Psychology Doctoral Program Admissions

Abstract

What do psychology doctorate programs require and prefer in their master’s level applicants? Do the programs value students’ graduate experiences during and postadmission? Doctoral programs’ ( n = 221) responses to an online survey showed that most required letters of recommendation, personal statements, Graduate Records Examination scores, and undergraduate grade point average. These credentials, interviewing skills, and student–mentor research match are crucial to admission decisions. However, clinical PhD, counseling PhD, clinical and counseling PsyD, practice subfields (e.g., school psychology), and research subfields (e.g., social psychology) evaluated differently 8 of the 26 credentials. Master’s-level applicants benefit more than bachelor’s-level applicants when beginning their doctoral work (e.g., having their master’s theses waived), but the advantages vary by subfields. Implications and recommendations for doctoral applicants are discussed.