Organizational
Behavior Management Network
What
is OBM?
Why
Go Into OBM?
Why
Use OBM?
Resources
Articles & More
JOBM
Newsletter
Discussion
Links
Membership
Why
Join?
Sign-up
Directory
Opportunities
Grants & Awards
Graduate
Training
Jobs
More
Upcoming
Events
Store
/ Donations
Contact
About Us
Strategic
Plan
Officers
Bylaws
|
Graduate Training - Tips and Schools For tips and advice, scroll down past graduate school listing Graduate Training in OBM Below are a list of some university programs that have an OBM emphasis. Also check out ABA's on-line Graduate Training Directory for more listings. Graduate Programs
with OBM Emphasis Central
Washington University (MS) Florida
Institute of Technology - Melbourne, FL (MS - Applied
Behavior Analysis – OBM
Specialization) Florida
State University - Tallahassee, FL (PhD) University
of Kansas - Lawrence, KS (MS, PhD - Applied Behavioral
Science) University
of Maryland, Balto County (MS - ABA program) University
of Nevada at Reno - Reno, NV (MS, PhD - Psychology Department) University
of North Texas - Denton, TX (MS - Behavior Analysis Department) University of the Pacific - Stockton, CA (MA - Psychology Department) Queens
College, The City University of New York (PhD - Psychology
Department) Southeastern Louisiana University - Hammond, LA (MA - Psychology Department) Temple
University - Philadelphia, PA (MS, PhD - Psychology Department) Virginia
Tech - Blacksburg, VA (PhD - Psychology Department, Clinical
Psychology) Westchester
University - Westchester, PA (MS - Psychology Department) Western
Michigan University - Kalamazoo, MI (MS, PhD - Psychology
Department) West
Virginia University - Morgantown, WV (MS, PhD - Psychology
Department) Considering Graduate School Questions to ask yourself when determining if grad school is right for you Timelines to Follow if Grad School is a Possibility Choosing a Graduate School Search for Industrial/Organizational Programs by Geographical Region The American Psychological Association's Guide to Graduate Study in Psychology A Systematic Way to Compare Schools Getting Into Graduate School What Admissions Faculty are Looking For The Do's & Don'ts of Writing a Statement of Purpose Other Helpful Hints Tips & Techniques for Getting Internships
Tips From Experts About Graduate School Are there any GRE prep courses offered through the Psychology Department? How can an undergraduate get more information about it? Dr. R. Malott: Yes, we usually offer a 1 credit GRE prep course. You can contact the BATS (Behavior Analysis Training Systems) lab for more information (387-4491). Why get a Ph.D. instead of a Masters? Dr. Dickinson: There are many job positions available at the master's degree level and individuals can make a very good living and secure excellent positions at the master's degree level. A Ph.D. gives you more flexibility with respect to the type of job and types of professional activities you may become involved with. For example, you need a Ph.D. to teach at the university level and it is easier to secure a position with a big-named consulting firm if you have a Ph.D. In our field, for example, most of the individuals that are hired by Aubrey Daniels International and CLG have Ph.D.s. In addition, most master's level individuals begin in training and instructional design and then after a few years move into performance management and systems analysis work. Ph.D.'s are likely to perform all kinds of OBM activities immediately upon hire. Dr. Fuqua: A Ph.D. offers a broader range of academic career possibilities. As far as a consulting job, a Ph.D. typically does not make too much of a difference. Are you limited to one area of interest in graduate school or can you research different aspects? Dr. Dickinson: That depends a great deal on who your advisor is. Some advisors restrict their students' broader options. It is important to match your interests to those of your advisor's, if possible prior to applying to graduate school. While professors can know a lot about a lot of things, specialized knowledge within a particular area of focus takes considerable time to develop. One needs to have a thorough knowledge of the literature to know what research needs to be done. Thus, while a professor can have considerable breadth, it is difficult to really know the literature well in all areas. Therefore, a professor may not be comfortable, because of lack of time to become proficient in a particular research area, advising a student in an area that falls outside of his/her current expertise. Do you have to go into a behavioral graduate program to study OBM? Dr. Austin: No, but you should work with a behavior analyst as your advisor.. Dr. Brethower: Yes & No. You can study organizational stuff and business stuff anywhere-and you should learn it; I'm self-taught in those areas-it was expensive. But if you want to learn "our kind of thing" it is best to do it at WMU. The courses Dr. Austin and Dickinson teach provide you with knowledge and skill that you simply could not get elsewhere. Dr. Dickinson: Yes, or a program in which there is an excellent professor in OBM. For example, Florida State does not have a completely behavioral training program, it is eclectic, but Dr. Bailey provides excellent OBM training to his students and they are some of the best in the field. Traditional I/O programs are very different, which is not surprising because traditional I/O tends to focus on different things. As an alternative to graduate school, you can obtain very solid OBM training in our department which provides many opportunities at the undergraduate level (our new Performance Management undergraduate track is excellent) and by attending seminars put on by the top behavioral consultants, such as Aubrey Daniels International. Many behavioral consulting firms offer them, but, just as a warning, they are VERY expensive. Dr. R. Malott: You have to go into a behavioral graduate program to study OBM from a behavioral perspective. There may be some non-behavioral approaches to OBM. There is an alternative, you can go into a general graduate program where there is a behaviorist who teaches OBM. The best example is Florida State with Jon Bailey. Dr. Austin and Dr. Carr were his students. Bailey is one of the few behaviorists if not the only behaviorist at FSU in psychology but he manages to turn out a lot of good behavior analysts. How to Get Into Graduate School* Information provided by Dr. John Austin's webpage. Many students think at some time or another that they may want to go to grad school--it's okay, don't be scared. Maybe its because you don't feel ready for the 'real' world (not the MTV one) or you don't think you can get a job, or perhaps you've always wanted to be a scholar. Whatever the reason for your interest, there are some important things you need to know that may well help you get into your 'dream' school. 1. Seek career counseling. Another thing you can check out is the WMU BACC group. That is, the Western Michigan University Behavior Analysis Career Counseling group. You can locate these folks again through the Psychology undergraduate advising office, the main office, or through Dr. Richard Malott or his BATS (Behavior Analysis Training Systems) lab. 2. Take the GRE (graduate record examination). 3. There are many different graduate schools. 4. Get to know some faculty members. 5. Make yourself stand out. * Dr. Austin's webpage can be accessed here. EXTRA ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS What else should students know before deciding to get into the OBM field? Dr. Austin: One bit of extra advice I have is for students to sample your reinforcers. What I mean here is that one should not assume that one should become a consultant, for example, simply because you have heard things about consulting that make it seem glamorous. In fact, it is mostly the exact opposite. It turns out to be a lot of hard work and you spend lots of time on the road. One consulting firm that recently hired one of our graduates, for example, tells its applicants to expect to be away from home for 20 of every 30 days. This is not a 20-day trip to the beach. Rather, it may be 10 or more trips to various places around the country, and in many cases to a town you haven't even heard of. My point is simply that one should not take someone else's word to determine what one likes. Sample as many situations as possible while at school, in order to figure out your reinforcers. Dr. Brethower: You should learn how money comes into and goes out of any organization. How they get it, how they use it, and how they sell their products and services, to whom, and to whose benefit. Not because you are interested in money per se but it is an essential part of keeping score. If you don't know how to keep score, it's hard to add value consistently. And, perhaps more importantly, are you fully ready to "swim upstream" against the prevailing ideas and practices? If you want a "job" and "job security" it is probably not the field for you. Job security to us is knowing we can get another job if that becomes necessary. Dr. Fuqua: Students should be aware that a lot of travel is involved with consulting, it is a lucrative field, and a strong behavioral background is important. Dr. M. Malott: Practice in a real work setting. It is difficult to learn to be a good consultant if you have not been in the shoes of those you will help. Dr. R. Malott: You need to know and understand behavior analysis really well.
Meet our Experts Dr.
John Austin is a Professor of
Psychology at Western Michigan University and a member
of the I/O psychology program. He teaches courses in performance
management and consults with major corporations on behavioral
safety and performance improvement systems. John received
a BA from the University of Notre Dame, and an MS and Ph.D.
from Florida State University. He is co-editor of the Journal
of Organizational Behavior Management, and on the editorial
board of other comparable journals. In the area of improving
human performance he has published more than 50 articles
and chapters, delivered more than 100 presentations at
regional, national, and international conferences, and
has co-authored two books. Dr.
Dale Brethower is a Professor Emeritus of
Psychology at Western Michigan University. Dale received
a BA from the University of Kansas, a MA from Harvard University
and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He serves
as an editor for several professional journals, is widely
published, and is a regular presenter at professional conferences.
Dale was the recipient of an Achievement award from the
Organizational Behavior Management Network and is considered
one of the pioneers of behavioral systems analysis/human
performance technology/organizational behavior management. Dr.
Alyce Dickinson is a Professor of Psychology
at Western Michigan University and chair of the I/O psychology
program. Alyce received a BA from Lycoming College, a MA
from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Ph.D. from Western
Michigan University. She has published widely on the effects
that monetary incentives have on employee productivity,
quality, and satisfaction as well as the impact that extrinsic
reward systems have on intrinsic motivation. She is the
recipient of a number of honors including a being named
a Fellow, Division 25 Experimental Analysis of Behavior
of the American Psychological Association, a Teaching Excellence
Award from WMU's Alumni Association, and an Outstanding
Achievement award from the Organizational Behavior Management
Network. Dr. R. Wayne Fuqua is Department Chair of Psychology and Professor of Psychology, a member of the Applied Behavior Analysis and Clinical faculties, and the director of the Behavioral Medicine laboratory at Western Michigan University. He received a BA, MA, and Ph.D. from the University of Florida. His current research interests include behavior therapy, behavioral medicine, behavioral research methodology, and mental retardation. Of particular interest is his research on AIDS prevention and stress-related disorders. He is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and is a frequent contributor to a variety of behavior analysis journals. Dr. Maria Malott is President of Malott & Associates, Executive Director of the Association for Behavior Analysis and holds affiliated faculty positions in four universities. She has worked for over 18 years with businesses from a variety of industries, including, service, manufacturing, retail, travel, banking, education, and research. She has assisted approximately 30 universities and presented approximately 150 conferences and workshops on performance technology and process improvement through North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management and has served as a Visiting Scholar with the University of the Pacific in Lima, Peru. Dr. Richard Malott is a Professor of Psychology at Western Michigan University. He received his BA from Indiana University in 1958 and his PhD from Columbia University in 1963. He received a Fullbright Senior Scholar Award in 1984 to teach in Peru and in 1988 to teach in Uruguay. His teaching and research interests include organizational psychology, theoretical behavior analysis, college teaching with high-risk students, self-management, international education, and minority education. He is a member of the editorial board for The Behavior Analyst and the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.
|
| |