Psy.D. Business Psychology

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CHICAGO•LOS ANGELES AND ORANGE COUNTIES

Doctor of Psychology, Business Psychology

The Business Psychology program trains doctoral-level leaders and applied psychologists for corporate, consulting, and other work settings. The curriculum is a unique blend of clinical and organizational psychology integrated with business courses that prepares Chicago School students to use a multi-disciplinary approach to solve individual, group and organizational problems in business environments. The program combines strategic thinking and psychological practice, as well as leadership and business acumen to help them be more effective in their roles as leaders/consultants.

Students enrolling in the program without a master’s degree are eligible to receive a Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational (I/O) Psychology degree upon the successful completion of 46 credit hours of I/O requirements.

Admission Requirements

Application to The Chicago School’s Business Psychology doctoral program is open to any person who has earned a bachelor or master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in psychology, the behavioral sciences, or management, and who meets other entrance requirements.

The school admits students whom it judges to possess sufficient academic aptitude, as well as the emotional and social maturity to function effectively as a professional psychologist. Applicants will be judged on their overall ability to do graduate work. Factors considered in admission are: GPA from undergraduate and any graduate schools; Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores (Post-Baccalaureate only) (Please note that you must have your official scores sent to The Chicago School–School Code 1119.) or GMAT scores; successful work history; admission essay(s); and letters of recommendation from academic professors or professional or volunteer experience supervisors. Depending on point of entry, an undergraduate or graduate GPA of a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for admission to the school’s Business Psychology doctoral program.

The Business Psychology program requires 12 semester hours of psychology credit, including two specific courses (statistics or quantitative methods and research methods or experimental psychology) that must be completed prior to enrollment, with a grade earned of “C” or better. Based on the evaluation of these materials, selected candidates may be invited to interview for further consideration of their application. Please see the application for detailed instructions and information regarding application requirements, application deadlines, and letters of recommendation. Applications must be submitted with the $50.00 (USD) application fee in order to be evaluated.

TOEFL, International Credentials, and International Students

TOEFL: If English is not the primary language, the student must submit official TOEFL scores with the application (TOEFL School Code: 7161). International students who received a master’s degree from an accredited United States institution are exempt from this requirement.

ELS Educational Services, Inc.: The Chicago School is a cooperative member of ELS Educational Services, Inc. which provides intensive English language programs. Students who have successfully completed ELS course 112 may be considered for admission in lieu of the TOEFL or IELTS.

International credentials: Applicants with international credentials must obtain and submit an official “course-by-course” evaluation through an evaluation agency such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) or Educational Credential Evaluators Inc (www.ece.org). In addition to the agency evaluation, ll official graduate and undergraduate transcripts must be submitted.

International students: International students must have a completed application by the general consideration deadline. This will allow sufficient time to obtain the additional documentation required to study in the United States. In addition, once accepted, international students must supply documentation of financial support showing the ability to finance his or her education at The Chicago School. An I-20 visa will not be issued without this documentation.

Applicant Notification

After the initial review of all application materials, and if the Admission Committee so recommends, the candidate will be invited for an interview day with members of the faculty. Interviews are by invitation only and mandatory for full consideration. Post interview, the candidate will be notified of the Admission Committee’s decision regarding his or her application. The Chicago School does not share information or provide any feedback regarding admission decisions.

If a student is offered admission and in order to secure a place in the incoming class, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $500 will be required by the deposit deadline indicated in the offer of admission. The non-refundable deposit will be applied in full toward the student’s tuition upon enrollment.

Policies

Transfer of Credit

Prior graduate course work, if within the area of study, may be eligible for transfer or waiver of credit. Students accepted to the program may petition by submitting a Transfer of Credit Request Form and all required documentation. The decision to accept transfer credit is solely that of the school, which reserves the right to require satisfactory performance on an examination before awarding a transfer of credit. No credit will be transferred for course work that is more than 10 years old. Transfer of credits is subject to the following conditions:

• Transferred course credit is restricted to graduate level courses from a recognized, regionally accredited graduate degree granting institution.
• Transfer of credit is granted only for courses in which the grade obtained was a “B” of higher. Pass/Fail grades are not eligible.
• Transfer of credit is not granted for internships.
• No credit will be transferred for coursework that is more than 10 years old.
• All coursework being submitted for transfer credit evaluation must have been completed prior to matriculation into The Chicago School.
• For each hour of credit accepted a transfer a fee will be assessed. Please see the tuition and fee page of the TCSPP website.
• A maximum of 37 semester hours of credit for course work completed prior to matriculation at The Chicago School may be transferred. Students transferring more than 21 hours of credit for course work must obtain approval of the Academic Campus Dean.
• For students entering the I/O track with a Masters degree in Psychology, the Behavioral Sciences, or Management (MBA), The Chicago School requires 21 hours in the following foundational IO psychology graduate courses: principles of industrial psychology, selection, two internships courses, performance appraisal, training, and surveys. Students who do not have these prerequisites can complete these courses at The Chicago School
• For students entering the consulting track with a Masters degree in Psychology, the Behavioral Sciences, or Management (MBA),  The Chicago School requires Completion of twelve semester hours of graduate-level psychology credit, including two specific courses (statistics or quantitative methods and research methods or experimental psychology) must be completed prior to enrollment, with a grade earned of “C” or better.

A course that does not meet the specific content requirements of an existing TCSPP elective course may be accepted as transfer credit as an elective if the course supports the required competencies and learning objectives of the program and meets the following conditions:

• The course must meet all other requirements for transfer credit.
• The course must be at the equivalent degree level.
• Approval by the Department Chair for the transfer credit and documentation of this approval is required.

Waiver of Courses

An international student, who has completed a course(s) that, in the judgment of the program director, is equivalent to a required course at The Chicago School, may apply for the course to be waived.

In addition, any student (domestic or international) with previous graduate course work who has already received the maximum transfer credit may request a waiver of additional course work to be completed at The Chicago School.

Students may seek a waiver for a total of 21 credit hours. Those seeking both a waiver and transfer of credit hours may not exceed a total of 37 credit hours. Waiver will not apply to undergraduate courses offered by U.S. educational institutions.

Satisfactory Progress

Matriculated students must be continuously enrolled in the program until graduation unless granted an approved leave of absence. The program requires attendance during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Each student must take a minimum of six semester hours of course work in the fall and spring semesters and three semester hours in the summer semester, unless the student has fewer than the required number of hours of course work remaining or is on an approved leave of absence. Satisfactory progress semester hours do not include waiver or transfer credit hours. A student must maintain satisfactory academic progress by complying with the following requirements:

Credit Hours per Year:

Business Psychology program students must complete at least 15 semester hours of credit each year during fall, spring, and summer semesters.

Program Length

The Business Psychology doctoral program is 3-5 years in length, depending on point of entry (post-bachelor or post-master’s). Students must complete all requirements within 5-7 years, depending again on point of entry.

Writing Assessment and Requirements

Believing that academic preparedness is a key to success in graduate school, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology requires new students to complete its innovative program, Foundations for Scholarship and Practice. This program, offered by the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE), reinforces the skills new students need to achieve their career goals. “Foundations” is an integral part of the first semester’s curriculum and all students are required to complete the program successfully and in a timely manner.

Foundations for Scholarship and Practice consist of three elements:

1. Writing Assessment Process – In this component of “Foundations,” each student writes an essay in response to an assigned question and submits it to CAE for scoring. CAE returns the scored essay with constructive feedback. Based on the student’s performance, the school may waive the Academic Writing Course requirement (#2, below). Essay submission by the given date is considered successful completion of this element of “Foundations.”
2. Academic Writing Course – This online course in professional writing is taken before or during the first semester at The Chicago School. A final grade of “pass” is considered successful completion of this element.
3. Academic Focus Program – Academic Focus is an online, tutorial-driven orientation to graduate academics. A final grade of “pass” is considered successful completion of this element.

Internship Requirements

Students entering the Business Psychology doctoral program post baccalaureate are required to fulfill the following internship requirements. The internship requirements must also be fulfilled by students entering the program post-master’s without previous internship experience.

The director of Business Psychology internships must approve the student’s internship in order for the student to receive credit for training. All sites listed in the Field Placement Database have been previously approved. Students may also develop a site for internship experience. Business Psychology internships should provide the student with a valuable work experience in which he or she will encounter opportunities to develop relevant and transferable skills that can be used to further his or her career. The following guidelines are provided to help one decide whether an internship opportunity meets the school’s guidelines and/or if a current work experience can count toward internship credit.

