Admissions

The Experimental Psychology program typically admits 2-6 new graduate students each year (in the Fall), and has approximately 15-20 students in the program at any one time. Students are typically fulltime, and matriculate at the WSU campus at which their major research advisor is located (Pullman, Vancouver, Tri-Cities, or Spokane). Faculty review applications and make admissions recommendations to the DET.

Admission Requirements:

• Completed at least 18 credits in Psychology or in area of study related to their Psychology research specialty.
• Earned at least 3.00 cumulative undergraduate GPA.
• A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation (at least 2 of which must come from a faculty member in a university or medical setting).

For those who meet the above qualifications, evaluation of the application is based on:

• Undergraduate GPA (3.0 minimum; average of admitted students is approximately 3.5)
• Graduate GPA, if any
• Unofficial transcripts
• Letters of recommendation
• Research experience and productivity (e.g., co- or first author on conference presentation, peer-reviewed publications, grants, etc.)
• Background in statistics and experimental methods
• Teaching experience, if any
• The variety and difficulty of coursework completed, with the expectation that the student has completed a large number of upper-division courses both within and outside of the major
• Demonstrated ability to function independently and responsibly
• Goodness of fit in terms of research interests, with one or more WSU Experimental Psychology core faculty (read more about goodness of fit below)

The GRE is currently not required and is not considered in application evaluations.

Goodness of fit: The extent to which the applicant’s interests match those of the faculty is very important; applicants should discuss with whom they would like to study and why in their personal statements. Applicants should contact prospective advisor(s) to discuss shared interests and determine whether the prospective advisor intends to recruit a new student during that application year. Every effort is made to evaluate each applicant individually; applicants who have special skills or qualifications that they feel strengthen their application are encouraged to state them in the personal statement.

Faculty are selective in the admission process because they expect that students admitted to the program will complete the PhD, rather than admitting a large entering class with the intent to winnow the class at the end of the first or second year. Our goal is to provide the research mentorship, instruction and financial support needed for every student to become a skilled experimental psychologist and to earn their PhD in a timely manner.

The Experimental Psychology PhD program at Washington State University admits students based on a careful assessment of their potential as psychologists, without regard to race, sex, or creed. The program welcomes applications from those who feel they are qualified, and who have identified one or more faculty whose research interests closely match their own.

International students please review the information in this link: International Graduate Student Admission Information | The Graduate School | Washington State University (wsu.edu)