University of Calgary : Psychology (PSYC) Program

Psychology (PSYC) Program

1. Degrees and Specializations Offered Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Master of Science (MSc), thesis-based

2. Admission Requirements

The Department accepts applicants who plan to remain full-time to the completion of their degree. The program does not offer a part-time option.
In addition to Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

a) A four-year undergraduate degree in Psychology or related discipline.

b) A minimum admission grade point average of 3.40 on a four-point scale over the last 20 half-courses.

c) An undergraduate course in statistics/experimental design.

d) An acceptable score on the Graduate Record Examination (Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical) for students with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Students not having an undergraduate degree in Psychology must also write the Psychology Subject Test.

e) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a TOEFL score of 600 (written test), or 100 (internet-based test), an IELTS score of 7.5, a MELAB score of 84, or a PTE score of 70.

f) Two reference letters.

3. Application Deadline Deadlines for the submission of completed applications:
January 15 for May or September admission
October 1 for January admission

The Industrial Organizational Program accepts applications for a September start date only.

4. Advanced Credit The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process. Credit will not be given for course work taken as part of another completed degree/diploma or for courses taken to bring the grade point average to a required level for admission.

5. Program/Course Requirements

In addition to Faculties of Graduate Studies and Arts requirements, the Department requires:

Master of Science
Master's students must take no fewer than six half-courses, two of which must come from Psychology 607, 611, 613, 615, 617, or 619; and two of which must come from Psychology 620, 630, 700, 710, 720, 730, or 739 (these courses may be repeated for credit), over their 24-month program.

Doctor of Philosophy
Doctoral students shall take no fewer than six half-courses while in the program. The Supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Psychology, must approve all courses. Incoming doctoral students must demonstrate that they have an adequate background in statistics and methodology (including computer applications). Those needing remedial work may be required by the Department of Psychology to take particular courses.

6. Additional Requirements None.

7. Credit for Undergraduate Courses Credit may be given for 500-level undergraduate courses.

8. Time Limit Expected completion time is two years for the Master of Science program and three years for the doctoral program. (Particular circumstances can be taken in to account.)

9. Supervisory Assignments An interim supervisor is assigned to each student at the time of admission. In no case will a student be admitted if an appropriate supervisor is not expected to be available. The shift from interim to permanent supervisor formally takes place at the end of the first year. The Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Psychology, must approve the permanent supervisor.

10. Required Examinations A doctoral student will normally be required to take the candidacy examination within the first 17 - 20 months of the program. The candidacy examination has a written and an oral component. The written examination consists of a thesis research proposal that must be typed and 10 to 30 double-spaced pages (12 pt font, reference list extra). Students must consult with their supervisors. The oral examination questions will be based on the written thesis proposal and the candidacy reading list.

Final thesis oral examinations are open.

11. Research Proposal Requirements

Students whose research involves human subjects must receive approval from the appropriate departmental or University Ethics Review Committee before beginning data collection.

All Master of Science students must formally present a thesis proposal not more than 14 months after admission to the program. The proposal must be typed and 10 to 30 double-spaced pages (12 pt font, reference list extra). Students must consult with their supervisors. The supervisory committee must approve the thesis proposal.

All Doctor of Philosophy students must formally present a thesis proposal not more than 16 months after admission to the program. The proposal must be typed and 10 to 30 double-spaced pages (12 pt font, reference list extra). Students must consult with their supervisors. The supervisory committee must approve the thesis proposal.

12. Special Registration Information None.

13. Financial Assistance Financial assistance may be available to qualified students. For information on awards, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar.

Students applying for scholarships are advised to submit their applications to the Department by January 15.

14. Other Information Initial inquiries may be made to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Psychology.

15. Faculty Members/Research Interests The active research interests of the faculty can be found at http://www.psychology.ucalgary.ca.

UofC " This Is Now