Admission Requirements
Please refer to Admissions Requirements for all programs on the University web site.
Interview policy
The Clinical Psychology Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston receives approximately 300 applications a year. From this applicant pool, we undertake an extensive review of applications and invite 35 to 40 people for a day long interview. Unfortunately, due to the size of our applicant pool our policy is that Clinical Faculty do not conduct interviews with applicants who have not undergone our review process and been invited for an interview. We appreciate your interest in our program.
Application deadlines and information
Students are admitted to the Clinical Psychology Program to work toward the Ph.D. degree only; the program does not offer a terminal master's degree. Applications are due in the Graduate Admissions Office by December 1 for enrollment the following September. There are no spring semester admissions in the Clinical Psychology Program.
The Clinical Psychology Program is especially interested in receiving applications from individuals who have had background experience in some human service field, or have worked in a mental health setting, and who have had research experience. Highly qualified applicants who have a demonstrated commitment to a career serving the needs of urban populations will be given priority. In keeping with the mission of the University, and the particular emphases in the program, individuals from a variety of ethnic and minority backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
Mentor selection
Another important criterion for admission is the fit between student research interests and the research interests of the faculty teaching in the program. During the admissions process, each student is matched with a faculty research mentor, based on his or her research and clinical interests. The research mentor works closely with the student, helping to plan course work and select practicum opportunities as well as guiding the student's research training.
The admissions committee schedules interviews for all finalists once applications have been reviewed. Interviews are considered an important part of the application process. Whenever possible, they are held on campus. The program expects to admit eight to 10 students each year.
Requirements and supplemental materials
All materials submitted in addition to the completed Graduate Application Form (On the university web site) should be submitted on plain, white U.S. letter-size paper. The applicant's name and social security number should be on each page submitted.
In addition to completing the application, students must also meet the following requirements:
1. A minimum of 6 courses in psychology, or a closely related social science field, including a course in statistics.
2. Scores on the general aptitude (verbal, quantitative, and analytic) and advanced psychology sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required.
3. Please visit http://mirror.www.umb.edu/academics/cla/dept/psychology/FacultyMentor1.html for an updated list of faculty mentors. On separate sheet of paper, please,
a) List up to three faculty members you would like to work with.
b) Indicate which of the broad areas (developmental, cultural, or biopsychosocial) describes your own research interest.
c) summarize these interests in no more than two sentences.
4. Please compute a grade point average for the last 60 semester hours (i.e., the last half, or last two full-time equivalent years) of your undergraduate work. Include grades for all courses you took during this period.
5. Please list all the college-level psychology courses you have taken at any time, the institutions at which you took them, and the grades you received. Please also compute a grade point average for these psychology courses (and only these courses).
6. Please list all special honors or awards you have received for academic achievement and explain why they were awarded.
7. A resume or curriculum vitae.
8. A 1000-word Biographical Sketch and Statement of interests and goals on plain, white U.S. letter-size paper. This statement, to be typed and submitted on plain, white, U.S. letter-size paper, serves in place of the statement of interests and intent referred to on the Graduate Application Form and the General Graduate Admissions Requirements.
Biographical sketch and statement of interests and goals
Please provide an essay of about 1,000 words. It should include a brief autobiographical sketch, and should also address the following:
- What are your career objectives?
- How will a PhD in clinical psychology advance those objectives?
- In what ways does the UMass Boston Clinical Psychology Program address your particular academic, career, and personal goals?
- What do you foresee as your primary activity five years after receiving your PhD degree?
- What professional and academic experiences, and what experiences in the rest of your life have especially prepared you for the challenges of graduate school and for a career in clinical psychology?
- What personal strengths do you bring to your graduate level studies?
- What personal limitations or hurdles must you address in order to complete graduate school?
- What research, relevant to the Clinical Psychology Program, are you interested in pursuing at UMass Boston?
- What research experiences of yours have prepared you for research work in the Clinical Psychology Program?
- Please describe a published work (e.g., an empirical study, a theoretical paper, a book) in psychology or a related field that has had a significant impact on your thinking. Explain why you found this work so meaningful.
- Are there any aspects of your application that you would like to expand on or explain?
About test scores
The Clinical Psychology Program requires applicants to submit scores on the general aptitude (verbal, quantitative, and analytic) and advanced psychology sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
About deadlines
Students are admitted to the Clinical Psychology Program to work toward the Ph.D. degree only; the program does not offer a terminal master's degree. Applications are due in the Graduate Admissions Office by December 1 for enrollment the following September. There are no spring semester admissions in the Clinical Psychology Program.