Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply?
The application procedures are discussed here .
When can I apply?
Applications are accepted anytime, however, applications are reviewed only once a year and new students are accepted only for the fall semester. The application deadline is December 1 for the following fall.
What is the minimum grade-point average (GPA)?
There is no minimum. The admissions committee reviews all materials and makes decisions based on an applicant’s entire packet. Nevertheless, because we cannot accept everyone who applies, GPA is one component of the application packet that helps us make difficult decisions about who should be accepted.
What is the minimum graduate record exam (GRE) score?
There is no minimum and GRE scores are optional not required. The admissions committee reviews all materials and makes decisions based on an applicant’s entire packet and the inclusion of GRE scores is entirely up to the applicant (and not including scores will not be viewed negatively by the admissions committee).
Can I apply without having taken the GRE or if my GRE score is from more than 5 years ago?
Yes. GRE scores are entirely optional to include in the application packet. Please contact the graduate program director if you have questions about the GRE requirement. You can reach our graduate program director (Dr. Serafine) at kmserafine2@utep.edu.
What information should I include in my personal statement?
You should definitely discuss the program (e.g., Behavioral Neuroscience; Bilingualism, Language and Cognition; Health; Legal; Social) for which you are applying, what types of research you are interested in doing, and faculty members whose research interests you. Discuss anything else about your history such as previous research experience that might not be apparent in your other materials. It may also be useful to discuss your career plans.
Who should I ask to write letters of recommendation for me?
It is best to get letters from people who know you well and who know what it takes to successfully complete a graduate degree in Psychology. Thus, people with an advanced degree in Psychology are typically the best sources for letters (given that they know you well enough to assess your potential for success in graduate school and believe you can be successful!). People who have advanced degrees in disciplines other than Psychology can also provide good letters.
Is there a specific form for letters of recommendation?
No. Please ask the people writing your letter to clearly indicate your name in their letters and complete the online recommendation form. It is better if your application arrives before your letters of recommendation.
Can I visit your program and talk to faculty and students?
Applicants are free to visit at their own expense in consultation with the program; however, we invite short-listed applicants for a campus interview (usually in February). If you are interested in learning more about our program before you apply, you should contact faculty members whose research interests you. All of our faculty are happy to talk to prospective students and can make arrangements for you to visit and/or talk with others who can help answer your questions.
Can I still apply if I do not have a degree (B.A., B.S., or M.A.) in Psychology? Do I have to take undergraduate psychology courses before I apply or enroll in graduate courses?
Anyone with a bachelor’s degree in any field can apply to our program. Depending on what field your degree was in, you may or may not be asked to take psychology leveling coursework at the undergraduate level prior to starting in our program. A list of typical required leveling courses is available here includes a course in psychological statistics and 12 hours of upper-division courses in psychology including a course in experimental psychology. However successfully completing leveling courses in advance of applying does not guarantee acceptance into one of our programs, and could be cost prohibitive. For this reason it might be better to wait until you find out if you are accepted before enrolling in any leveling coursework, once you are under the advisement of the Psychology Graduate Program Director. That said, if you wish to take leveling coursework before applying, we recommend selecting options from the bottom of this link that are relevant for the area of concentration you plan to apply for, and that include courses in psychological statistics and experimental psychology.
I missed your application deadline, can I still take graduate level psychology classes next semester?
You can take graduate classes in Psychology for one semester as a non-degree graduate student, and with permission of both the course instructor and graduate program director. There are potential costs, however, to doing this. First, as a non-degree graduate student you will not be eligible for financial aid. Second, even if you do well in graduate Psychology courses as a non-degree student, there is no guarantee that you will be accepted into the graduate program. If you wish to become a non-degree seeking student at Â鶹¹ÙÍø please contact gradschooladmissions@utep.edu for more information and also visit this link:. Once you are enrolled as a non-degree student, you can also reach out to the instructor of the course for their permission to enroll, and once granted you can forward their email permission to PsychGradPrograms@utep.edu for Graduate Director/Departmental permission. The two courses we typically recommend considering as non-degree students are PSYC 6307 Applied Correlation and Regression Methods and PSYC 6308 Experimental Design and Analysis of Variance in Fall and Spring semesters, respectively. Additionally, PSYC 6334 Foundations of Research is another option to consider for non-degree credit.