Time Commitment*: Each of the internships must provide a minimum of (600) 300 hours (for a total of 600 hours of internship experience). During the 15-week fall and spring semesters, students should expect to work approximately 20 hours per week at the site. Internships completed during the eight-week summer term average to about 37.5 hours per week. Internships lasting two full semesters may count for both internship experiences so long as the student meets the 600-hour requirement. If a student is working 30 or more hours per week while on internship, it is strongly suggested that he or she be n the part-time track during that semester.

The internship should coincide with the start and end dates for the semester in which it takes place. If the internship lasts less than 90% of the full length of the semester, the student must obtain permission from the Business Psychology internship director. For the fall and spring semesters, the internship should overlap the term by at least 13.5 weeks. Summer internships should overlap at least 7 weeks of the semester.

Relevance: The internship should involve the student in learning specific, transferable, I/O-relevant or HR-relevant professional skills. Internships involving only clerical work (e.g. photocopying, filing) or professional work of a non-I/O nature (e.g. telephone sales of non-I/O products and services) will not be approved as an internship experience.

Payment: Some but not all Business Psychology internships are paid. Consistent with the mission of school, students are strongly encouraged to consider completing internships in agencies that provide community services or that serve underserved populations. Many of these agencies, unfortunately, do not have the funding that larger and corporate organizations can often provide.

Internship Options

Below are some examples of possible internships that would be approved by the Office of Placement and Training so long as they meet the time and relevance requirements:

• A pre-existing I/O internship
• A pre-existing HR internship
• A current job
• Project work for community service organizations
• Project work for independent employment
• Project work for Business Psychology Consulting Center

Applied Research Project

Students with experience in the field could complete an Applied Research Project (ARP), in place of the Internship requirements. Students who are allowed to complete the ARP will be required to enroll in two courses over the course of their program. A faculty member will approve and supervise the project through these courses. The criteria for entry into these courses would be: three years of post-baccalaureate work, and the student must be working on a project related to the field of IO Psychology. The student must get approval of the Business Psychology Department Chair to enroll in these courses.

Thesis Option

Students may choose to complete a thesis instead of completing one of the internship requirements. The thesis option would be comprised of two courses, Thesis I and Thesis II The student must get approval of the Business Psychology Department Chair to enroll in this course. The student must also select a faculty member to serve as thesis advisor. This faculty member will supervise the thesis.

Policy on Repeating Courses

Business Psychology students may not graduate with a final grade of “C” in a required course. Students who receive a grade of C in a required course must retake the course in which they received the grade of “C” or take a replacement course approved by the I/O and Business Psychology faculty.

Graduation Requirements

All requirements for the Business Psychology Doctoral Program, including the dissertation, are designed to be completed within the designated program length. Program duration may not exceed five-seven years, depending on point of entry. Students must be in good standing in their program for the doctoral degree to be awarded and have completed all of their degree requirements before the degree can be conferred. Students who meet the following requirements are eligible to graduate:

• Satisfactory completion of all program required credit hours
• Cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher
• Satisfactory completion of the Competency Exam
• Successful defense of the dissertation and submission of bindable copy

Upon completion of all requirements and after final grades are posted; a degree audit will be conducted to verify degree completion. The degree is then conferred, posted to the transcript, and a diploma is issued.

Students must complete the online Petition for Program Completion through the Office of Student Services in order to have their degree conferred, diploma issued, and to participate, if desired, in the annual commencement ceremony. The petition must be submitted by the end of the third week of the semester in which a student expects to meet the program requirements for the degree. Students who will complete their requirements in the upcoming summer term, and wish to participate in the annual commencement ceremony must submit the Petition for Program Completion in the spring term by the deadline indicated on the graduation page of the website.

* Detailed information regarding petitioning and commencement can be found on the website

The Program

Philosophy

The Business Psychology program has adopted a distinctive blend of general psychology and business competencies, aimed at supporting the professional in a competitive market that demands both relational and performance success. It provides students with a broad knowledge of clinical and organizational psychology together a foundation in business principles to allow students to address the wide variety of work settings which leaders and consultants encounter.

The I/O Track of the Business Psychology Psy.D. program requires a foundation in the IO psychology discipline. Students develop an understanding of the way a business functions and grows, learn group and organizational processes and dynamics and gain the essential assessment, intervention, and consultative skills to help leaders and organizations solve problems, enhance performance, and manage the complexities of today’s work environment.  

The consulting track requires a master’s degree in psychology or a related area.  This track prepares students to apply the principles of business psychology in consulting environments, helping to improve individual, group, and organizational functioning in both for-profit and nonprofit settings. 

The Business Psychology program prepares students to build their careers and assume professional responsibilities as professional psychologists in the executive ranks, management consulting, strategic HR, and organizational effectiveness positions.

Program Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate comprehension of data and information presented in research articles and ability to pull out relevant information for applied practice.

2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of effective and ethical application of test development, descriptive statistics, data management, basic statistical procedures and program evaluation principles.

3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the role of individual differences in the workplace and the ability to establish and benefit from collaborative professional relationships with others, regardless of differences in background, work roles, and points of view.

4. Students will demonstrate critical evaluation of individual work-related assessment strategies and the ability to design and implement competency-based managerial/leadership assessments

5. Students will be able to collect, interpret and integrate business factors and dynamics that lead to the effective design and delivery of appropriate organizational feedback and interventions.

6. Students will demonstrate sufficient business literacy to effectively assess an organization’s environment (including market conditions, competitive position and options, corporate strategies, stakeholders, organization design and operations) and to appropriately advise the organization on major business initiatives including but not limited to mergers and acquisitions, project management, market repositioning, etc.

7. Students will demonstrate use of open systems thinking and critical analysis to drive problem-solving, planning and facilitation within an organization, with consideration for both business and behavioral perspectives.

8. Students will be able to critically review the work of others, including probing for more information, searching for logic flaws, and the creation of alternative solutions to problems.

9. Students will demonstrate personal integrity and ethical behavior in their professional practice.

10. Students will demonstrate the ability to form effective professional relationships based on attitudes and communication skills that foster respect, trust, open dialogue, and collaboration, regardless of differences in background, education, points of view or position in the organization.

11. Students will demonstrate oral and written communication that is grammatically correct, logical, succinct, consumer-oriented and of professional quality. Students will demonstrate non-defensive, learning-oriented, responses to constructive feedback.

Ethical and Professional Behavior

Business Psychology program students are expected to develop a working knowledge of the ethical and legal issues pertaining to work in the domain of organizational psychology, including, but not limited to, the current APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct for Psychologists; relevant federal, state, and local laws, statutes, regulations, and legal precedents (e.g., the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, 1978); as well as the professional norms, standards, and guidelines relevant to the profession (e.g., Specialty Guidelines for the Delivery of Services by Industrial-Organizational Psychologists, 1981; Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures, 1987; and Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests, 1985).

The Business Psychology Psy.D. Program Competencies

The Business Psychology Psy.D. has identified ten competencies which are demonstrated in four key institutional areas:

Scholarship

Critical Thinking:

• The student is knowledgeable of common thinking fallacies and cognitive biases in evaluation and decision-making situations.
• The student is able to critically review the work of others, actively search for logic flaws, and create alternative suggestions to problems.
• The student appreciates the need to probe for more information when seeking a solution (i.e., will look for root causes rather than surface symptoms).

Research Utilization:

• The student possesses knowledge of descriptive and inferential statistics, data management, and basic statistical procedures.
• The student possesses knowledge of test development and program evaluation principles.
• The student is able to use SPSS and Microsoft Excel to analyze and present data to technical and non-technical audiences.
• The student has respect for the practical and ethical consequences of data results, and is careful to avoid data manipulation.

Content Knowledge:

• For any given major topic, the student is able to name the major research and applications directing practice, and compare and contrast the implications of each. The program integrates psychology, economics, and business.
• The student is able to apply research to address organizational problems.
• The student is facile with open systems thinking for problem-solving, planning, and facilitation.
• The student demonstrates the analytical ability to address issues from both and business and behavioral perspective.

Diversity

Diversity:

• The student is knowledgeable about the role that individual differences play in the workplace.
• The student establishes collaborative work relationships with people differing from the student in terms of age, gender, race, cultural background, sexual orientation, or mental disability. The student is able to listen to and learn from the perspectives of others who differ from him/herself.
• The student seeks out opportunities to challenge his/her own.

