Chapter 2 Doctoral Student Selection

We wanted a semi-structured process for selecting incoming I/O doctoral students above and beyond GPA, GRE, and letter/resume. This is currently envisioned as a two-tiered process with the first phase consisting of a standard I/O Psychology PhD student selection process, and a second phase that will implement additional predictors.

This two-phase process recommendation is made in primary consideration of the MSU I/O PhD applicant pool. With additional predictors above and beyond the typical, at nascent stages of program development, the concern was that additional application hurdles would limit the size of our applicant pool.

The recommended Phase I application materials are therefore:

• GRE
• Undergraduate GPA
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Statement of interest
• Transcript
• Resume

This foundation of predictors can be expanded upon once the MSU I/O Program PhD attains a level of establishment or otherwise has proven a robust annual applicant pool (a minimum of 35 completed applications).

Furthermore, a scoring rubric is recommended - this would need to be developed and agreed upon, and would consist of a scoring system for each predictor (e.g., a conference presentation on the resume = 2 points) as well as a weighting algorithm across predictors.

The primary identified KSAs that can be extracted from these standard predictors are:

• General cognitive ability
  • GRE
  • Undergraduate GPA
• Motivation
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Statement of interest
• Knowledge
  • Transcript
  • Undergraduate GPA

2.1 Additional KSAs

Phase II selection materials may be be found or developed based on the KSAs presented here. The intent is for this list to expand - ideally being informed, in part, by information gleaned from current PhD students.

KSAs to consider in making Phase II admissions decisions:

• psychology knowledge
• conceptual skills
• learning orientation
• writing skills
• Research experience
• Recommended minimum GPA (3.6)
• Internal locus of control
• Humility with mistakes

Additionally, there was a recommendation to maybe go back to the PAD and extract constructs from there

Measure	Minimum	Future	Notes
Purpose Statement	Qualitative	Develop scoring rubric?
Research Experience	Qualitative	Develop scoring rubric?
Letters of Recommendation	Qualitative	Develop scoring rubric?
Undergraduate GPA	3.6		Likely too much inflation to place emphasis on graduate GPA for post-masters’ applicants
GRE Verbal	50th %ile		50th a placeholder
GRE Quantitative	50th %ile		50th a placeholder
Locus of Control		Internally developed measure	Anything beyond typical application materials will likely reduce our applicant pool
Humility with Mistakes		Internally developed measure	Anything beyond typical application materials will likely reduce our applicant pool
Interview	Qualitative	Develop scoring rubric?	Anything beyond typical application materials will likely reduce our applicant pool

2.1.1 Methods of assessing

One thought is a semi-structured interview where they demonstrate:

1. their knowledge of psychology or I/O topics (e.g., how would you apply a leadership theory to X, explain to us one I/O research finding, what one psychology theory would you use to explain human behavior at work, etc…), and
2. efforts they have made to learn more about a complex topic in our field. These would address the psychology knowledge and learning orientation/motivation KSAs.

Another possibility is having them submit a writing sample in response to several targeted prompts (e.g., formulate a motivational hypothesis; formulate a plan for running a statistical test; articulate an interesting research question blending current workplace issues and pre-existing empirical evidence).

2.2 Selection Process

The second piece of the selection process is the procedural. Should we review everyone as a group and approve followed by individual interviews? Or should it just be a group decision and then we give accepted students one year to find a good fit with one of us as a research advisor?

Here are a few other general overviews of how other programs select their students

• Jackson State
• Portland State
• Chatanooga

The program will be a Fall-only admission to create a seasonal basis for enrollment evaluation, offer latitude in selection (by restricting the start date we have more students apply at once), and help us administratively monitor the process. Most importantly, this offers flexibility in balancing course offerings across the Masters and PhD programs.

2.2.1 Minimum standards

The application process to the traditional PhD program in I/O psychology will follow a two-tiered system. The first tier will be a compensatory cutoff where students must submit the following materials and meet the following recommended standards:

1. Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.40
   • OR a major GPA of at least 3.60 (to offset low grades due to difficult courses)¹
   • We are looking for strong GPA commensurate with background courses.
2. GRE
   • Quantitative (50th %ile or greater)
   • Verbal (50th %ile or greater)²
3. Three letters of recommendation
   • preference given to academic recommendations
4. Writing sample
   • preference given to scientific/scholarly writing style
5. Personal statement
   • clear articulation of educational and professional goals
   • learning objectives
   • research interests and experience
   • long-term professional objectives.

We are setting recommended minimum criteria at the program’s onset to maximize applicant numbers and alter as necessary. This will also allow more holistic assessment of applicant potential based upon personal statement, program fit, background, and various other markers of potential to succeed. Such standards are flexible and can be adjusted as needed.

2.2.2 Beyond minimum qualifications

During the second tier of the selection process, a short-list of top candidates will be administered a structured interview to assess their program understanding, research interests, and skill in research methods, study design, and general research conceptualization. This will help us make final decisions by further differentiating applicants. We will concurrently validate this tool using current graduate students to ensure it effectively forecasts graduate school performance.

