Below you will find information on requirements, how to research schools, how to finance your higher education, etc. Career Services also has information about graduate schools and your professors are a good source of information as well. Available for perusal in the departmental office is the American Psychological Association's helpful guide "Getting in: A step-by-step plan for gaining admission to graduate school in psychology."

Some Background

A doctorate degree may be a Ph.D., Ed.D. (offered in Departments of Counseling and Education), or a Psy.D. Psy.D.s and Ed.D.s are usually applied counseling degrees and do not require as much research and statistics as the Ph.D. If you want to be a professor in a psychology department, a Ph.D. is your best bet although some community colleges still hire professors with master's degrees only.

If your goal is to be a counselor or mental health clinician of some sort, you will still have to be licensed once you get your graduate degree. This typically involves many hours of supervision in the field and passing of written and oral exams by a state licensing board.

Right now, a doctoral degree is not necessarily the best degree to have if you want to be a counselor (and not a professor) because HMOs don't want to pay for them and PhDs are better at long-term therapies than they are at short-term problem-solving and coordinating social services. Currently, there are actually many more jobs available for those with a Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW, or LCSW once you are licensed). Those with an MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy license) are also employable but not as much as the MSWs.

For more information, contact the National Association of Social Work (NASW) at http://www.naswdc.org/.

The California chapter of the NASW has an online list of California universities that offer accredited MSWs at http://www.cswe.org/.

Requirements

Generally, graduate schools in psychology take into account six things when evaluating your application:

(1) Grade point average of 3.5 (lower okay for some professional schools and MA programs).

(2) 3 letters of recommendation (get to know your professors and internship supervisors). Generally, each school has its own form that the recommender fills out and sends back to the school. If you have a choice about who to ask, ask those who have expertise in areas similar to the programs you are applying to. For master's programs in social work or counseling, it is often a good idea to get a letter from the site supervisor of your clinically related internship site.

(3) Research experience (more important for Ph.D. programs). In our program, you may get research experience by doing a research internship or a research senior project. For Ph.D. programs, take as many research and statistics classes as you can tolerate.

(4) Personal statement (tailored to the program to which you are applying). This essay describes your skills, experiences, and interests and how these make you a good "fit" with the program to which you are applying. It is important that this be a well-crafted piece of writing as they will use it as an indication of your writing and academic abilities.

(5) Decent GRE scores (similar to SATs but for grad school). There are two tests, the General (math & verbal) and the Advanced Psychology (covers a broad range of psychology including physiological, developmental, social, history of psychology, research methods. Studying is recommended. See below for more information.

(6) Clinical experiences (important for social work, MA counseling or Marriage Family Therapy programs). In our program, you can get this experience through your internships. You may get even more by volunteering for Hotline, Hospice, or other community mental health organizations.

Identifying Schools

Graduate school is a highly specialized endeavor. Programs focus on specific areas of psychology, and within those, often have specific theoretical or topic focuses. Also, you usually end up working almost exclusively with one or two professors who train you in their area. A good match between your interests and the program is critical to both you admittance, and your satisfaction once you get there. Do not choose a grad program based primarily on location, convenience or the weather. You will probably live to regret the money you wasted and the degree you didn't complete.

Research schools by looking at the American Psychological Association's Graduate Study in Psychology book, available in the department's main office or at Career Services (may also be purchased at the book store or online from the APA). This book describes programs and includes information such as the average GRE scores and grade point averages of accepted students, how much it costs, availability of student housing, where to write for information, etc. The book has two indexes, one by subject area of psychology and one by state.

For some online information from the APA see:

http://www.apa.org/ed/gradschool/

and

http://www.apa.org/students/student3.html

Another way to identify schools is to use the library to locate research articles that excite you. If you read an article and find yourself thinking "This is cool, I want to study this, I like the way these folks think," look at the title page that includes authors' names and university affiliations. Then look up the school in the APA Graduate Study in Psychology book.

Don't forget to interview your professors about graduate programs. They will be familiar with programs that have accepted previous Cal Poly students. They may have colleagues working at other graduate programs. And they may know of program announcements or other resources for obtaining information.

Most graduate programs have web pages. Look for their faculty information pages, which will tell you about their research and teaching interests. Look at the courses that you might take. Look for information about assistantships and internships. You may also find a graduate program coordinator listed with whom you can correspond with questions.

If you intend to apply in Fall of your senior year, then consider attending a psychology conference during your junior or sophomore years. The Western Psychology Association holds its conference in March or April, always in a western state. At about that same time, Santa Clara University holds a Conference for Undergraduate Research. Both conferences would allow you to meet faculty and students from a wide range of schools in the west. You would probably gain some valuable insights from this direct information. The national conferences in psychology occur in the Summer. The American Psychology Society (APS) tends to meet in June. The American Psychological Association (APA) tends to meet in August. As these are much larger conferences, many more schools from across the country are represented. You could easily make a personal contact with a professor or student from a graduate program that interests you.