Professional Behavior

Ethics:

• The student is able to identify stakeholders, understand how decisions will affect them, and devise an appropriate solution in ambiguous situations.
• The student is able to guide others in appropriate ethical behavior.

Professional Practice

Interpersonal Skills:

• The student develops mutually trusting relationships with others different from oneself.
• The student listens to and respects alternative perspectives and points of view regardless of the source’s background, education, or position in the organization.
• The student demonstrates professional relationships that are collaborative and team oriented.
• The student draws on the awareness of personal strengths, weaknesses, and biases to understand how these factors may detract from or enrich work performance

Communication:

• The student organizes and presents ideas effectively for both formal and spontaneous speeches that are clear, concise, and informative using language that is appropriate for the audience.
• The student demonstrates active listening skills.
• The student accepts and evaluates feedback non-defensively and actively seeks to modify his/her behavior appropriately.
• The student understands how to compose grammatically correct, consumer-oriented reports of a professional quality.

Individual Assessment and Intervention:

• The student successfully conducts individual interviews, using active listening skills to build rapport, gather information, and support the interviewee’s self-understanding.
• The student is able to critically evaluate individual work-related assessment instruments, design an ethical, individually-focused assessment process, interpret and integrate test data, and provide written and oral feedback.
• The student is able to design and conduct work-related individual interventions, including career counseling, skill-focused developmental coaching, and executive coaching.

Business Skills:

• The student is able to develop assessment, intervention, and evaluation strategies that are both: (1) consistent with the business constraints and opportunities of a real-world situation, and (2) grounded in the relevant research and practice in psychology.
• The student can critically examine the business factors and dynamics that effect behavior in and of organizations.
• The student is able to design and conduct business-related interventions, based on area of specialization (individual, leadership, group or organization).
• The student is able to effectively collect, interpret, and integrate information from various levels of the organization.
• The student can provide feedback, communicate results, and facilitate discussion of findings to corporate stakeholders.

Consulting Skills:

• The student is able to assess a firm’s environment and the choices it makes to manage its environment. This includes scoping market conditions, competitive position and options, SWOT and corporate strategies, stakeholders, organizational design and operations.
• The student displays business fluency and economical literacy. Understanding the basic elements and operations of economic organizations involves the ability to read the financial, economic, and marketing vital signs of a firm.
• The student is able to appropriately consolidate a firm’s profile and facilitate strategic discussions.
• The student possesses the ability to advise on major business initiatives, including M&As, downsizings, technology and innovation project management, marketing repositioning, and enterprise relationships.

Learning Format 

Students can take the majority of their courses on-campus. For those entering at post-master’s level, the doctorate in Business Psychology is composed of core psychology courses, core business courses, core research courses and elective courses. 

For those entering post-baccalaureate, students’ first two years are rooted in the theories and practice of industrial/organizational psychology and require internship. Courses may be delivered in an on-ground, blended, or on-line format. 

The Business Psy.D.  I/O Track in Chicago is delivered in an on-ground format.  Courses in the on-ground program will be delivered on-ground, blended (which means a portion of the courses are online) or on-line. The courses meet on the evenings during the week or the weekends. 

The Executive Style Business Psy.D. (Chicago and LA) is a blended program. The courses meet on ground three to four weekends during a semester with enhanced on-line discussion and projects in between on-ground sessions. 

Study in the Business Psychology doctoral program culminates in a comprehensive examination and dissertation completion. Since learning is an applied process at TCS, both comprehensives and the dissertation have applied components. In other words, students conduct real time simulations while taking their comprehensives, applying psychology and business theories. Students are encouraged to produce a product for their dissertation.

Comprehensive Examination (CE)

Every student is required to pass a Competency Examination (CE). The aim of this assessment exercise is to evaluate the student’s knowledge of theory, research, and practice. This is also an opportunity to assess the student’s ability to demonstrate this knowledge and skill in simulations of work scenarios in order to judge his or her abilities as a future business psychologist. The Comprehensive Examination is taken at the end of the student’s second year in the doctoral program.

