Admissions Info | Michigan State University

Students may obtain a PhD in Psychology from Michigan State University by focusing their scholarship within one of the six research areas. Admission decisions are made by each of our six areas separately, although the application process is same across our department. We recommend learning about the programs, and contacting individual faculty members whose research interests match your own.

Note:

We do not offer on-campus terminal master's degrees. Students enter the program with the intent of earning their PhD, and earn a master's degree while working towards the PhD.
We do not offer an online PhD program.

Take some time to review the pages below that describe the application process. If you have questions after you review those, please feel free to contact our academic program coordinator Parryss Carter-McGee for more information.

Admissions Standards

Our department uses a holistic decision-making process – we make our decisions based on considering all the information you provide as we want to consider the whole person and all you would bring to our program. Admissions decisions are made by the faculty in each Area, based on the pool of applicants in a given year and available openings. Because we offer funding to all our admitted applicants, we only admit a small number of students in any given year. The following serve as general guidelines based on the past history of applicants who were admitted. Applicants are admitted to the program only if judged to be qualified to complete the doctoral degree.

General Standards:

Completion of a level of education comparable to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree.
A grade-point average of 3.20 or better during the last two full years of undergraduate study.
A major in psychology or relevant background coursework in the area of interest, including courses in statistics.
Favorable evaluations of the applicant by at least three referees, preferably instructors and research mentors in the applicant's undergraduate major.
Meeting university requirements for English language proficiency.
Submitting GRE scores is optional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Curious about becoming a graduate student in the clinical science research area at MSU? Explore these frequently asked questions below.

Checklist for Application

Prepare your materials
1. Write your statement of purpose/intent.
2. Ask three individuals to prepare letters of recommendation for you. They will be sent links directly by MSU. You just need to make sure you have their consent, names and email addresses.
3. Consider taking the GRE General Test (GRE scores are NOT required)
  1. Taking the GRE by computer makes scheduling easy. However, if you are in a location which only offers standard paper exams, we recommend you take the test no later than October.
  2. There is a discount offered by ETS. There is also a fee reduction request from ETS.
  3. Send GRE test scores to MSU using the Institution Code 1465 and the Department Code 2001.
Fill out the University Application.
1. Click here for important notes on filling out the graduate application in MSU's system.
2. For eligibility for an application fee waiver, please click here.
3. Upload Statement of Intent/Purpose to University Application
Request an official electronic transcript from your university.
1. Electronic transcripts are preferred and can be sent to Parryss Carter-McGee at carte414@msu.edu. If you need to send a paper copy, please send it to:
  
  Parryss Carter-McGee
  Psychology Building, Room 240E
  316 Physics Rd.,
  East Lansing, MI 48824
2. Initially, you may upload an unofficial copy of your transcript, so your application can move forward for review, but an official university copy is required before final decisions are made. It must be an official copy sent from the university. Emailed copies from a student are not an official transcript.
3. If you are an international student, we recognize that the process of sending an official transcript might be more delayed and we encourage you to upload an unofficial copy to facilitate reviewing your file.

International Applicants

The Department of Psychology welcomes graduate students from around the globe. Our department embraces the cross-cultural learnings that come with having students from many countries, and the university provides a supportive environment for international students.

Please visit the Graduate School website, specifically the Graduate School International Applicants Information page for information regarding the following:

Financial Proof
Non-English Transcripts
Visa Information
US Degree Equivalency
Information on GRE Scores
English Language Competency
General Visa Resource

Office for International Students and Scholars
Michigan State University
International Center
427 N. Shaw Lane, Room 105
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: 517-353-1720
Fax: 517-355-4657
oiss@msu.edu

FINANCIAL PROOF:

Our department supports our students with research or teaching assistantships, so financial proof is not required when applying to our department. Any student admitted to our program receives guaranteed funding with a Graduate Assistantship for 4 years. So you do not need to provide any proof in your application.

TRANSCRIPTS and DEGREES:

Admission to a program leading to a master’s or doctoral degree requires completion of a level of education comparable to a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree. High scholastic standing and suitable preparation for the intended field of study are also considered. Normally, Michigan State University does not accept three-year bachelor’s degrees, diplomas or certificates as comparable to a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree.