Frequently Asked Questions
We offer a single terminal master's degree, which is the Master's in Applied Psychology.
Applications to our doctoral program are made through the admissions portal on the Graduate College website. The Graduate College's application allows applicants to upload an optional video. The Psychology doctoral program will NOT be using the video to make admissions decisions and, in fact, will not be looking at any video materials. You are advised to skip this portion of the application. All other portions are required.
No, we do not accept contingent applications.
You are not required to complete a background check in order to apply to the doctoral program. Should you be admitted to the clinical training program and indicate your intent to matriculate into the program, you will be required to complete a background check, the cost of which will be reimbursed. We are required to conduct background checks prior to clinical students providing services in our departmental clinic, which is a mandatory training experience in the first year.
We do not offer a part-time doctoral program; all students must be devoted full-time to their training.
No, GRE scores are neither required nor reviewed.
On average, our clinical students complete their degrees in 6 years (including the internship year) and our experimental students in 5 years.
A listing of faculty that are potentially interested in recruiting new students can be found on our faculty recruitment page.
Our program is structured according to a mentor model in which students work primarily under one faculty member. Thus, it is to your advantage to review the research interests of the faculty members who are recruiting students prior to applying. You may choose to identify a faculty mentor with whom you are interested in working with. However, you are not required to identify potential mentors in your application.
The deadline to apply for the PhD in Psychology program is December 5, and the deadline to apply for the Master's of Applied Psychology program is January 15.
Your personal statement, which you will be asked to upload when you apply online through the Graduate School, can be structured in any way that you choose, but we suggest that you be sure to include descriptions of your relevant experience (particularly research experience), professional goals, and reasons for selecting this particular doctoral program. Typically personal statements are 2-3 pages long, do not include a cover letter, use Times New Roman 12-point font or Arial 11-point font, and are double-spaced.
The Doctoral Psychology program and Master's of Applied Psychology program only accept incoming students for fall semester. When applying, select the term that is listed under "Fall" for the upcoming year.
If you are seeking general information about professional training in clinical psychology or about our department's program specifically, please plan to attend a group meeting with Dr. Cathy Stough. Anyone inside or outside the UC community is welcome to attend. These meetings will be small and informal and will be structured primarily as question and answer sessions. For a scheulde of upcoming open meetings, visit our information sessions page.
Many of our students earn a master's degree as part of their doctoral training. However, we do not admit students who are seeking a terminal master's degree. Those students who enter the program after having earned a master's degree from another institution may be considered for exemption from this requirement. For those seeking a terminal master’s degree, learn more about our Master’s in Applied Psychology program.
If you have completed an empirical thesis in another program, you may petition to have your thesis requirement waived; each thesis is evaluated on a case-by-case basis for comparability to our departmental requirements.
It is preferred but not required that applicants have baccalaureate degrees in Psychology. At a minimum, applicants are required to have had one course in research methods in the behavioral or social sciences and one course in statistical methods. For the clinical program, applicants must have had a minimum of 24 quarter credit hours or 16 semester credit hours in non-introductory psychology courses, including the research methods and statistics courses mentioned above. Applicants without an undergraduate degree in Psychology are strongly encouraged to consider how their academic experience could translate to research and practice in the field of Psychology.
Please contact Dr. Paula Silva, Co-Director of Graduate Studies, at silvapa@ucmail.uc.edu for questions about the Behavioral Sciences (CAP) program or Dr. Stacie Furst-Holloway, Director of MA in Psychology and CORA programs, at furstse@ucmail.uc.edu for questions about the Community and Organizational Research for Action (CORA) program.
Certain course requirements may be waived if you have completed similar coursework at another institution. However, clinical students are not permitted to exempt the core clinical coursework and all courses will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Applications must be completed online through the Graduate College. If you have questions about applying to our program, please contact our Psychology Graduate Program at PsyGProg@uc.edu or by phone at 513-556-5539.
Interviews for admission occur in late February or early March and are by invitation.
When you apply through the Graduate College website, you will be asked to upload an unofficial transcript from all colleges you have attended. Official transcripts are only required upon acceptance into the Doctoral program in Psychology. Please see the Graduate College website for more information on the official transcript submission policy.