There are a number of significant ways in which graduate school differs from your undergraduate experience. First, the credit-hour load will be lighter in graduate school. Nine or twelve credits, rather than 15-18, per semester is a typical graduate load. You can, however, presume that each course will demand a fair amount of time.
Second, you will take psychology courses almost exclusively.
Third, your professors will give you more freedom, and thus increased responsibility, regarding the entire learning process -- ranging from completion of assigned work (no one will nag you!), selection of courses, class attendance, etc. In a phrase, you will be expected to develop into mature, independent scholars.
Fourth, class sizes will be smaller. Some seminar courses will have as few as four students, in which each is expected to master a special topic and "teach" his or her fellow students. In lecture courses, the professor will often expect you to master the textbook, while he or she talks about related material. In addition, scholarly work in the library is often expected. Finally, you will probably experience a closer bond between yourself, fellow students, and your professors due to the preceding points and also to the smaller student/faculty ratio. Many people find that the tight psychological and social bonds formed in graduate school remain throughout their lives.
Do you have aspirations of a career which will allow you both vertical mobility (i.e., promotional and salary ladders) and horizontal mobility (i.e., the opportunity for one to switch from one area to another with the same career)? People with a doctorate generally have more career choices open to them than masters' level psychologists in the same special area. They start at higher positions than those without advanced training.
Do you want a career with a good income? People with doctorates are usually hired at a higher salary than other people. Having a Ph.D. in academia as well as in industry or clinical practice usually insures at least an adequate income. (If the high cost of graduate school is deterring you from going on, then consider the money as an investment in your future with a high rate of return). Many students accepted to a doctoral program receive partial or total funding.
Finally, are you satisfied with the knowledge of psychology you have now? A B.S. gives you a foundation of knowledge. To gain further expertise and sharpen your talents, graduate school is the place to go. Of course, you must realize you don't get something for nothing. The benefits of an advanced degree only come after more effort and application of yourself.
Attending graduate school does not guarantee that you will land a terrific job. There are many other factors which influence your life's course other than education. However, with all other things being equal, graduate school is the safest place to start towards a sound future.
The two most highly rated objective criteria for admission into graduate school are your grade point average (GPA or QPI) and your aptitude scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE: a glorified SAT). The implications are thus clear: maintain a high QPI and prepare thoroughly for the GREs.
The following is a table reflecting what doctoral graduate programs look for in undergraduate psychology coursework. As was the case with the survey reported earlier in relation to clinical/counseling doctoral programs specifically, these percentages are underestimates because they do not include those schools that simply responded that an undergraduate degree in psychology was required for admission to their program. The message here is: get a strong background in psychology!
| Course | Required | Preferred | Required or
preferred |
| Statistics | 56.5% | 28.7% | 85.2% |
| Research Methods/Exper. Design | 40.0% | 26.0% | 66.0% |
| Childhood/Developmental | 11.2% | 24.2% | 35.4% |
| Abnormal/Psychopathology | 15.6% | 16.9% | 32.5% |
| Learning | 8.7% | 19.6% | 28.3% |
| Personality | 12.0% | 15.7% | 27.7% |
| Physiological/Biopsychology | 5.5% | 18.9% | 24.4% |
| Social | 4.7% | 18.7% | 23.4% |
| Testing/Measurement | 9.5% | 8.0% | 17.5% |
| History & Systems | 4.9% | 12.3% | 17.2% |
| Cognitive | 3.6% | 9.0% | 12.6% |
| Lab course | 7.8% | 3.8% | 11.6% |
| Sensation & Perception | 3.1% | 7.8% | 10.9% |
Source: Norcross, J.C., Hanych, J.M., & Terranova, R.D. (1996). Graduate study in psychology: 1992-1993. American Psychologist, 51, 631-643
Survey research has investigated the importance accorded to non-objective criteria used for admissions decisions. This information is summarized in the following table. The numbers are average ratings of the criterion's importance for admission into graduate programs where 3 = high importance, 2 = moderate importance, and 1 = low importance.
| Criteria |
|
|
| Letters of recommendation |
|
|
| Previous research activity |
|
|
| Work experience |
|
|
| Clinically-related service |
|
|
| Extracurricular activity |
|
|
Source: Stoup, C.M., & Benjamin, L.T. (1982). Graduate study in psychology. American Psychologist, 37, 1186-1202
In general, letters of recommendation and research activity are accorded high importance; work experience and clinical service are given medium importance; extracurricular activity are accorded low importance. Although research experience is weighted heavily by master's programs, doctoral programs rate it even more heavily in their admission decisions. Conversely, master's programs weigh clinically-related service more heavily than doctoral programs.
