Graduate Programs
Applying for Graduate School in Psychology, Human Development, Family Studies and other Social Science Disciplines—Frequently Asked Questions
How do I select a graduate program?
The most important issue to consider when applying to graduate school is finding a program that fits your interests. Sometimes students focus on the reputation of a university or the rankings of a program and ignore the match between what they are interested in and the program.
You should start by thinking about what courses you have been the most interested in or what topics have you selected for doing research papers for class. This should help you think about the areas you are interested in. You might also have read the articles of several researchers and found these to be of interest. These can be clues to your areas of interest. They may be broad or narrow, but this is a good place to start.
Another consideration in thinking about graduate school is whether you want to be a professor and work at a university, do research, or whether your interests are more applied such as counseling, therapy, program administration and so forth. If you have applied interests, you want to look for programs that will specifically prepare you with these skills.
Do rankings by U.S. News & World Report mean anything about the quality of a graduate program?
The rankings provided by U.S. News & World Report as well as by other organizations provide some general information about the reputations of programs, but they are a very incomplete guide for considering graduate school. The “best” program for you is a program that fits your educational and professional goals and is one that matches your lifestyle and financial situation. No ranking can provide that information.
How can I tell if a graduate program is a good program or not?
The most important criteria for deciding whether a program is good or not is whether the program matches your graduation education goals. This seems obvious, but students sometimes get caught up with rankings and reputations and can make choices that don't help them achieve their educational or professional goals. (See the questions about becoming a professor, a researcher, a policymaker or administrator, or a clinician for more information about characteristics of graduate programs that fit these professional goals.)
Here are some general indicators of the high-quality graduate programs:
- They have a clear purpose and orientation, for example, they don't promise to meet any or all professional goals, but indicate their focus on research, teaching, practice, policy, therapy, etc. Programs with undefined missions are not likely to do a good job at anything.
- Students in high-quality graduate programs should complete programs in a timely fashion. Also, most of their students should finish. A programs that has a large number of students who never finish their degrees is a very bad sign.
- High quality programs should provide many opportunities to support their students with scholarships, teaching or research assistantships. Assistantships in particular are important ways for students to gain supervised experience and develop critical advanced skills so these opportunities strengthened the student's success.
- High quality programs should be responsive to inquires from prospective students. A good indicator of what your graduate student experience is going to be like is how responsive people are to your questions and requests.
How can I find out more about a graduate program's particular orientation or specialty areas?
Guides to graduate programs in print or online are a good place to find out general information about program specialties, but you should also read information provided by the programs themselves on their web sites or through their printed materials.
What are some sources of information about graduate programs in psychology, human development, family studies and sociology?
There are both books and web sites that provide information about graduate programs in the social sciences. Here are a few. Libraries and career centers will have many other helpful resources.
Psychology
Graduate Study in Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (published at least every other year.) Web site: http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/
Human Development & Family Studies
Hans, J. Graduate and Undergraduate Study in Marriage and Family. Columbia, MO: Family Scholar Publications. Web site: http://familyscholar.com/
Social Work
Thyer, B. A. & Arnold, T. G. (2003). A program guide for doctoral study in social work.
Web sites: Council on Social Work Education http://www.cswe.org/ Provides a list of accredited Master's degree programs. The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education provides a list of doctoral programs in social work. http://web.uconn.edu/gade/
Sociology
2005 Guide to Graduate Departments of Sociology. Available from American Sociological Association at: http://asa.internetgravity.com/page.ww?section=Students&name=Students+3-column
Should I get a Master's degree or a Ph.D. (doctoral degree)?
A Ph.D. (doctoral degree) is usually a research-focused degree that is required to work in most college or university settings. There are also some administrative, research or policy positions that may require a Ph.D. The Master's degree is often more of an applied degree. For example, social workers earn a Master's of Social Work ( MSW ) that is required in many social service, school and hospital settings. Teachers and other program administrators often earn Master's degrees which qualify them for increased pay or more advance positions. A Master's degree can also be a good opportunity to develop your research skills so that you can be more competitive when applying to a doctoral program.
I am interested in research, what should I look for in a graduate program?
