Positive Organizational Psychology and Evaluation provides you with the tools and credentials to assess and improve organizational effectiveness and the work life of all individuals.

In this distinctive program, you’ll learn to improve organizational effectiveness and individual work life through positive organizational psychology research, integrating that scholarship with a background in evaluation and applied research methods, all within one of the preeminent evaluation programs in the country. Ideal for those committed to creating socially responsible organizations, this concentration explores how to meet the challenges of an increasingly diverse workforce in a global economy and community. You’ll find mentoring and research opportunities to collaborate with leading scholars in both fields.

Program Highlights
  • CGU leaped to the forefront of positive psychology research in 1999 when Distinguished Professor of Psychology & Management Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi founded the Quality of Life Research Center, a nonprofit institute that researches a range of cutting-edge issues in positive psychology and provides a forum for scholars from across the globe to extend their research and studies in the field.
  • Students are encouraged to apply their knowledge in collaborative projects with such institutions as schools, workplaces, and social service agencies interested in improving the experience and lives of their constituents.
  • The organizational sciences programs admit students with either a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in psychology, business administration, or related fields.
  • We admit students directly from undergraduate programs, and we also admit mid-career students who are returning to the university after more extensive work experience.
  • This program is STEM designated, allowing international students who hold F-1 visas to apply for OPT work authorizations for a total of 36 months (an initial 1-year period and a 24-month OPT STEM extension) of paid work experience in the U.S. after graduation.

Program at a Glance

UNITS
48 units

ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME*
2 years

*This estimate assumes full-time registration and pursuit of the degree. Actual completion times will vary and may be higher, depending on full- or part-time course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

COURSES BEGIN
Fall | Spring

DIVISION
Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences

DEGREE AWARDED
MA in Psychology

Featured Courses

PSYCH 350h
Organizational Culture

Examines the methodological, epistemological, and problem-solving issues involved in the study of organizational culture through a wide range of approaches.

PSYCH 329
Foundations of Positive Psychology

Introduces the history, intellectual sources, and main topics of research and application in the burgeoning field of positive psychology.

PSYCH 350
Positive Leadership

Examines the topic of leadership through a positive psychological lens and explores comprehension and critical appraisal of current theories and empirical evidence.

PSYCH 315Z
Comparative Evaluation Theory

Provides basic understanding of prevalent evaluation theories, systems for categorizing these theories, the process of theory development in evaluation, and more.

PSYCH 308a
Intermediate Statistics

Studies descriptive techniques, probability theory, basic statistical distributions (binomial, t, z, X2, F), measures of central tendency and variability, sampling distributions, selected nonparametric methods, and hypothesis testing.

PSYCH 350kk
Positive Organizational Psychology

Engages in the study of especially positive outcomes, processes, and attributes of organizations and their systems.

Student Spotlight

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Curriculum

Positive Organizational Psychology Core Courses (14 units)
Foundations of Positive Psychology (4 units)
Overview of Organizational Behavior (4 units)
Positive Leadership (2 units)
Positive Organizational Psychology (4 units)

Positive Organizational Psychology & Related Electives (12 units)
Flow: The Psychology of Positive Experience (2 units)
Creativity & Innovation (2 units)
Good Work (4 units)
Appreciative Inquiry for Organizational Change (2 units)
Organizational Learning: Theory & Practice (4 units)
Organizational Culture (4 units)
Leadership (4 units)
Adult Development: Classic & Positive Perspectives (4 units)
The Study of Experience (4 units)
Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (4 units)
Positive Organizational & I/O Psych Research Practicum (2 to 4 units)
Job Design (2 units)
Motivation & Peak Performance (4 units)
Training & Development (4 units)
Doctoral Seminar: Theoretical Perspectives in Organizational Behavior (4 units)
Doctoral Seminar: Industrial Psychology (4 units)
Talent Management (4 units)
Interpersonal Dynamics in Organizations (4 units)
Jobs, Careers & Calling (4 units)

Students are often encouraged to take elective courses in the School of Educational Studies, the Drucker School of Management, the Division of Politics & Economics, the Center for Information Systems & Technology, the School of Arts & Humanities, and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences.

Applied Research & Evaluation Methodology (22 units)
Research Methods (4 units)
Intermediate Statistics (2 units)
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) (2 units)
Applied Multiple Regression (2 units)
Categorical Data Analysis (2 units)
Foundations of Evaluation (2 units)
Comparative Evaluation Theory (4 units)
Evaluation Procedures (4 units)

In the Field Opportunities
Under the supervision of professionals with expertise in your particular areas of interest, you can participate in fieldwork, research, and paid internships at a range of corporations and organizations, including:

• Southern California Edison Company
• Kaiser Permanente
• Orange County Rapid Transit District
• Riverside County Department of Mental Health
• Claremont Evaluation Center
• Institute for Research on Social Issues

Faculty & Research
  • Tarek Azzam profile image

    Tarek Azzam

    Senior Visiting Fellow

    Research Interests

    Social Research and Methodologies, Policy & Program Evaluations, Data Visualization and Evaluation

  • Michelle Bligh profile image

    Michelle Bligh

    Interim Executive Vice President & Provost
    Professor of Organizational Behavior

    Research Interests

    Leadership, Organizational Culture, Charismatic Leadership

  • Stewart I. Donaldson profile image

    Stewart I. Donaldson

    Distinguished University Professor
    Executive Director, Claremont Evaluation Center
    Executive Director, The Evaluators' Institute (TEI)

    Research Interests

    Positive Organizational Psychology, Health/Well-Being & Positive Functioning Across Cultures, Program Design & Re-Design, Culturally Responsive Theory-Driven Measurement & Evaluation

    Affiliated with

    Claremont Evaluation Center

    The Evaluators’ Institute

  • M. Gloria González-Morales profile image

    M. Gloria González-Morales

    Associate Professor of Psychology
    Director, Center for Academic & Faculty Excellence

    Research Interests

    Work stress; work-life issues; workplace victimization and incivility; relational practices and cultures; diversity; positive organizational interventions to enhance well-being and performance.

  • Jeanne Nakamura profile image

    Jeanne Nakamura

    Associate Professor
    Co-director, Quality of Life Research Center

    Research Interests

    Engagement, Mentoring, Positive Aging

    Affiliated with

    Quality of Life Research Center

  • Becky Reichard profile image

    Becky Reichard

    Associate Professor

    Research Interests

    Development of those not typically represented in leadership roles (e.g., women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+), Psychological mechanisms underlying the process of leader development (e.g., feedback, goal striving, self-views, implicit theories, leader development readiness), Development of leadership through experiences outside of the work context (e.g., global, sports, volunteering, crisis)

  • Jason T. Siegel profile image

    Jason T. Siegel

    Professor of Psychology

    Research Interests

    Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Persuasion

  • Paul J. Zak profile image

    Paul J. Zak

    Professor of Economic Sciences, Psychology & Management
    Director, Center for Neuroeconomics Studies

    Research Interests

    Neuroeconomics, Neuroscience of Narratives, Neuromanagement

Extended Faculty

David Day

Claremont McKenna College

Research Interests

Leadership


Jennifer Feitosa

Claremont McKenna College

Research Interests

Culture, Diversity, Organizational Psychology, Statistics, Teams, Teamwork, Workplace Issues and Trends


Allen Omoto

Pitzer College

Research Interests

Social psychology; volunteerism and prosocial action; environmental concerns; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues; sense of community; civic engagement and civil society


Ronald Riggio

Claremont McKenna College

Research Interests

Human resources management, innovation, leadership, Non-verbal communication, organizational psychology

Where You Can Find Our Alumni

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Regina Burch

Assistant Director of Admissions
T: 909-607-9421
E: regina.burch@cgu.edu