Wayne State University Clinical Psychology

In selecting students for our doctoral programs, we do not set arbitrary minimums for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Grade Point Average (GPA) as these factors contribute only partially to our overall assessment of the application. Conversely, although high scores do not guarantee admission, they increase the probability of favorable consideration. Most students entering our program have performed well on these measures. A strong science background, both in psychology and the other sciences, and a strong math background help a candidate.

The Graduate School requires a GPA of at least a 3.0 for undergraduate course work (or graduate course work if the applicant has a master's degree); however, most students accepted into the program have grade points much higher than 3.0.

If your GPA is below a 3.0, you have two options: Complete a 2nd bachelors degree and earn a GPA higher than 3.0 or complete a Master's degree program without a minimum GPA admission requirement and earn a 3.0 or higher. If your GPA is above 3.0, but you earned poor marks in Psychology courses (especially stats, experimental, research methods courses) or Math and Science courses, you may want to consider retaking some of those to show competency. Retaking courses after you have graduated will not affect your final cumulative GPA.

The department requires the general GRE for admission. Typically, students selected for admission score above the 50th percentile on the individual sections: Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic Writing. Institution Code 1898, Department Code 2016.

Research Experience

Student-faculty match to program is an important consideration. Potential applicants should consider the interests and expertise of our faculty and compare them to their own educational goals. Even the best student would be ill served if accepted to a program without mentors who could facilitate and share their interests. The ideal applicant can identify one or more members of our faculty whose research matches their interests. Applicants are encouraged to have obtained experience in the conduct of psychological research, including interviewing participants, working on their own independent research projects, and even co-authoring presentations and publications with their faculty mentors.

Course Requirements

Although an undergraduate psychology major is not mandatory for admission, applicants must have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours in psychology, including a course in experimental psychology (with laboratory experience) and a psychology statistics course.

Transfer Students

A student may transfer as many courses as they wish, if deemed equivalent to courses at Wayne State University. Although, students obtaining a Master's degree must complete a minimum of 24 graduate credits, and Ph.D. students must complete at least 30 credits of coursework and 30 dissertation credits at Wayne State University.

The evaluation of course equivalency and/or Master's theses is handled on a case-by-case basis, and occurs ONLY AFTER the student has been admitted to the program. At a minimum, the student must provide the syllabi for the courses they wish to transfer. Clinical courses that are viewed as core training cores (e.g. assessment, therapy, etc) are never accepted from another university. This is because the APA program is an integrated program and because the training program is both ethically and legally responsible for you subsequent clinical activities. Thus, we cannot certify these courses from another program.

If the student has an empirical masters thesis, then that thesis is reviewed by the area faculty and, if deemed equivalent to one completed at Wayne State University, the student does not have to complete a second formal masters thesis. However, all graduate students are expected to be involved in research at all times - not merely as part of conducting a masters thesis or dissertation project.

Canadian Applicants

Wayne State University welcomes Canadian students and offers in-state tuition rates to Ontarians. Many of our students reside in Windsor and commute easily to campus. The campus is about a fifteen-minute drive from downtown Windsor. Canadian teaching and research assistants are paid in U.S. dollars (and receive tuition waivers), so they can take advantage of the exchange rate.

International Student Requirements

International Students are required to take the TOEFL or MELAB examination. A minimum TOEFL score of 550 (paper based) or 213 (computer based), 80 (internet based), or a minimum MELAB score of 85 is required for admission consideration. These exams are not necessary if an international applicant completes a baccalaurete degree at an accredited U.S. institution or in a country where English is the native language. Additional International Student Information and Requirements.