Another survey of the program directors of doctoral-level programs replicated and extended the emphases. Program directors rated the importance of each type of preparation on a scale ranging from very low importance (1) to very high importance (5). As seen below, there is simply no better way to increase one's chances for acceptance than to gain research experience. Computer knowledge and skills are also valued highly by doctoral programs. For these and related reasons, we have integrated computer usage into our core curriculum and strongly encourage you to take Undergraduate Research in Psychology. Note also, as before, field experience is accorded medium weight but extracurricular activities, such as Psi Chi membership, are given little weight.
| Preparation |
|
|
|
| Research experience |
|
|
|
| Personal visit to department |
|
|
|
| Computer knowledge and skills |
|
|
|
| Paid human service experience |
|
|
|
| Volunteer human service |
|
|
|
| Double major with basic science |
|
|
|
| Master's degree |
|
|
|
| Psi Chi membership |
|
|
|
Also, a personal statement, curriculum vitae
("résumé"),
and autobiographical sketch are usually required. It gives one
the
chance to distinguish oneself from the other applicants; in a sense it
is an opportunity to "sell oneself."
Another factor in determining selection is cost and financial aid.
On
the average, private schools are more expensive than state schools. The
"in-state" vs. "out-of-state" cost difference that operates in
undergraduate
education is not as important in graduate education, however. That is
because
(a) once you begin study, you can establish residency there and pay
in-state
tuition after the first year, and (b) many financial aid deals include
a tuition remission anyway. Graduate programs try to support their
students
with financial aid through work-study, teaching or research
assistantships,
fellowships (which are more scarce), loans, or some combination of the
above. While the current economic climate for graduate aid is worse
than
it has been previously, there is still support available.
|
Area |
Master's |
Doctoral |
|
Clinical |
56% |
12% |
|
Cognitive |
-- |
25% |
|
Community |
56% |
33% |
|
Counseling |
67% |
14% |
|
Developmental |
56% |
22% |
|
Educational |
78% |
37% |
|
Experimental |
59% |
24% |
|
Industrial/Organizational |
45% |
14% |
|
Personality |
-- |
17% |
|
Physiological/Biological |
-- |
20% |
|
Quantitative |
-- |
40% |
|
School |
44% |
28% |
|
Social |
38% |
17% |
|
Source: Adapted
from "Analyses of Data from Graduate Study in Psychology: 1999-2000" by
William E. Pate II, APA Research Office, April 2001, at
http://research.apa.org/grad00contents.html |
||
These are median acceptance rates for individual graduate programs,
not
the acceptance rate for the entire applicant pool in any given year.
For
example, an average of 8% of the applicants to any one clinical
psychology
doctoral program will be accepted to that particular program,
but
approximately 30-40% of the entire applicant pool will be accepted to some
program.
