Application Requirements
All applicants for graduate study at George Mason University must meet the admission standards specified in the Admission chapter of the University Catalog.
Included with their application, all applicants must submit the materials required by the university listed on Application Requirements. Below are clarifications and additions for applicants to this program.
Applicants to the doctoral program in psychology must submit the following:
- Completed Department Form for PhD in Psychology
- Goals statement of two to three typed pages describing professional goals, training history, and reasons for seeking the PhD
- Three letters of recommendation from individuals who have firsthand knowledge of the applicant’s academic capabilities or work experience
- GRE scores (The test should be taken within the past five years and before the application deadline. Applicants should take the GRE by October because applications cannot be processed until these scores are received. The general test is required, but scores for the Advanced Test in Psychology may also be submitted. The concentration in clinical psychology recommends but does not require the psychology subject test.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials arrive before the application deadline. Applicants in the final candidate pool may be required to participate in an interview.
Applicants are expected to have the following background:
- For the PhD with a concentration in industrial/organizational psychology or in human factors/applied cognition, at least 15 credits in psychology, including a statistics course and a laboratory course in psychology. A tests and measurements course is recommended.
- For the PhD with a concentration in clinical psychology, at least 15 credits in psychology, including a statistics course, laboratory science course, and abnormal psychology. Courses in developmental psychology, personality, physiological psychology, and tests and measurements are desirable.
- For the PhD with a concentration in applied developmental psychology, at least 15 credits in psychology, including statistics and a laboratory course in experimental psychology. Courses in personality, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, and tests and measurements are also required for applicants to the school psychology concentration within the MA program.
- For the PhD with a concentration in biopsychology, at least 15 hours of psychology, including physiological psychology, statistics, and a lab course in experimental psychology.
The department does not usually consider applications that fail to meet the minimum criteria of 3.00 undergraduate GPA, 3.25 GPA in psychology course work, and combined GRE scores of 1,100. Applicants who meet this minimum receive continued consideration for the final candidate pool on the basis of experience, letters of recommendation, objective test scores, and (in some programs) an interview. No specific set of qualifications guarantees admission.
Application Deadlines
New students are admitted for fall semester only. Deadlines vary by concentration.
- Applied developmental psychology: December 1
- Biopsychology (Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience): January 1
- Clinical psychology: December 1
- Human factors/applied cognition: January 1
- Industrial/organizational psychology: December 15