• Types of graduate programs in psychology 
  
• The application process
  
• Gaining relevant experience
  

• Funding
• Other resources

• Information about other graduate and professional programs

These programs are offered by psychology departments. Not every university offers both experimental and clinical psychology training; some schools offer only experimental training (and not clinical training). 

Usually, a student completes their Master's degree and then proceeds directly into the doctoral degree program. Sometimes a student may enter a PhD program directly from their BA/BSc.


Experimental psychology -- This type of program places a heavy emphasis on research training. Students typically are trained to become professors or researchers. 

• Experimental programs typically encompass areas like social psychology, developmental, cognition, cognitive neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, sensation & perception, animal cognition, personality, measurement/quantitative, industrial/organizational, health psychology, etc. 
  
• Most schools use a mentorship model, where students work closely with one professor who trains and supervises the student's research, and there is typically only limited coursework. 
  

Clinical psychology -- Most clinical programs take the This means that and provide scientist/practioner approach. Clinical psychology programs place a great deal of emphasis on researchtraining on working with patients/clients. A PhD in clinical psychology usually leads to a career as a

• Usually one specializes in adult-clinical, child-clinical, or neuropsychology. 
  
• As with experimental programs, most schools use a mentorship model, where students work closely with one professor who trains and supervises the student's research. 
  
• Clinical students typically have a fair courseload in their early years in graduate school. 
• Some US schools offer a PsyD in clinical psychology; as I understand, the PsyD degree places little emphasis on scientific research compared to a PhD program [see this article]. But usually a doctorate is called a PhD. 
  

• In Canada, specific training in Forensic Psychology & Law is available through a joint program offered from Simon Fraser University. There are also researchers in many psychology departments across Canada who study issues relating to psychology & law in more traditional experimental psychology programs -- for example, many professors who do psychology & law research work in the areas of social psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental or clinical psychology at schools that don't have a formal 'forensic' stream in their graduate program.
  

• The AP-LS -- the American Psychology-Law Society -- offers a great student section careers related to psychology & law and a listing of schools offering graduate programs in psychology & law, forensic psychology and graduate programs.
  

• In addition to the regular courses recommended for a graduate degree in psychology, a course in Psychology & Law or Forensic Psych would probably be a good idea, if your school offers it. (At King's, Prof. Melnyk teaches a 2000-level half-course called Psychology & Law, and a 3000-level called Forensic Psychology).
  

• Just to keep things mildly complicated: Some schools are now calling their psych-law programs "forensic" even if there isn't a clinical focus; check with the program to be sure about what it is offering.

• People interested in forensic psych should check out the AP-LS information (just above).
  

• Note that despite what you see on television and movies, there are very few jobs in criminal profiling in North America. It's estimated that there are less than 20 profilers, and these profilers primarily high-ranking FBI agents (or in the RCMP in Canada).
  

• Grades, experience, and references are important in gaining admission to this type of program; see the section on "the application process" below. (Note that throughout this webpage, "graduate programs in psychology" refers strictly to programs offered by psychology departments, not faculties of education).

• Some of the suggestions for gaining experience for clinical applicants may be useful for counselling applicants.

• University of Western Ontario (at the Faculty of Education, called Althouse) in London
• University of Toronto -- at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (aka OISE; pronounced "oy-zee") 
• McGill University in Montreal 
• University of British Columbia in Vancouver
• University of Ottawa

Simply put, graduate programs are very competitive.

So it's important to do well in your undergraduate (Bachelor's) courses and get yourself the types of experience you'll need to be a competitive candidate.

Generally speaking, the following is required for application to graduate programs in psychology:


(1) An honors degree in Psychology. The specific course requirements are usually quite broad, but usually the undergraduate program should include Research Methods and Statistics and an honors thesis. At King's, the honors specialization module includes the honors thesis course, so this is the degree module that is recommended for students considering graduate school.

The honors thesis serves as evidence that you can do fairly independent research and it gives you the chance to see if you enjoy research (since the bulk of grad school is conducting research!). It's a good idea to take courses related to your general interests; for example, if you want to do developmental research, you should take basic and upper-level courses in Developmental Psychology as an undergrad. 

