Admission Requirements

BEGINNING LEVEL

Students admitted with a bachelor's degree will be required to meet the following admission criteria:

1. Successful completion of the baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
2. Scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination of no less than the 50th percentile.
3. Score of no less than the 65th percentile on the Graduate Record Examination, Psychology Section.
4. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better in the following psychology courses, which must be completed prior to admission:
   • Human Development
   • Elementary Statistics
   • Experimental Design or Research Methods
   • Note: History and Systems of Psychology and Physiological Psychology are recommended but not required.
5. Three letters of recommendation
6. A personal statement
7. A personal interview

ADVANCED LEVEL

Students admitted at the advanced level, who already possess a master's degree in school psychology, are required to meet the following admission criteria:

1. Successful completion of a master's degree in school psychology, from an accredited institution.
2. Scores on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination of no less than the 50th percentile.
3. Score of no less than the 65th percentile on the Graduate Record Examination, Psychology Section.
4. Three letters of recommendation.
5. A personal interview.

Approximately 100 applications are reviewed each year, from which 10-12 candidates are chose.  This year's entering students have a mean combined Verbal and Quantitative  GRE score of 1120; mean score on the psychology section of the GRE of 600; and mean undergraduate GPA of 3.5.  Qualified individuals whose applications are completed by January 15 are interviewed by a faculty member and by a currently enrolled doctoral candidate.  The interview allows applicant to obtain a realistic view of the required academic and professional work, and the costs of the program.

The median time to complete the program is five years and the mean is six years, including the oral defense of the student's doctoral dissertation.  Over the last seven years, 38 percent of our students completed the program in less than five years; 25 percent in less than six years; and the balance of 37 percent completed the program in less than seven years.  We carefully select motivated and capable students and, as such, our graduation rate as measured since the program was accredited, is 94 percent.  Attrition statistics can be found in the FAQ section.