Masters
Approximately 50 - 60% of the students applying to Masters programs are accepted. For many programs, if you meet the qualifications, you are accepted. However, some schools do put limits on how many students can be enrolled in the program at one time, so just because you meet the basic criteria doesn't mean that they will automatically accept you (In other words, the minimum is not the maximum that you should do). BTW, when you are looking for just a Master degree, make sure that you look for one that is a Terminal Masters (T). This means that the program expects that you will stop at the Masters. Don't waste your time applying to a Doctoral program in which students earn a Masters along the way if you don't expect to go for the Doctorate.
GPA - The minimum GPA to get into a Masters program ranges between a 2.5 and a 3.0. The median GPA of a student getting accepted into a Masters program is a bit higher - around a 3.0 - 3.25. The median GPA in Psychology is typically higher - closer to 3.4.
GRE - The minimum GRE required ranges 400-500 per section. The median GRE score total is around 1000-1050. Masters programs are also more likely to consider the Analytical section, as well as the Verbal and Quantitative section of the GRE - however, not all do.
Required Courses - Most require Introduction to Psychology, Statistics, and Experimental courses. Many also require or prefer that you take Abnormal, Tests and Measurements, Developmental or at least 2 other upper level psychology courses. Again, this varies from program to program.
Subjective Criteria - Letters of recommendation, interviews (where required), and personal statements are rated of high importance, research and work experience are rated of medium importance, and extracurricular activities are rated of low importance.
Accreditation - As of now, Masters programs in Psychology do not have
an official accrediting body the same way that the Ph.D. programs in clinical,
counseling, and school psychology do (i.e. APA). They may, however, have
some type of accreditation. For example, our Ed.S. program in School Psychology
is checked out by NASP and our School Counseling program is seeking CACREP
approval. If you decide to go into Social Work or Family or Marriage Counseling,
these programs do have an accreditation process at the Masters level.
Ph.D.
Most Ph.D. programs only accept approximately 5-15 students a year into each program. This varies from year to year and typically depends on how many new spaces become available in someone's lab. Therefore, just because you meet the minimum requirements does not mean that you will get into the program. Competition is greatest for Clinical Psychology (on average, 150-300 students will be applying each year). For Counseling and School Psychology, programs typically see slightly fewer applications - about 60-150. The number of students applying each year to the Experimental, Development, and Biopsychology programs range on average from 35-75.
GPA - Minimum GPA's, when given, range from 3-3.25. The median GPA of a student getting accepted into a Ph.D. program ranges from a 3.4-3.6 (if you are applying to a Clinical Psychology program, the median is closer to the 3.6). The median Psychology GPA is higher - about 3.6-3.7.
GRE - The average minimum GRE score is a 500 for Verbal and 500 for Quantitative. Ph.D. programs usually don't look at the Analytical section. The medium GRE score for each section ranges from 550-625 per section, with the median total around 1200. Again, the medium GRE score for students entering into a Clinical program is slightly higher.
Required Courses - Most require Introduction to Psychology, Statistics, and Experimental courses. Many also require or prefer that you take Abnormal, Tests and Measurements, Developmental, Learning, or at least 2 other upper level psychology courses. Some even require Math or Science or Language. Again, this varies from program to program.
Subjective Criteria - Research, letters of recommendation, interviews (where required), and personal statements are rated of high importance, work experience is rated of medium importance, and extracurricular activities are rated of low importance.
Masters in hand on an applicant's chances for admission- Some programs expect you to have a Masters in hand when you apply, but many don't. If the program doesn't want you to have one, then the value of a Masters is goes down a bit. The information I have concerns Clinical, Counseling and School Programs. If you have good undergraduate GPA and GRE scores, having a Masters degree is rated as positive (or at least somewhat positive) for the majority of the Counseling and School programs. The majority of Clinical Programs rate a Masters degree in hand between somewhat positive and neutral. However, if you have a mediocre GPA and GRE, there is a definate shift toward the negative. The majority of the programs (Clinical, Counseling, and School) now are neutral to negative about the effect of having a Masters degree on an applicant's chances for admission. The other issue you need to consider is whether or not your classes will transfer to the new program. Graduate programs are much less likely to accept transferred courses, so you may have to repeat a number of classes.
Accreditation - APA accredits 3 programs only - Clinical, Counseling,
and School and only progams that train students in the scientist-practitioner
and professional models. Competition for accredited programs is even greater
than for non-accredited program, however, it is easier to seek licensure
and certain interships. What
is accreditation?
Psy.D.
Psy.D.'s are available for Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology. The number of students applying to these programs is just as great at the number applying to the Ph.D. program (approximately 200 a year). More students are accepted into Psy.D. programs each year, with the average being around 25-60 per program.
GPA - Minimum GPA's range from 3-3.25. The median GPA of a student getting accepted into a Psy.D. program is a bit lower than a Ph.D. program, usually closer to a 3.3. Again, the median GPA for Psychology courses is somewhat higher than the overall GPA.
GRE - The average minimum GRE score is a 500 for Verbal, 500 for Quantitative and 500 for Analytical. It is common for Psy.D. programs to look at all 3 sections of the GRE. The median GRE score for each section ranges from 525-600 per section.
Required Courses - Most require Introduction to Psychology, Statistics, Abnormal, and Personality. Some also prefer Developmental, History of Psychology, and Test and Measurements. Again, this varies from program to program.
Subjective Criteria - Letters of recommendation, interviews, personal statements, and work experience are rated of high importance and research and extracurricular activities are rated of low importance.
Masters in hand on an applicant's chances for admission- The information I have concerns the Clinical Psy.D. If you have good undergraduate GPA and GRE scores, having a Masters degree is rated as positive or somewhat positive for the majority of Clinical Psy.D. programs However, if you have a mediocre GPA and GRE, there is a shift, with most programs reporting being neutral. The other issue you need to consider is whether or not your classes will transfer to the new program. Graduate programs are much less likely to accept transferred classes, so you may have to repeat a number of classes.
Accreditation - APA accredits 3 programs only - Clinical, Counseling, and School and only progams that train students in the scientist-practitioner and professional models. Competition for accredited programs is even greater than for non-accredited program, however, it is easier to seek licensure and certain interships.