ADMISSIONS DEADLINES Please note the following deadline dates for receipt of materials: December 1st, 2009 for:  Clinical Psychology  Neuroscience December 15th, 2009 for:  Social Psychology January 11th, 2010 for:  Cognitive Psychology January 15th, 2010 for:  Developmental Psychology

Doctoral Programs

New students are accepted for enrollment in the doctoral programs only in the fall semester of each year and only for full-time study. Credit for thesis work and previous graduate course work is determined on an individual basis for students accepted with master's degrees from other institutions.

Admission to graduate study is based on a combination of factors including:

(1) Undergraduate and graduate GPA. The minimum GPA required for all doctoral programs except Clinical is 3.0; the Clinical program requires a minimum 3.2 GPA (the average undergraduate GPA of those admitted to the department is 3.7).

(2) Graduate Record Examination scores. The Cognitive, Developmental and Social programs require a minimum total score (combined verbal and quantitative scores) of 1000 and the Clinical and Neuroscience programs require a total score of at least 1100 (the average combined total of the verbal and quantitative scores of those admitted to the department is 1250).

(3) Strong letters of recommendation.

(4) Prior experience (most students have 1 to 2 years of empirical research experience before entering one of our graduate programs), and:

(5) The applicant's personal statement.

Applicants should be aware that a matching of student and faculty interests plays a major role in the admissions process. For any given year, approximately half of the faculty accepts students to work in their research laboratories. Those students whose background and expressed areas of interest best match the research interests of these particular professors have an increased likelihood of being selected. It is therefore important that applicants carefully consider those faculty of interest (in the program to which they are applying) with whom they would like to work prior to completing the application. Applicants should list those faculty whose research best fits with their own interests and experiences, as this information is used in the matching process. The names of faculty who are considering accepting a student to their research laboratory are listed in the online application.

The Department of Psychology adheres to the resolution adopted by the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology, which provides that a student has until April 15th to accept offers of admission and funding. A student who accepts an offer prior to April 15th, and subsequently desires to withdraw, may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15th. However, an acceptance in force after April 15th is binding. Acceptance of an offer from another school requires a written release from the original institution.