Where can I take the GRE?
Information about the GRE can be found at the official .
How much is tuition?
Information on tuition and fees can be found at the graduate school site. All students who are employed by the University (all Ph.D. students and many M.A. students) are eligible to receive in-state tuition. Ph.D. students also receive $3000 tuition waiver each year. Also, all Ph.D. students are fully supported through Teaching and Research assistantships.
How long does it take to get an M.A. in Psychology?
Our Experimental M.A. requires 30 credits hours following a specific degree plan. Students admitted into our program will receive specific advising from the Department on courses to enroll in each semester. Coursework typically takes 2.5-3 years to complete (however, research timelines vary).
How many credit hours are required to get a M.A. in Psychology?
We have two different M.A. programs that differ in their required credit hours – the Clinical M.A. program requires 45 credit hours and the Experimental M.A. requires 30 credits.
How long does it take to get a Ph.D. in Psychology?
The time varies considerably among individuals primarily due to differences in how long it takes people to conduct and write their Thesis and\or Dissertation and whether or not the person had an M.A. before starting our Ph.D. program. That being said, people who enter with an M.A. typically finish in 2-½ to 4-½ years and people who enter the program without an M.A. typically finish in 4-½ to 6 years.
How many credit hours are required to get a Ph.D. in Psychology?
It takes 78 credit hours to get a doctorate in Psychology.
Do you offer any distance-learning courses?
No. A primary focus of all of our programs is teaching students how to do psychological research. This type of education requires extensive one-on-one collaboration with faculty and can only be done in person.
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
If you have more questions, please reach out to our graduate program director Dr. Katherine Serafine at kmserafine2@utep.edu.
What is the acceptance rate for this program?
We do not publish this information; however, our programs are relatively small. One of the best things you can do ahead of applying is to determine if there is a possible mentor you might like to work with. Our program is focused on supervised research activities, so determining who you might like to work with before you apply is an excellent first step, and we encourage you to contact them in advance. You can find a list of available faculty mentors and we also suggest mentioning these individuals (and why you would like to work with them) in your personal statement when you apply. Can I earn licensure to be a professional counselor in the state of Texas?
Since the licensure requirements often include coursework beyond our degree requirements for our masters program, it can be cost prohibitive to pursue licensure through our masters program in psychology. Specifically, students will likely have to take coursework beyond what is included in our program, which – since not part of the degree- might not be financial aid eligible enrollments. That said, if students are interested in pursuing licensure during our programs, they should consult with Dr. Craig Field for specific licensure-related inquiries at . If students are primarily interested in working with patients/clinical populations, there are other programs at Â鶹¹ÙÍø which might also be worth looking into (that are not housed in our Department), and that licensure might be more easily embedded into. These include the masters programs linked below:
- Master of Science (M.S.) in Mental Health Counseling
- Master of Rehabilitation Counseling
- Master of Social Work
I am interested in clinical psychology, does Â鶹¹ÙÍø offer a program in this area?
Unfortunately we do not have a Clinical Psychology PhD program at Â鶹¹ÙÍø, and our clinical psychology M.A. program is scheduled to close (we are no longer accepting applications for that program as of March 2024). Students interested in psychology research or research that is relevant to clinical populations, might also consider instead our experimental psychology M.A. and general psychology Ph.D. programs (for which clinical psychology coursework is included as options in the degree plans). Alternatively, students who are interested in counseling or working with patients can look into the below programs at Â鶹¹ÙÍø housed in other Departments:
- Master of Science (M.S.) in Mental Health Counseling
- Master of Rehabilitation Counseling
- Master of Social Work
I am not sure if graduate school in psychology is the right next step for me. Who can I talk to for advice or support?
We do not have the ability to provide individualized career guidance or support to prospective graduate students; however, below is a list of resources we think will help as you consider your next steps. • There are several blogs and websites focused on helping folks decide if graduate school is right for them. We do suggest a general google search but here are some specific blog posts we highly recommend to get you started: • • • This website has videos from faculty and students at Â鶹¹ÙÍø talking generally about our graduate programs, which might help you to watch as you consider these. • If you are a current or former Â鶹¹ÙÍø student we highly recommend reaching out to the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Career Center for individualized career guidance and support: