Industrial Psychology Professor

When a spark plug burns out in a machine, a new one can be quickly popped into place, and it will function in exactly the same way as the previous spark plug. Employees aren’t spark plugs, much to the disappointment of their bosses, and each employee must be given customized tools and support in order to succeed. An Industrial Psychology Professor trains students on the inner workings of management-employee relations, teaching them how to perform employee evaluations and how to coach bosses, among many other things. These students can go on to become successful Industrial Psychologists.

When you’re an Industrial Psychology Professor, you select textbooks for your students to read at the start of each term. Since theories on industrial psychology tend to change rapidly, you change textbooks frequently. Your home is littered with the textbooks you’re reviewing for your classes.

However, students can’t learn from reading alone, so you augment their books with lectures about industrial psychology. You may present case studies, and research results or background information. You may even develop studies with your students so they can see the theories play out in real life.

Students take tests, write papers, and give presentations, and you provide grades for all their work. At the end of the course, you give each student a final grade.

As an Industrial Psychology Professor, you have tasks outside of the classroom as well. For example, your department must develop a budget, hire staff, agree on policies, and promote staff, and you participate in meetings where these matters are discussed.

Additionally, performing your own research helps you gain respect from your peers and advance the reputation of your school. Writing books about your research can also boost your income. You take these tasks seriously, and sometimes, you take time off from teaching so you can work on this aspect of your job.