Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in our graduate programs.  The Clinical and experimental programs each lead to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree and are designed to prepare the student for a career in research, teaching, and/or professional service.  The Clinical program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.  As part of each program the student completes a Master's thesis and earns a Master's degree; however, this degree is designed to be part of the overall doctoral training program, and has very different requirements than would be found in a terminal Master's degree program.  As such, our Master's degree cannot function as a terminal degree.  Neither do we offer a Psy.D. degree.

The APA-approved Clinical Psychology Program has strong emphases in both research and clinical training, consistent with the scientist-practitioner model. The program offers both adult and child-focused training with emphases in Adult Psychopathology, Clinical Child and Family Psychology, Behavioral Medicine, and Neuropsychology. Students are given extensive research opportunities typically resulting in publications and presentations. The program is highly successful in placing students at top internship sites nationwide. Clinical Program graduates are employed in a variety of professional settings including university and medical center faculty positions and independent practice. The Experimental Psychology Program places its graduates in research, teaching, and applied settings.  The program offers emphases in Cognition, Biopsychology, Sensation and Perception, and Social and Organizational Psychology.  The program employs a mentoring model under which the student works closely with a faculty member.  While it is expected that one faculty member will assume responsibility for guiding the student to degree completion, the student has the option of studying with multiple faculty, and has the freedom to switch advisors should his/her interests change during the course of his/her studies.  Both programs offer opportunities for teaching experience.

Admission to our graduate programs is competitive.  To even merit consideration the applicant must have completed at least 18 credits in Psychology and earned at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA.  Applicants with less than these numbers will not be considered for admission regardless of circumstances.  For those who meet this requirement, evaluation of the application is based on: undergraduate GPA (3.0 minimum); graduate GPA (if any); GRE scores (subject test is not required-Verbal plus Quantitative score usually averages around: If took GRE prior to August 1, 2011, score = 1160; If took GRE after August 1, 2011, score = 312.); letters of recommendation; clinical, research and/or teaching experience; the variety and difficulty of coursework completed, with the expectation being that the student has completed a large number of upper-division courses both within and outside of the major; extracurricular activities and jobs related to psychology; and a demonstrated ability to function independently and responsibly. The department actively recruits students from cultural groups that have been under-represented in professional psychology. To be considered for admission to the Department of Psychology’s Graduate Programs, your completed application materials must be received by our December 15th deadline.

The Experimental Psychology graduate program admits 5-8 new students annually and enrolls approximately 25 doctoral students at any one time. The program typically takes 4-5 years to complete. The clinical graduate program, which has approximately 180 applicants each year, admits 5-6 students annually. There are typically 30 clinical graduate students on campus at any one time. The clinical training program takes approximately 4 years to complete the academic requirements, followed by a one-year, APA-approved clinical internship. For students in both programs with previous graduate experience, the length of academic courses/training may be reduced.

Invitations to interview are usually made by mid-February; offers of admission are usually made by the middle of March. Upon selection for admission to the graduate programs, a member of our faculty will contact you to make a verbal offer. The faculty member will provide details about the program, indicate whether the offer comes with financial support (usually in the form of an assistantship appointment) or without support, and answer any questions you may have. A letter will be sent to confirm the details of the offer and you will have until April 15 to accept or decline in writing.

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Applications are accepted September 15 - December 15 for fall admission.

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To apply to the Washington State University Department of Psychology Graduate Program you must complete the following:

1. Complete the Washington State University Department of Psychology online Applicant Summary Data Form. 

2.  Complete the Washington State University Graduate School Application Process

Sincerely,

Kendra Cochrane
Program Coordinator, Psychology Department