Our Mission

High-Quality, Practical, Intimate-Scale,
Student-Centered Education in a Beautiful,
Warm, and Stimulating Environment

We offer master's and doctoral degrees in psychology with concentrations in applied social psychology, organizational behavior, I/O psychology, evaluation & applied research methods, applied cognitive psychology, applied developmental psychology, and health behavior research.  We also offer master's degrees in human resource design.  We are dedicated to training behavioral & organizational scientists, psychologists, evaluators, and human resource professionals for positions in research, teaching, or administration in a variety of settings such as academic institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector businesses.

Applied Psychology

A distinctive feature of SBOS is its pioneering development of a non-clinical applied psychology.  A consistent, central theme of the school is the application of social science knowledge, concepts, and methods to important social issues through research and practice.  We explore the significant contribution of psychology to the understanding and amelioration of social problems and to the formulation of public policy.

The curriculum emphasizes three primary components: 

• Scholarly work organized around psychological, social, and organizational concepts relevant to social, organizational, and policy issues
• Development of methodological skills for collecting and analyzing information in field settings
• Practical experience in government agencies, public interest organizations, human service agencies, or business and industrial settings

Career-Relevant Training

The unique structure of the curriculum reflects Claremont's commitment to career-relevant training. For example, as a way to show proficiency in his or her area of specialization, each Ph.D. student accumulates a "portfolio" of professional accomplishments such as published research papers, teaching experiences, specialized methodology courses, and/or written grant proposals.

Under the supervision of professionals with expertise in their particular areas of interest, SBOS students have participated in field work, research, and paid internships at a wide range of corporations and organizations that have special, on-going relationships with SBOS. These include the Southern California Edison Company, Kaiser Permanente health services, the Orange County Rapid Transit District, and the Riverside County Department of Mental Health.

A Community Fellows Program supports selected professional staff members of community-based organizations to attend CGU full time or part time, and SBOS students to work part time in these organizations.

Another example of Claremont's unique orientation is the tradition of democratic participation. Elected student representatives participate fully in departmental faculty meetings, where most decisions are made by consensus rather than formal vote. Occasional open meetings with the Dean and faculty further stimulate student input.

While maintaining high academic standards, the program provides individualized education in a context of support, respect, and encouragement.

Classes are small, usually ranging from 5 to 25 students.  During the first year, every student is expected to work closely as a research apprentice with at least one faculty member.  In later years, student research projects become increasingly independent, under the mentorship of their faculty committees.

Job Placement of Recent CGU Ph.D. Recipients

After more than fifty years of training doctoral students for non-clinical careers, SBOS has confirmed that certain skills--such as research design, statistics, evaluation, writing ability, and critical thinking--have relevance and utility in a broad range of employment settings. Below is the distribution of recent Ph.D. recipients from SBOS in various fields.

Occupation	Percent of Graduates
College or University Teaching	25%
Post-Doctoral Studies	9%
Public Agencies	19%
Private Nonprofit Organizations	19%
Private Enterprise	19%
Private Consulting	9%

To see a sample of positions held by SBOS alumni, click here.