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We offer two graduate degrees:

1. Ph.D. in Psychology
2. M.A. in Experimental Psychology

Because all of our graduate programs focus on research and require extensive one-on-one contact between faculty and students, we can accept only a limited number of students each year. Admission is competitive, and admission recommendations are made by a committee that carefully reviews each applicant's academic history, performance, and interests. To be admitted, one must have a bachelor's degree (or the equivalent for non-U.S. students) from an accredited university. Students who are still working on their bachelor's degree and who will complete it before starting graduate work are given full consideration. Individuals who do not have a degree in psychology are also given full consideration, but admission may be conditional on satisfactorily completing a few undergraduate psychology courses.

We accept students once a year. New students are admitted only during the fall semester and applications for fall admission are due December 1st.

If you are interested in applying, please submit the following materials to the ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ graduate school application portal:

• A ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ graduate school ;
• Official transcript(s) for all academic work;
• A two- to three-page personal statement outlining your experiences, skills, and training. In addition, please indicate which concentration you are applying to, indicate faculty with whom you would like to work, and include your career goals and how this specific program will benefit your professional development;
• Three letters of recommendation;
• Application processing fee (paid electronically through the admissions portal): $45.00 for U.S. citizens/permanent residents or $80.00 for international applicants.
• Optional: Official  General Test scores from ETS taken within the last five years. *if you have questions about the GRE requirement, reach out to our ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Program Director, but the scores are optional and not required for application.
• Official scores for international students.

If you have general questions about applying to ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ, you can contact the graduate school. If you have specific questions on any of the Psychology programs, you can email the graduate program director Dr. Katherine Serafine (kmserafine2@utep.edu). In all correspondence, please indicate the program in which you are interested or for which you are applying (Ph.D. in General Psychology or M.A. in Experimental Psychology).

*Note that we are no longer accepting applications for the M.A. in Clinical Psychology Program. Students who were interested in that program can find additional resources on the linked page for alternative programs at ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ to consider, including our other programs in the Department of Psychology.

Applications are accepted once per year for fall admission. To be considered, applicants must submit all required documents by December 1. Departmental decisions regarding applications are made by the ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Admissions Committee. Admission is competitive and limited by Departmental resources.

Minimum Requirements

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited university.
• Satisfactory undergraduate grade point average in all upper-division courses and all psychology courses.
• Satisfactory scores on the ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Record.
• Optional: Examination (GRE) General Test within the last 5 years. *this is not required. If you have questions about the GRE reach out to the program director, Dr. Serafine (kmserafine2@utep.edu)
• For international students, proficiency in English and as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL); minimum score is 600 (250 computerized).
• Three letters of recommendation.
• A 2-3 page personal statement outlining your experience, skills and training; your career goals; and how this specific program will benefit your professional development.

Leveling Requirements

Before beginning their first semester in the ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Psychology graduate program, all PhD and MA students must complete the following leveling (preparatory) undergraduate courses:

1. Introductory Statistics in Psychology,
2. Experimental Psychology (or a psychology course in Experimental Design, Research Methods, or other equivalent topic), and
3. 9 additional hours of upper-division psychology courses.

Students who have not yet met these course requirements may apply for admission to the program, but must complete all leveling courses before actually beginning the program. If you have questions about leveling courses you can contact our ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ Program Director.

Upper Division courses in Psychology at ³ÉÈËÍ·Ìõ are listed below. For the leveling requirement, students must take courses from this list or their equivalent:

PSYC 3315 Psychology and the Law

PSYC 3320 Learning and Memory

PSYC 3330 Sensation and Perception

PSYC 3331 Cross-Cultural Psychology

PSYC 3346 Drugs of Abuse and Behavior

PSYC 3347 Behavior Modification

PSYC 3348 Cognitive Psychology

PSYC 3350 Health Psychology

PSYC 4301 Psychological Testing

PSYC 4309 History & Systems of Psychology

PSYC 4311 Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology

PSYC 4312 Advanced Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 4376 Language and Cognition

PSYC 4317 Advanced Statistics

PSYC 4321 Judgment and Decision Making

PSYC 4324 Psychobiology

PSYC 4341 Motivation and Emotion

PSYC 4343 Seminar in Meta-analysis