Note. Mabye organize these subsections by track (data science, standard, business)

We have adapted a slightly different set of criteria for those applying to the Data Science specialization to ensure they can handle course content. In collaboration with Computer Science, we have agreed to the following set of recommended pre-requisites that can be fulfilled at the undergraduate level or through a pre-approved online course sequence:

Have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 or a major GPA of at least 3.20 (to offset low grades due to difficult courses). Or, if they are a recent I/O masters graduate or current I/O masters student, have a GPA of 3.5.

Preferable to have a BA, BS, or a minor in computer science, mathematics, or commensurate STEM discipline. Provide evidence of technical skills, technological problem solving, or programming experience.

Preferable if they have taken calculus, statistics, and an introductory computer science course, and received a B or higher in each course. If not calculus (or pre-calculus), it is acceptable to have taken discrete mathematical structures or a mathematical logic/set theory course. Approved online equivalents (e.g., MOOCs) are acceptable.

Preference will be given to students who have completed undergraduate courses in an introductory social science course (e.g., intro psychology, intro to sociology), an Industrial-Organizational course, and Research Methods. Approved online equivalents (MOOC) are acceptable.

Preference for students scoring above average on both the verbal and quantitative GRE sub-tests.

Submit three letters of recommendation.

Submit a writing sample that demonstrates to the department the student can write in a scientific and scholarly manner.

Submit a personal statement that clearly articulates educational and professional goals. The personal statement should explain the applicant’s reasons for applying, his/her learning objectives, research interests and experience and long-term professional objectives.

For students entering without suggested computer science pre-requisites, the Computer Science department offers two courses to rectify deficiencies in programming and data structures. These can be taken across their first year or in advance of admittance. The first is an introduction to Java programming along with designing algorithms and numerical computing (CSIT 501 Java Programming) and the second is an introduction to the design and analysis of computer data structures (CSIT 503 Data Structure). Student’s lacking background in hard sciences, mathematics, computer science, or programming will be required to complete each course outsidethe program’s required 79 credits (see advanced electives below).

The program will also adopt a matriculation process so anyone entering the MA program could advance into the PhD program if (a) they attain top-tier grades, (b) demonstrate research aptitude in coursework, (c) complete an applied research project (or thesis) as a capstone project, (d) secure sponsorship from a primary faculty member, and (e) show active involvement in the program per annual reviews. This offers (a) lagging students a leg-up to enter the PhD program if they demonstrate competence, and (b) MA students who show aptitude for a PhD but perhaps never contemplated it due to lack of mentorship at the undergraduate level. Students from the MA can apply for the PhD program to be considered for entrance into the doctoral program and have their MA courses count towards the PhD requirements as the two programs overlap in courses for the first two years. This enables us to recruit the top talent from our MA program and encourages multiple entry points into the doctorate program for individual at varying levels in their career or development. At the same time, due to low selection ratios, we will stress acceptance into the PhD is not guaranteed and will remain competitive.

2.3 Waiving MA Credit

Over time make lists of which schools we accept pull credits from…

If the syllabus matches at a similar level of rigor and content, then it counts toward the MSU PhD.

In accordance with the Graduate School, students who have taken graduate work or completed a MA at a regionally accredited institution in psychology, organizational psychology, business administration, data science, or a related field may be allowed to waive up to 24 graduate credits. Eligible courses for waiver typically include the core I/O Psychology courses (currently 22 credits), methods/stats (15 credits), and, if completed and presented an original empirical project at a prior institution, the I/O Research Seminars (6 credits).

To qualify for waiver, the following criteria apply: an official transcript for desired transfer courses, equivalence to the MSU I/O courses and/or thesis project, a grade earned of “B” or higher, course taken within 10 years prior to matriculation, and the Doctoral Program Director approves the waiver. Any waiver petitions should be submitted alongside materials submitted during application to the doctoral program. Waivers will not be awarded for courses that were used within another MSU degree program.

The number of courses that may be waived is determined on a case-by-case basis by the Graduate School, I/O Program, and student’s assigned advisor. Although the department will help students with general questions about these issues, we will only conduct formal/binding reviews of course waivers until after the student has passed initial hurdles to be considered a viable applicant for acceptance into the program.It is anticipated no students will be eligible to transfer directly into doctoral candidacy; rather, most will need to complete a portion of MSU’s core I/O Psychology courses, an original thesis or IO research seminars, and pass qualifying exams before advancing.

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1. Or, if they are a recent I/O masters graduate or current I/O masters student, have a GPA of at least 3.5 or greater to reflect ability to handle graduate-level work. If they do not have a BA or BS in Psychology, course work will be individually reviewed for eligibility. Preference will be given to students with an introduction to social science course (e.g., intro to psychology, intro to sociology), I/O Psychology course, statistics (of any discipline), and a research methods course.↩︎

2. Submission of a general GRE score. The mean GRE cutoff for all I/O Psychology doctoral programs is around the 63rd percentile (see Tett et al., 2011), hence preference will be given to students scoring above average on both the verbal and quantitative sub-tests.↩︎