Comprehensive Examinations (PB 620  ) are tests to evaluate the scholarship, professional practice, professional behavior, and diversity skills of a student. These examinations are conducted during the second year of a student’s doctoral study. PB 620   is generally held during the summer semester. The exam consists of three sections: a case analysis, an interactive exercise, and the development and presentation of project presentation. Students receive a grade of credit/no credit (“CR/NCR”). A grade of “CR” indicates that a student has successfully completed the Comprehensive Examination. If students pass two of the three sections, they will be allowed to re-write the section they failed before the start of the next semester. If the student is successful in this attempt, a passing grade will be recorded. If a student fails two sections, a grade of “NCR” will be recorded and the student will be required to re-take a new Comprehensive Examination in a subsequent semester. Any student who fails the competency exam will be placed on an Academic Development Plan (please refer to the Student Handbook for a description of Academic Development Plans).

A student will be allowed three attempts to pass the comprehensive examinations. After three attempts, students will be referred to the Student Affairs Committee, which may result in the student being dismissed from the program.

Dissertation

Completion of the dissertation is an essential aspect of Business Psychology students’ academic experience and professional education. It provides the school the opportunity to evaluate the student’s ability to apply Business Psychology theory and research and to think critically and creatively about an applied issue in business psychology.

The dissertation should clearly and concisely demonstrate the student’s command of the research in a specific area of business psychology. In the dissertation, the student will critically evaluate and synthesize relevant research and theory in the topic chosen for study. The student’s dissertation Committee is responsible for determining the appropriateness and acceptability of the dissertation proposal and for final approval of the dissertation.

All requirements for the PsyD. including the dissertation, must be completed within seven years from the date of first enrollment. Students may petition the department chair before the end of the fifth-year period for an extension to complete the dissertation. The department chair’s decision regarding the request for an extension is final. If an extension is granted, the extended date is firm; no additional extensions will be granted. If the dissertation is not completed by the dissertation due date, students are subject to dismissal from the school.

Students are required to complete three dissertation courses (PB 610 , PB 611 , and PB 612  ). PB 610   must be completed before taking PB 611 , and PB 611   in turn must be completed before taking PB 612  . Each course and its requirements must be completed in the semester in which it is taken.

A doctoral student must take at least one dissertation class during each academic year. The dissertation class does not need to be completed for credit until the end of summer term for an academic year. 610 must be completed by end of year 3, 611 must be completed by the end of year 4, and 612 must be completed by the end of year 5. If a student would require guidance on their dissertation before the semester the class is taken for credit, the student may enroll in a dissertation maintenance hour.

To take PB 610 ,  a student must have completed a mini-review and signed the Dissertation Contract. The dissertation proposal must be approved by their chair and the reader(s) by the end of PB 610 , which is graded by letter grade and a student must earn a B- or better to continue to PB 611 . PB 611   is graded on a credit/no credit (CR/NCR) basis which will be given only upon completion of the data collection for dissertation. PB 612  is graded on a credit/no credit (“CR”/”NC”) basis and must culminate with a completed dissertation. Receipt of a grade of “NC” in PB 611  or PB 612   will result in an immediate referral to a student’s advisor and department chair. It is solely the student’s responsibility to ensure that they complete the requirements of each dissertation course, so that they can adhere to the curriculum schedule. Any failure to complete PB 610 , PB 611 , or PB 612    within the schedule will result in the student being placed on an Academic Development Plan, incurring the cost of retaking the course, delayed graduation, and whatever financial aid implications may occur from a student not being eligible to take a dissertation course at the appropriate time.

Each student will need to have a dissertation chair. The chair will counsel the student on the topic, literature review, methodology, and results of the dissertation. A student is allowed to have ‘readers’ for their dissertation. Readers are subject matter experts who can add specialized knowledge to the topic and study. These may be outside or inside the departments. In either event, the chair will need to be advised of proposed ‘readers’ and will be the final arbiter of the dissertation. The Dissertation Chair is not the same as the Program Advisor. A chair can be any professor in the Business Psychology department. A student will need to contract with any professor to be the chair. It is at the sole discretion of a professor to be or not to be the chair of any dissertation. A dissertation committee will need to have 2 readers in addition to the chair. One of these can be outside the institution but they must be a subject matter expert. Members of the committee must be approved by the chair.

After the defense a student is allowed to amend any problems and include the recommendations of the committee. If a defense is seriously lacking integration, interpretation or understanding a second defense may be requested. If this defense is unsuccessful, the department may dismiss the student.

Dissertation Maintenance

If a student will be working with his/her chair or committee on the dissertation, but is not ready to complete the required dissertation course, the student may enroll in Dissertation Maintenance.