Visiting campuses may be an option for you. It would be wise to contact the department ahead of time to see if a faculty member or current graduate student would meet with you. Some programs, particularly in clinical or counseling, will require interviews as a part of their screening process.

Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

Most doctoral programs and many Master's programs require GRE scores. According to the Education Testing Service, the GRE measures "certain developed verbal, quantitative, and analytical abilities that are important for academic achievement."

See the APA's book, Graduate Studies in Psychology, to find out what scores are desired by the particular institutions you wish to apply to.

You should study for this test. There are a number of ways to go about this. For instance, you can self-study for the general portion of the exam through the purchase of GRE workbooks and by taking algebra and geometry at your local community college. To study for the advanced psychology portion, it's not a bad idea to get a hold of a good introductory psychology text and memorize it or to sit in on an introductory psychology course for a quarter before you take it.

The internet, library, and local bookstore also have studying materials.

http://www.gre.org

The official GRE site from ETS. Here you'll find a free GRE sample test, a tutorial, GRE subject test dates, online registration, and other information on the GREs.

 

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When To Apply

Some master's programs accept students at various times of the year, but the vast majority of graduate programs will require that you apply by January, for starting the following September. Don't delay...it is wise to get your materials in by December so that you have some backup time in case materials are misplaced. Don't be lulled into delay by programs that state an application deadline in March or April. That simply means that they will accept applications up until that date. Chances are they will begin selecting students earlier (formally or informally).

Working back from those dates, you can see that you would want to have completed your search for graduate programs during the Summer. Then you can fill out applications and seek letters of recommendation in the Fall. This will be a busy time...those who delay or procrastinate will find it much more stressful. A heavy courseload in Fall that year will also make applying more difficult.

Graduate acceptances come in March, April or later. It's hard to wait, so plan to keep busy with school, work or recreation during Winter. If you aren't accepted in the first round, you can contact the school to see if you might be on a waiting list in case openings occur. Some students will be accepted as late as August.

Financing Graduate School

It is hard to work for pay during the first year of graduate school. After that, there are often paid work opportunities that provide you with work-relevant experience. For instance, you may be a research assistant or a teaching assistant.

Graduate schools often have fellowships (tuition waived and a stipend), assistantships (tuition waived and pay for teaching or research assistance) or other financial rewards to attract top students. If you're hot (good GREs, GPA, research experience, letters, etc.), chances are you can get a free or almost free ride. Doctoral program faculty may have grants that allow them to hire assistants. Good graduate programs also have connections to community agencies that might hire you part-time. Many graduate students support themselves by working part-time somewhere on campus.

Otherwise, you'll have to be rich, have rich relatives, go into debt or work for a while before attending grad school. If you are employed and want to further your training in a related field, check with your employer about tuition-reimbursement or grants for employees. Just don't let lack of money stop you. There are many low interest student loans available as well as other financial aid programs that provide grants. Debt is a drag but it's worth it if you end up with a career you love. See the American Psychological Association's web site at www.apa.org/students/student3.html for more information about finances.


What's Graduate School Like?

Graduate school is another one of life's paradoxical experiences. On the one hand, it is exciting and exhilarating. You learn so much and make wonderful friends. The outcome is usually a satisfying job and a decent paycheck as well as enhanced self-and-other respect. On the other hand, it is frequently laced with humiliation (many grad school professors are brutal in their criticism) and ridiculous workloads. In doctoral programs (Ph.D., Ed.D, PsyD), the academic standards are usually 10 times greater than at the undergraduate level (they expect professional level work). There is no handholding or sympathy for procrastinators or for low quality work. On the other hand, you can also expect more individualized attention, smaller classes, less emphasis on grades and opportunities not offered to undergraduates. As one professor says when asked by students what grad school is like: "You have to really want that degree. How bad do you want it?" But graduate school is more than pursuit of an educational degree. It can be an enriching, maturing experience that allows you to expand your competencies and construct a meaningful professional life for yourself.

How Long Does It Take?

Generally, it takes 2-3 years for an MA or MS and another 3-4 years for the doctorate degree. There are usually 2 years of coursework for a Master's degree and comprehensive exams, a thesis, or both, before you can graduate. If you go on for the doctoral degree, add another year of coursework, more comprehensive exams, a doctoral dissertation (thesis), and often, a dissertation "defense" (where you're in a room with your professors explaining and defending your work).

Can I Get My Master's at One School and My Doctorate Elsewhere?

You could. However, because of the specialized focus of each school, the Ph.D. program will probably make you take many of their master's courses and may even make you write a research MA/MS thesis even if you already have a Master's degree. Check about this issue before you jump into a master's program just because it is nearby. If you think you might pursue a doctorate, consider applying directly to them or ask them which master's degrees from other schools they have accepted in the past.