Cheyenne Kovach. Photo by Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology will award its first master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology on Saturday, May 14.

Cheyenne Kovach, a graduate student from North Royalton, Ohio, is the first to complete a master’s level education in industrial-organizational psychology at Missouri S&T. Kovach earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Ohio State University.

The master’s program in industrial-organizational psychology, which is housed in Missouri S&T’s psychological science department, was established in spring 2014 to help meet the growing need for human resources and talent management professionals. The program was approved by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education in December 2013.

The program is designed to produce graduates with a strong background in workforce performance. Industrial-organizational psychologists develop assessments of people for selection and placement into jobs, effective training programs, strategies for organizational development, measurement of performance and ways to promote quality of work-life.

The program includes a thesis option for students wishing to prepare to enter a Ph.D. program, and a non-thesis option in one of three tracks – “Leadership in Technological Organizations,” “Psychometrics,” or “Human Factors.” Courses are available in both the traditional classroom format and online.