|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
| Measure |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Graduate Record Examination | |||||||||
| Verbal | 489 | 500 | 517 | 520 | 546 | 550 | 593 | 593 | |
| Quantitative | 490 | 500 | 533 | 540 | 548 | 550 | 613 | 610 | |
| Analytical | 485 | 500 | 555 | 550 | 543 | 550 | 638 | 640 | |
| Total (Verbal and Quantitative) | 984 | 1000 | 1033 | 1040 | 1090 | 1100 | 1206 | 1204 | |
| Psychology subject test | 505 | 500 | 549 | 550 | 565 | 580 | 624 | 629 | |
| Grade Point Average | |||||||||
| Overall | 2.86 | 3.00 | 3.27 | 3.25 | 3.09 | 3.00 | 3.50 | 3.50 | |
| Psychology | 3.05 | 3.00 | 3.42 | 3.45 | 3.26 | 3.25 | 3.66 | 3.67 | |
| Last two years | 3.00 | 3.00 | 3.38 | 3.41 | 3.18 | 3.00 | 3.59 | 3.60 | |
| Source: | Norcross, Hanych, and Terranova (1996) | |
Since 2004, Recent Psychology Graduates are
|
|
|
|
|
M.A. Psychology (2006) |
|
Argosy University/Phoenix |
PsyD Clinical Psychology
(2005) |
|
Argosy University/Tampa |
M.S. Marriage and Family Therapy/School Guidance
Counseling (2005) |
|
|
Masters General
Experimental Psychology (2005) |
|
|
Ph.D. Clinical (Child)
Psychology (2004) |
|
|
M.A. Counselor
Education-Community (2007) |
|
|
M.A. Counseling (2004) |
|
|
Ed.M. Psychological Counseling w/Bilingual emphasis (2005) |
|
CUNY-Graduate Ctr/Queens
College |
Ph.D. Educational
Psych-School Psych (2003) |
Eastern
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
M.S. Psychology (2007) |
|
|
Psy.D. School-Community
Psychology (2006) |
|
|
Psy.D. Clinical Psychology
(2003) |
|
|
M.S. Occupational Therapy
(2005) |
|
|
Ph.D. Criminal Justice
(2004) |
|
|
M.A. Criminal Justice
(2005) (2007) |
|
|
M.A. Forensic Psychology
(2005) |
|
|
M.A. Physician's Assistant
(2003) |
|
|
M.A. Counseling Psychology
(2004) |
|
|
M.Ed. (2006) |
|
|
|
|
|
M.A. Psychology with
Clinical concentration (2006) |
|
|
M.S.W. (2006) |
|
|
|
|
|
M.A. Clinical Psychology
(2007) |
|
|
MS Psychology w/certification in school psychology (2005) |
|
|
MS School Psychology (2007) |
|
|
Masters Psychological
Counseling (2005) |
|
|
Masters
Counseling with School Counseling Certification (2007) |
|
Nova Southeastern
University |
PsyD Psychodynamic
Psychology (2005) |
|
|
O.D. (2006) |
|
|
MSed Mental Health
Counseling (2006) |
|
|
|
|
|
Ph.D. Biopsychology &
Behavioral Neuroscience (2006) |
|
|
M.S.W. (2004) |
|
Sacred |
DPT Physical Therapy (2004) |
|
|
MA and |
|
|
JD Program (2005) |
|
|
M.S. Education (2004) |
|
SUNY |
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology
(2006) |
|
|
M.Ed. Sport &
Recreation Administration (2006) |
|
University at |
M.A. Psychology (2007) |
|
|
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology
(2003) |
1. Begin to narrow down potential schools to 20-40
2. Prepare for the GREs
3. Consider taking the GRE-general if you are prepared; this will
afford
ample time to retake them in the Fall if necessary
August September
1. Write to schools for information and applications
2. Receive information packets and read through them
3. Consult with advisors regarding various programs, application
procedures,
faculty of interest
4. Continue to study for the GREs
5. Register for the October GRE administration
6. Update your curriculum vitae
7. Investigate possible financial aid opportunities
8. Begin a file in the Office of Career Services
9. Submit research papers to conferences
October - November
1. Take the GRE and the GRE Advanced Psychology Test
2. Take the MAT (if necessary)
3. Research your area of interest, focusing on the work of faculty
with whom you would like to work
4. Request a copy of your own transcript and inspect it for any errors
or omissions
5. Request letters of recommendation
6. Begin first drafts of your personal statement
7. Gather information on available scholarships, fellowships, and loans
November - December
1. Complete applications
2. Maintain a photocopy of each application for your records
3. Submit applications
4. Verify that the applications and all necessary materials have been
received
5. Request ETS to forward your scores to the appropriate institutions
6. Arrange for the registrar to send your transcripts to schools
January - April
1 Wait patiently and be prepared for surprise telephone interviews
2 Practice and prepare for interviews
3 Travel to interviews as invited
April - May
1. If other programs make early offers, call your top choices to
determine
current status of your application
2. Accept an offer of admission and promptly turn down less preferred
offers