical Methods in Psychology

For the I/O emphasis, students will take 21 units from a selection of several courses. Required classes in the emphasis include:

  • Personnel and Industrial Psychology
  • Organizational Psychology
  • Psychological Testing and Measurement

Students can also choose a variety of electives with the requirement of five or six additional units of any upper-division psychology classes.

There are three minors in psychology offered at San Diego State University. Students will choose the industrial/organizational route that requires completion of 19 units. To earn a minor in psychology with an I/O emphasis, students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or better. At least six units in the minor must be completed at San Diego State University and cannot be transferred into the program.

The final option for students interested in industrial and organizational psychology is the Master of Science in Applied Psychology. It prepares students for entry into the workforce or for study at the Ph.D. level. Most students who graduate from the program accept jobs in private, public, or non-profit field settings. Some students continue their studies in doctoral programs.

The program features a supervised internship in a field setting where students collaborate with psychologists and people working in the field. The university encourages people to learn about the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology when setting up an internship and looking for work after graduation.

Program requirements of the graduate degree include core classes like Research Orientation and Advanced Statistics, as well as major-specific courses like Seminar in Personnel Psychology and Seminar in Organizational Psychology. Students will need to complete 38 units to earn their Master of Science degree.

About San Diego State University

San Diego State University is one of the 23 schools in the California State University system. The university was founded in 1897 and was called the San Diego Normal School. The institution has around 35,000 students attending and has more than 280,000 alumni. The campus in San Diego covers 283 acres. The institution is also a space-grant university with high research activity.

The university provides significant economic value to the local economy in San Diego, with an impact of more than $2.4 billion each year. The school’s official colors are scarlet and black. From its graduates, the university has seen more than 60 Fulbright scholars and is only behind UC Berkeley in that number. The university is also ethnically and racially diverse and awards a significant number of degrees on minority students.

San Diego State University Accreditation Details

San Diego State University is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission. This accreditation is for the entire university. The university is also a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the American Association of State Colleges.

More than a dozen programs are also accredited by various agencies. Commissions and organizations that have accredited programs at the school include:

  • the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education
  • the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
  • the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
  • the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy
  • the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.

San Diego State University Application Requirements

Students must complete a series of required high school courses prior to gaining acceptance to San Diego State University. Applicants must also meet the minimum threshold for acceptance with a GPA and standardized test score that meets the university’s eligibility index. Applications are major-specific, so students can’t change their major once they’ve applied. Majors who must submit additional application materials include:

  • Dance
  • music
  • nursing
  • theatre arts

Students who want to apply to San Diego State University as graduate students must also meet the university’s minimum application requirements. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university before enrolling. Students should examine the university’s graduate bulletin for details on unique application requirements for specific programs.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition for undergraduate classes at San Diego State University is $7,510. Non-residents will pay extra non-resident tuition of $11,880. The university expects that housing and food will add $17,752. Students may also need to budget for additional expenses like:

  • transportation
  • books
  • supplies
  • miscellaneous purchases

The total cost for California residents is estimated at $30,552 and is estimated at $42,402 for non-residents.

Graduate students who enroll at San Diego State University will pay tuition and fees of $8,944. Non-residents will also pay additional non-resident tuition of $7,128. The university expects living expenses to cost $15,025 per year and other expenses like books and supplies and personal expenses to cost $5,989 per year. The total estimated cost of attendance is $29,958 for California residents and $37,086 for non-residents.

Students must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) when they apply to San Diego State University if they want to receive financial aid. Students can contact the university’s Office of Financial Aid for counseling and help navigating the financial aid application process. There are special application procedures for some students like:

  • veterans
  • foster youth
  • joint doctoral students

Students may qualify for a variety of external scholarships when they apply to San Diego State University, like those from:

  • the American Association of Japanese University Women
  • the California Chicano News Media Association
  • the Health Professions Education Foundation
  • the National Military Family Association

Students can perform searches on the San Diego State University website for institutional and outside scholarships.

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