Applying to Graduate Schools
Ninety-one percent of those who participated in the alumni survey indicated receiving job offers or an acceptance to graduate school within six months of graduation. In order to pursue a career as a professional psychologist, one must attain at least a Master's degree in the field. In some specialties, a Doctorate is required, either for licensure or for employment. In general, one may expect to spend at least one year (usually it requires two years) in full-time graduate study to attain a Master's degree; three years may be necessary for programs that require an internship (e.g. clinical psychology). One may expect to spend at least four years in full-time graduate study to obtain the Ph.D. degree; five years may be necessary for programs that require an internship.
Students who are interested in obtaining a Ph.D. in Neuropsychology, Experimental Psychology, or Psychometrics may choose to combine the B. S. Psychology Major with a second major or a minor in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, or mathematics. Many graduate schools require reading proficiency in German, French, or Russian for the Ph.D. degree. All graduate schools prefer that applicants for Ph.D. programs have several math and science courses in their undergraduate curriculum (even clinical and counseling Ph.D. programs).
If you think graduate school may be for you, be sure to look at the following links carefully. It is never too soon to start planning. In addition to the resources on this website, there are several graduate school books located in the Student Study Center (510 Life Science).