If you want a career in research you will need to earn a doctoral degree in most cases. The Ph.D. is really a “research” degree. In looking for a doctoral program you need to look for a program that has an emphasis on research. There will be many programs. One of the most important ways you will gain research experience is having the opportunity to work closely with faculty in research assistantship positions. In reviewing doctoral programs, look closely at how many opportunities there are to obtain assistantships, what percentage of students are currently on research (not teaching) assistantships. Another factor is the extent to which research methodology and data analysis (both quantitative and qualitative) is being offered. A good research program should have many opportunities for students to gain knowledge and practice in methods and data analysis. One of the most telling factors about a strong research program is the extent to which graduate students present papers at national meetings and publish their research. Again you should be able to get a list of papers published by students or ask about what percentage of students present or publish papers.
I am interested in being a college professor, what should I look for in a graduate program?
Most faculty positions in colleges and universities require a Ph.D. degree these days so you definitely need to look for a doctoral program. A good program that prepares students for faculty positions should have a strong record of students taking faculty positions so find out what percentage of graduate students have been placed in faculty positions. A strong doctoral program that prepares students for careers as faculty will include opportunities to learn how to be an effective teacher and how to do research. (See “research” for more about high quality graduate research programs.) This means looking for programs that have opportunities for both teaching and research assistantships. You are not just interested in whether they have these opportunities, but you are interested in what percentage of students gets both types of opportunities. Also, in regard to learning how to teach you should ask about the types of mentoring and/or support is offered to students who are working as teaching assistants. Strong programs will have specific ways to prepare students for strong careers in teaching. Other evidence about a strong program that prepares students for teaching would be evidence that teaching assistants are receiving strong ratings on teaching evaluations and/or teaching awards. Again strong programs will likely have students who have strong teaching evaluations and receive awards.
I am interested in applied work for program development, program evaluation, or policy, what should I look for in a graduate program?
Programs that have an emphasis on program development, program evaluation and policy should have a well developed track record of placing students in these types of positions so ask about placement of graduate students in these types of positions. Another critical factor in this type of professional development is opportunities for graduate students to participate in program development, evaluation and policy. These opportunities may be in conjunction with faculty who are engaged in these activities or the program may have practicum or internship programs with these opportunities. Strong programs will have various types of opportunities like this.
I am interested in working directly with people such as therapy or counseling, what should I look for in a graduate program?
High quality programs in therapy or counseling should have a strong record of placing students in these types of positions so the first indicator is student placement. Clinical and counseling programs are among the most competitive graduate programs and good programs are connected to professional associations that maintain high program standards. There are a number of professional associations that accredit these programs including the American Psychological Association (clinical, counseling and school psychologists) http://www.apa.org/, National Association of Social Workers (clinical social workers, school social workers) http://www.naswdc.org/ , American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (marriage therapists, counselors, family therapists) http://www.aamft.org/. Each of these associations provides lists of accredited programs and will often have information about programs that are on probation or that may have had other types of issues. A good first place to start your quest for clinical programs is with these associations.
Should I visit a program before agreeing to attend?
A decision to go to graduate school is a major life choice. Although you can find out lots of information online, through email and the telephone, you may want to make a visit to those programs that have admitted you. Some programs will provide some financial support for this visit, so make sure you ask about help financing the visit. However, even if they don't provide support, it is in your best interests to know as much as you can about the program.
Can I contact faculty members directly about working with them in a graduate program?
Yes, if faculty provide email addresses and telephone numbers you can contact them directly. It is a good idea to do some preparation before you make this contact. Read the material that they provide online so you know what they do. If they list publications or other information about their research or clinical work, make sure you have read this information first so that you know more about what they do. After you have found out more about their work tell them about your interests in further graduate training and your professional goals, then here are some sample questions you might ask:
- Do you plan to accept any students this next year to work with you?
- What types of projects are you currently working on that I would have a chance to work on?
- Are there any special skills (e.g., clinical skills, computer skills, data analysis techniques, etc.) or areas of knowledge that I should have to work more effectively with you?
- Can you tell me the types of activities that your current students are doing?
- Would one or more of your students be willing to talk to me about being a graduate student in your program?
Remember faculty may want you to work with a Graduate Program Coordinator or someone else to get answers to general questions about the program so don't be surprised if you get referred someone else. In most cases you may want to make your first contact with the Graduate Program Coordinator and then follow-up with faculty after you get your general questions answered.
