Graduate Study in Psychology

The student who wants to pursue a career as a professional in the field of psychology may find it necessary to continue their training in a graduate program. This additional higher education is the case with most academic disciplines. Because graduate school is a major undertaking, it requires a serious commitment of your time, labor, and energy. You should be fully aware of the commitment you will be making.

If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in psychology, consider purchasing or borrowing a copy of the annually-revised APA publication, Graduate Study in Psychology (there may be a reasonably current copy in the College library).  You should also peruse the following useful links relating to psychology graduate study:

If you plan to apply to graduate schools in Psychology, you need to work hard at maintaining a strong GPA. You should also consider gaining psychology work experience through vehicles such as volunteer work and Internship Experience (see our resources in the "Working in Psychology" section).

In choosing psychology courses, consider additional courses in research methods and statistics, such as our advanced labs and statistics courses (these are requirements for the BS in Psychology already), and explore the Independent Study and Bachelor's Essay options that exist for juniors and seniors with strong academic records.  Graduate schools like to see evidence of undergraduate research experience, and the latter two courses are traditional sources of individualized research experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor.  To get an idea of the scope of research events and accomplishments at the College, take a look at the Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities web site.

The process of applying to graduate programs can take some time, so start reasonably early. In your Junior year you will need to start gathering applications from graduate schools and preparing for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) (this link takes you to the GRE Resources undergraduate student area of the Association for Psychological Science). You will also need to begin deciding whom to approach for letters of recommendation.

Talk to fellow majors in your classes, Psi Chi, and the Psychology Club about how they are handling the graduate school process.  “Bounce around” your thoughts with your favorite faculty members.  Talk to a variety of people about your interests, and take full advantage of the online and library resources available to students at the College.