Fundamentals such as cognition and social psych are also useful for most domains, a course in neuropsychology or neuroscience is becoming increasingly important. Abnormal/clinical is usually necessary if you are interested in clinical psychology.  

Note that an honors degree isn't always required -- but it usually is because it shows that the student has excelled at the undergraduate level relative to their peers and has performed well in the types of more challenging courses that serve as the foundation for graduate studies.


(2) Very good grades. Let's be honest; graduate programs in psychology are highly competitive. Grades in your core psychology courses in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year are particularly important. The odd poor grade may be forgiven (thankfully), but overall, good grades are very important.

A note on math/stats: Some psychology undergrads dislike the often-required math and/or statistics courses. Math/stats grades are generally considered important; graduate studies involves research, which typically involves a fair amount of math and stats, so be honest with yourself when considering your options -- i.e., if you loathed stats class, do you really want to go to grad school where you will take more stats classes and perform stats and work with numbers on a regular basis?


(3) Research experience. 

This serves two purposes: 

• First, it ensures that you have some basic research training.
• Second, it gives you chance to see if you actually like research, since the bulk of graduate training is research-based, even in clinical psych.  Research experience can be gained by doing some paid or volunteer work as a research assistant (RA) during the school year or during the summer. 

One's honors thesis also counts as research experience, but since this is only in the student's 4th year of their undergrad program, it means that by the time the student applies for grad school, they'll have only had about 4-months of research experience if this is their only measurable research experience (because applications are typically due in December/January of the student's 4th year for the coming September). 

Relevant research experience is best, but if that's not possible, the experience should be at least related to the area of psychology you are hoping to study in grad school (e.g., social psych, developmental, etc.).

Be proactive: If you'd like to gain research experience, approach profs who you have impressed (e.g., by earning good grades in their class) and let them know that you are interested in volunteering or working in their lab.


(4) Relevant experience. This is especially important for clinical applicants. This again serves two broad purposes: 

• First, you may gain basic experience and develop some skills working with clinical populations. Note that research experience is important for clinical applicants, since most programs follow the "scientist-practioner" model (i.e., students are trained as both researchers and practioners).
  

• Second, experience gives you chance to see if you actually like clinical work.

(5) Contact a potential supervisor. Graduate programs in psychology typically use a mentorship approach to training; that is, most of your training is supervised by a single professor with whom you develop a close relationship, and this prof serves as your primary research supervisor and mentor. 

• In the summer/fall before you apply for a graduate program, contact potential supervisors that you may be interested in working with; check the department's web site to find out about their faculty research interest and read a few of the profs' articles to see if their research is interesting to you. 
  

• Make a connection with the prof -- this is essential. Don't send a bland form letter; make it personalized (e.g., "I learned about your research in my 3rd-year seminar course..." or "I read your recent article XYZ for my honors thesis research..."). Remember, the prof is trying to decide whether they want to invest 6 or more years of their career working with you and (often) large amounts of grant moneys to support you; this letter is your first chance to make a connection.
  
• Be professional in this email -- address the professor directly (e.g., "Dear Dr. Blank") and cite specific reasons why you would like to work with this prof.
  
• Be honest about your plans; don't say you are interested in cognitive neuroscience when you really want clinical.
  

• Here's a link to all the psychology departments in Canada -- browse the different department web sites to see what areas of research may be interesting to you.
  

• It is typically recommended that students do their graduate training in experimental or clinical psychology at a different school from their undergraduate university; this broadens the student's horizons/perspectives, experience base, and allows the student to work with someone whose research interests truly match their own. Indeed, many schools flat-out refuse to take their own undergrads into graduate programs. (And honestly, it's a great experience to take your undergrad training and mix with students from different academic backgrounds and to broaden your horizons!)

(6) References letters from 2 or 3 professors. 

(7) GRE scores. Applicants are also usually required to write some standardized tests (in Canada and the US, the main test is called the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE) prior to applying. It's a good idea to practice before taking the examination. (It seems to me that some schools place more, or less, emphasis on GRE scores. For example, doing well in undergraduate math/stats may reduce the impact of doing poorly on the math section of the GRE. But this seems to vary from school to school.)