Preparing for Graduate School
What courses should I take to strengthen my ability to get into graduate school?
The types of courses that will strengthen your application for graduate school will partly depend on the type of graduate program (research, faculty, clinical, etc.), but in general you should seek courses that will give the types of skills that match your long-term professional goals. For example, if you want to work directly with children or families in a clinical setting, then look for courses that will give you these skills or seek an independent study opportunity in your area of interest. If you are interested in research, then take statistics courses, research methods and look for independent study opportunities in research.
Most graduate programs require you to take the Graduate Record Examination and will expect you to provide these test scores as a part of your application. Most programs use this as only one factor in determining admission, but more competitive programs that have many applicants are more likely to use these scores in their admissions decisions. You should prepare for these exams and be prepared to take the test more than once to make sure that you have your best possible score.
You can take the Graduate Record Exam more than once. Most students will benefit from some practice or preparation for taking these exams. There are good self-instruction books, online help resources and many campuses may offer short courses as well. This is probably a good investment.
How should I prepare for the GRE?
Most students will benefit from some practice or preparation for taking these exams. There are good self-instruction books, online help resources and many campuses may offer short courses as well. This is probably a good investment.
My grades were low in my freshman year and this hurts my overall GPA, will this matter?
Most admissions committees look at your complete transcript when make admissions decisions, but it is always a good idea to explain any issues such as low grades in a cover letter.
What are graduate admissions committees looking for beyond grades and test scores?
Graduate admissions committees are often looking for factors beyond grades and test scores when making decisions. They are looking for a good match between the program and the student's interests. For example, if the doctoral program is research-focused, then the committee will be looking for students with research experience, computer and statistics skills, and an interest in research topics that match those of faculty. If the program is focused on therapy or counseling, then the admissions committee will look for experience in social service agencies or other settings that may foster strong interpersonal skills.
Graduate admissions committees are often also interested in finding out if students self-directed in their learning and show evidence of seeking special learning opportunities. Students who seek experience working with faculty on research or clinical projects would be of interest to an admissions committee.
What is the TOEFL and why do I need this?
The TOEFL is the Test of English as Foreign Language. This is a test prepared by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) http://www.ets.org/toefl/ to assess the English language abilities of international students from non-English speaking countries who are applying for U.S. based graduate programs. These tests are often required for admission. Since U.S. based graduate programs are taught in English it is important for international students to have excellent speaking and writing skills in English in order to succeed in these programs.
Many applications ask for a statement of interests, what is it important to say?
The most important part of the application may be the statement of interests or personal statement. Graduate admissions committees are looking for good students who will fit the particular graduate program and your statement of interests is helpful in making this match. In this statement you should be honest about your specific interests. If you are applying to a program, you should know enough about the program's orientation that you can explain how your interests match those of the program. If there is one or more specific faculty with interests that match yours, then you should explain this.
How important are letters of recommendation when applying to graduate school?
Letters of recommendation can be very important in your graduate school application. It is important to select faculty members and other individuals that can write letters about your particular interests and abilities in regards to the program. For example, if you are applying to a clinical program it may be helpful to have someone who can write about your interpersonal skills and your ability to work with people. On the other hand, if you are applying to a program that emphasizes quantitative methods, then you may want your statistics professor to write you a letter. If you plan on going to graduate school, you should begin thinking about professors and others who can write letters. You will probably need 3 or more letters. To help the people who are writing the letters, provide the complete address and other information that they will need to write a letter. Include your resume, a copy of your transcript, your statement of interests that you plan to submit with your application and anything else that will help the letter write emphasize the particular skills and knowledge that you have in regards to the application.
Financial Aid for Graduate School
How do I get financial support for graduate school?
Many graduate programs offer some types of financial support for graduate school including loans, fellowships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships. As you read about graduate programs there should be information about applying for this type of assistance and information about what percentage of students receive this type of aid. It is important to understand how this works because at many schools, assistantships will also mean lower tuition.
Some schools offer a tuition waiver or tuition remission, what is this?
At some universities all or most of the tuition is waived for students who receive assistantships. This means that students not only receive a stipend for their assistantship, but they may also have less tuition to pay. Not having to pay $10,000- 20,000 in tuition can make a big difference in whether or not you can afford to go to graduate school.