Psy.D. Business Psychology, Consulting Track

CHICAGO • LOS ANGELES • WASHINGTON D.C. • ONLINE-BLENDED

Doctor of Psychology, Business Psychology, Consulting Track

Program Overview

The Business Psychology, Consulting Track is a post-master’s program that 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.

Admissions Requirements

Application to The Chicago School’s Business Psychology doctoral program is open to any person who has earned a 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 graduate schools; successful work history; admission essay(s); and letters of recommendation from academic professors or professional or volunteer experience supervisors., 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. Students must submit official transcripts from all schools where a degree was earned. It is recommended that transcripts are submitted from all schools where credit was received to enhance their applications.

The Business Psychology program requires 12 semester hours of psychology credit, including two specific courses ( graduate level statistics and  a 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.

An applicant’s Master’s degree must be equivalent to 43 semester hours.  If the applicant’s degree is less than 43 hours, then they will need to take the necessary Master level courses to equal 43 hours within one year of acceptance into the program. Students who enter the track post masters with less than 43 credits can choose from the The Chicago School’s M.A. in Industrial and Organizational foundational courses.

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.

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

The following policies are located under Academic Policies and Procedures  : Transfer of Credit, Waiver of Courses, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Grading Scale, Grade Change Requests, Degree Completion, Degree Conferral, Minimum and Maximum Timeframe requirements, and Credit Hours per semester for Financial Aid.

Academic Development Plans

An Academic Development Plan (ADP) is initiated and created by the Department in which the student is enrolled when a student demonstrates deficiencies in competencies that interfere with academic performance, training competence, and/or professional behavior. Academic Development Plans (ADPs) do not constitute disciplinary action, but failure to complete the plan may lead to disciplinary action.

Student Learning Assessment

The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TSCPP) is committed to offering the highest quality graduate and undergraduate completion programs in applied professional disciplines. In order to meet the TCSPP standard for academic quality, all programs will develop overall program competencies, learning objectives, assessment instruments, course descriptions, and course learning objectives. Each of these curriculum components must align in order for students to understand how their program will prepare them for the profession and how they will learn what TCSPP intends. 

All academic programs at TCSPP are required to develop, conduct, and report annual assessments of student learning and program effectiveness in compliance with the processes and procedures established by TCSPP.  These assessments provide reliable and valid information to monitor, maintain, and advance the quality of academic programs. 

Foundations for Scholarship and Practice

To ensure academic preparedness, a key to success in graduate school, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology requires new students to complete the program Foundations for Scholarship and Practice (Foundations). This program reinforces the skills new students need to achieve their academic goals. Foundations is an integral part of the first term’s curriculum (first and second terms’ curriculum for the Online-Blended Programs) and all students are required to complete the program successfully and in a timely manner.  Failure to complete any element of the program can lead to academic consequences, including dismissal.

Foundations for Scholarship and Practice consists of three elements: 

1.  Academic Focus Program – Academic Focus is an online, self-paced orientation to graduate academics. Completion of these tutorials is required by Friday of the fourth week of the first term. A final  grade of “pass” is considered successful completion of this element of Foundations.

2.  Writing Assessment Process – In this component of Foundations, each student writes an essay in response to an assigned question and submits it for evaluation. Based upon the results of this assessment, , the school may waive the Academic Writing Course requirement (#3, below). Essays are due by Friday of the third week of the first term and essay submission by the given date is considered successful completion of this element of Foundations.

3.  Academic Writing Course (AWC) – This online course is taken before or during the first or second term at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. A final grade of “pass” is considered successful completion of this element. Failure to earn a final grade of “pass” may result in an Academic Development Plan or referral to the Student Affairs Committee. All students are required to take the course, unless they place out through the Writing Assessment Process. Students who place out of the Academic Writing Course may elect to take the course. Based on academic performance concerns, instructors may require AWC completion by a student by creating an Academic Development Plan.

Failure to complete any element of Foundations by the required due date may result in Academic Development Plan or referral to the Student Affairs Committee. 

Preparing for the Academic Writing Course

It is solely the responsibility of the student to make the necessary adjustments to his/her school, work and personal schedules as required for full participation in this course. The Chicago School is not responsible for ensuring that these adjustments are made. Students failing AWC must retake the course in the subsequent semester. The successful completion of AWC is a graduation requirement.

Fees associated with Foundations for Scholarship and Practice

All students incur a one-time fee for their participation in Foundations for Scholarship and Practice. See Tuition & Fees schedule for a full list of applicable course fees.

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 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).

Learning Format

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. Students are enrolled in two courses per semester.

The Consulting Track in the Online-Blended programs is delivered in 18 eight-week online terms (6 terms per year to total 3 years).  Each eight-week term is delivered electronically in a web-based learning platform.  Each course is three credit hours and courses are asynchronous (no real-time class meetings).  Students will participate in three weekend residencies.  The first one is during their seventh term (the first term of the second year) during the course PB565 which is presented in blended format, with the residency weekend including classroom interaction and meetings with dissertation chairs.  The second weekend residency takes place during term 15 (the middle of the third year) at which time the student completes the oral portion of comprehensive exams.  The final weekend residency takes place during the final term, at which time the student defends her or his dissertation.  Periodic virtual residencies (webinar format) are offered on special topics and dissertation preparation.

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 an applied 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.

More specific information is located in the Program Guidebook.

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.

More specific information is located in the Program Guidebook.