• These tests usually need to be written in the summer or early fall before you apply for grad school -- so basically one year before you would start the program, if accepted.
  

• The GRE-General is a standardized test which assesses your language skills, math skills, and analytical skills. Scoring is relative, based on the percentage of the other test-takers that your score beats (i.e., a score of the 80th percentile means that your score was better than 80% of the other test-takers).
  

• Many schools also require applicants to take the GRE-Psychology test. This assesses the breadth of your knowledge in Psychology. Be sure to review your intro psych text and basic stats. 
  

• Information regarding the GRE is here.  

(8) Submitting the application on time. Applications are typically due in the December or January for admission in September -- so you have to be organized to make your application successful. It's a good idea to start to develop your skills base for a successful application in 2nd or 3rd year of your undergraduate degree. 

• Teaching assistantships -- also called "TA-ships." The student works as a TA, marking papers, leading tutorials, etc. Working as a TA is a terrific way for students to develop their teaching skills (there's nothing like being thrown right in the trenches!). 
  

• Research assistantships -- also called "RA-ships." The student assists a professor with a research project. This can be a good way for students to broaden the scope of their research experience and develop relationships with professors in addition to their primary mentor. 
  

• Institutional scholarships (scholarships offered by the university). Most universities offer a wide variety of scholarships for graduate students. Sometimes the student needs to apply for these scholarships; other times, the application is automatic with admission to the school's graduate program.
  

• Government scholarships -- Be sure to check what types of funding are available at the schools you are applying for; many schools require that their applicants have applied for all government scholarships for which they are eligible, prior to applying to their graduate program -- for example:
  

• National Sciences and Engineering Research Council -- known as NSERC (pronounced "en-serk") 
  
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council -- known as SSHRC (pronounced "shirk").
  
• Ontario Graduate Scholarship -- cleverly known as "O-G-S"
  

• Careers paths for psychology students - A great site; it's never to early to consider all your options
  
• Getting in to graduate school - This is terrific site from the APA 
• Current issues in psychology - Relating psychology to current issues in the news
• Dr. Hugh Foley's site (Skidmore College) - An overview of his advice for students considering grad school 
• And last but not least, the psychology department at Atkinson College at York University have a nice set of links for career ideas for students who want to work immediately after finishing their BA/BSc in psychology
  

University of Western Ontario
University of Waterloo
McGill University
University of Victoria

• Speech-language pathology
  
• Audiology
• Occupational therapy (OT)
  
• Physical therapy (PT)
  

• Ontario has five medical schools: McMaster University, University of Ottawa, Queen's University, University of Toronto, and University of Western Ontario (and a new program at the Northern Ontario Medical School).
  
• Admission to medical school in Ontario is centralized through the Ontario Medical School Application Service (OMSAS) -- check the OMSAS site for information and important dates.
• Each school has its own admissions requirements. Although medical schools typically require applicants to hold a bachelor's degree from the sciences (or certain science courses in undergrad) some medical schools (e.g., McMaster) do not require applicants to hold a BSc, but they often place heavy emphasis on academic excellence, references, and experience.
• Applicants to medical school are usually required to take a standardized test called the MCAT.

• Queen's University
• University of Ottawa
• University of Toronto
• University of Western Ontario
• University of Windsor
• York University - Osgoode Hall

• Law schools often require that applicants take a standardized test called the LSAT. 
• You can also check out information from all Canadian law schools at this site, including McGill, Dalhousie, UBC, and UVic. 
• The Ontario law schools have a centralized applications system. This site has important information and deadlines/dates.

• Applications information
  
• Remember that experience is important for applicants, such as volunteering in a classroom with the approximate age group you are interested in teaching.
  

• Industrial relations (IR) or human relations (HR) -- This may be an interesting field for psych students who enjoyed industrial/organizational psychology. The University of Toronto has a comprehensive listing of schools offering IR and HR degrees. For example, you can check out the MIR (Master's of Industrial Relations) degree offered at Queen's.
  
• Policy studies -- check the policy studies program at Queen's, for example.
  
• Business school/management -- e.g., an MBA (offered at many schools across Canada and the world).