Industrial psychologists apply the principles of psychology to the workplace.

"Interestingly, I got into this field by having bad jobs," says Steve Kozlowski, former president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and a psychology professor at Michigan State University. He had dropped out of college and got a job on the assembly line at a factory. "I ran a machine. The work was monotonous, dangerous, didn’t pay well, and it didn’t have to be that bad."

When asked about his entry into the field, Mark Poteet, president of Organizational Research & Solutions Inc., says, "I’ve always found a natural interest in people – why do people do what they do – but I’ve also always had an interest in business, commerce and finance." He started asking himself questions like, "what makes employees more productive?" and "what makes leaders more effective?"

And these are just some of the questions that industrial psychology addresses. Poteet describes the profession as "a natural marriage between psychology and business."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5.9% employment growth for industrial psychologists between 2022 and 2032. In that period, an estimated 600 jobs should open up.

To enter the field of industrial psychology, a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology, known as I/O or IOP, is required. According to Poteet, a master’s degree gives you a somewhat narrow breadth of training in the field. A doctoral degree gives you a broader education and allows you access to academic, research and scientific jobs that aren’t open to candidates with just a master’s degree.