Putting Psychology to Work: Touro Grad Finds Fit in I-O

For Costanzo, a Sr. HR assistant, those responsibilities offer an increasingly expansive look at the inner workings of a company. They also allow her to put into practice concepts she studied in Touro’s Master of Science in Industrial-Organizational Psychology program at its School of Health Sciences (SHS).

“I’m really passionate about the workplace and trying to make little changes here and there, trying to see what’s going well, what’s not going well,” said Costanzo ('25). “I feel like I-O psych really gave me that opportunity and a different perspective to see what the workplace is all about.”

Building From Within

One of Costanzo’s current projects at Steve Madden involves succession planning, a concept she learned about in her I-O psychology classes.

Working with senior members of the HR team and company division leaders, she helps identify positions that are particularly important to the organization, the skills needed to fill them, and employees who could potentially advance into those roles. Selected employees can then receive training and coaching to help prepare them for greater responsibility.

The work has given Costanzo a firsthand look at how organizations can develop talent internally rather than simply looking outside the company when key positions open.

Her responsibilities at Steve Madden have continued to expand. She works with contracts, bonus letters, and commission agreements and helps conduct audits to ensure that employee information is accurately reflected in the company’s systems. She also participates in new-hire orientation, providing resources, presentations, and tours.

“I love to see the new faces at the company and give them a general overview of the company culture,” she said.

Finding her Field

Costanzo had entered college expecting to become a doctor, majoring in integrative neuroscience and following the premed track. But during her junior year, she began looking for a career connected to psychology and human behavior that offered greater work-life balance.

An undergraduate job at a campus ice rink provided an early clue. After earning a promotion, she helped review resumes, interview prospective employees, and send offers and rejection letters.

“It taught me the ins and outs of employee selection,” she said, and sparked an interest in why organizations hire certain candidates and how they can make better decisions about people.

That curiosity eventually led her to I-O psychology and Touro.

Learning While Working

Costanzo was already familiar with Touro because her mother had earned a degree there. The I-O psychology program particularly appealed to her because she could complete it remotely while gaining professional experience.

“It was really important to me to be able to be in the workforce as well as complete my master’s at the same time,” she said. “I feel like choosing Touro was the right thing to do because I wanted to do both.”

Costanzo began the program while working part time and completing an HR internship at Steve Madden, then moved into a full-time position during her second year.

Although she studied remotely, classes such as research methods and statistics included group projects that enabled her to build relationships with classmates, several of whom she remains in touch with. She also described her professors as knowledgeable and accessible.

Following the Data

Today, Costanzo is particularly interested in the analytical side of the field. At Steve Madden, she already works with metrics while auditing employee compliance with company policies and reports those numbers to HR management.

Eventually, she hopes to move further into people analytics, using surveys and other data to evaluate what is working, identify what is not, and improve workplace processes.

“I-O psych is a useful tool for the workplace,” she said. “It can help both employers and employees understand more about the hiring process, survey results, the employee lifecycle, retention, succession planning, and more.”

The subject has changed since her premed days, but the instinct has not: Understand what is happening, study the evidence, and find a way to make things work better.