Doctoral Application Procedures

Doctoral Application Deadline: December 1st

Admission is offered only once a year.  The program begins in the Fall semester.

Application Requirements

Applicants will be asked to submit the following items electronically.  The department will not accept hardcopy materials.

• Application Fee:  $50
• Three (3) Letters of Recommendation:  completed by professors or other professional who know you and your academic work sufficiently well to judge your qualifications for graduate study.  These are submitted electronically by your letter writers via the online application system.  An optional 4th letter is allowed.
• Professional Statement:  a one- or two-page, single- or double-spaced, professional statement describing your areas of interest in psychology, preparation for graduate school, and career goals.
• General GRE scores:  Applicants will be asked to self-report their scores in the online application system.  Applicants must also request their official score report be sent by ETS to institution code R1898.
• Writing Sample:  OPTIONAL.  Writing samples may include senior thesis, conference presentation, or publication.
• C.V. or Resume:  OPTIONAL. Applicants may upload a C.V. or Resume.
• Electronic Transcripts:  Applicants must upload transcripts from ALL previous institutions (including Wayne State, if you previously attended classes here). Transcripts may be official, unofficial, copies, or web print outs.
• Official Transcripts:  One set of official transcripts from ALL previous institutions (including Wayne State, if you previously attended classes here) must be sent directly to the address below.  Please note:  official transcripts can take several weeks to process.

Office of Graduate Admissions
Wayne State University
5057 Woodward Ave., Suite 6000
Detroit, MI 48202

Online Graduate Application and Additional University Requirements

http://www.gradadmissions.wayne.edu/

Application Timeline

Typically the department contacts the top applicants in late January to invite them to an open house/interview day which is held in late February. Offers of admission to the program are made in mid-March. Recipients have until April 15 to accept or reject our offers. Between April 15 and May 31 additional offers of financial aid and/or admission may be made. Persons selected as alternates will be notified of our final decision by May 31.

Checking on the Status of your Application 

Applicants are responsible for verifying that all application materials have been received via the online application checklist. 

If you make an error on your application or have a problem with the online application, please contact Graduate Admissions, 313-577-4723 or gradadmissions@wayne.edu.

If you need additional assistance, contact the Psychology Department Graduate Office, 313-577-2823 or aallen@wayne.edu.

Regarding Funding and Financial Support Documents

Admission to our Ph.D. program is contingent on receiving some form of funding through the university. We do not admit students unless we are able to provide either a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, a Graduate Research Assistantship, a fellowship, or some other form of financial support through the university.  Typical funding packages are a 9 month salary around $18,000, 10 credit tuition scholarship for the fall and winter semesters and 2 credits in the summer semester, as well as 12 month subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance.

Applicants to the doctoral programs, domestic and international, will automatically be considered for departmental Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships, Scholarships, and Fellowships.  Please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for other funding options.

International applicants may delay the submission of their Statement of Financial Support until after they learn they have been selected for admisstion.  Applications missing these documents will be evaluated by the normal process.

Contact Information

For questions concerning the application procedure or requirements for admission, please contact:

Alia Allen
313-577-2823
aallen@wayne.edu

You may contact any faculty member in the Psychology Department directly to discuss your interest in our graduate program. 

If you would like to speak with a faculty representative from one the major areas of specialization, you may contact them directly:

Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience: Dr. Scott Bowen,

ad4771@wayne.edu

Clinical Psychology Dr. Mark Lumley,

mlumley@wayne.edu

Developmental Psychology: Dr. Marjorie Beeghly,

beeghly@wayne.edu

Social-Personality Psychology:  Dr. Antonia Abbey,

ab8222@wayne.edu