Admission Requirements and Procedures

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Applications to the M.A. Programmes

Students who hold or are completing B.A. or B.Sc. degrees may apply for admission to either the research (general) or research & clinical training options at the master's level.   One requirement for admission is completion of an undergraduate honours program in psychology or an acceptable equivalent.   Students with other educational backgrounds, such as in cognitive sciences or neurosciences, will be considered for admission if they have gained relevant research experience.   If admitted, such students may be asked to take some extra undergraduate courses in psychology.

As mentioned, all students are expected to continue in our Ph.D. program after they complete the master's level requirements.

Students can determine for themselves if they have the equivalent to an honours undergraduate Psychology degree by using this checklist:  Honours-Equivalency-Checklist.pdf

Please note that, in accordance with the Canadian Psychological Association policy, after April 15 offers will be made only to applicants who state they are not committed to another department.   The CPA graduate guide website http://www.cpa.ca provides a complete description of the policy

Persons with visible handicaps and from ethnically diverse groups are encouraged to apply.

Applications to the Ph.D. Programme

Students who already have or are completing M.A. or M.Sc. degrees at other universities may apply as external applicants for admission to our Ph.D. program.   The requirements for admission include those for students who hold B.A. or B.Sc. degrees applying at the master's level, and completion of an M.A. or M.Sc. degree in psychology with thesis, or equivalent.   Applicants to the Ph.D. program should indicate whether they are also seeking clinical psychology training.   In this case, if they are admitted, their level of entry in the clinical training sequence, which begins with the Certificate in Clinical Psychology, will be determined in consultation with the Director of Clinical Training.

Applications from non Psychology Students

Students with other educational backgrounds, such as in cognitive sciences or neurosciences, can be considered for admission to the MA program if they have relevant research experience. However, admission into the MA program requires the equivalent of an honours undergraduate degree in psychology, and students with other educational backgrounds usually must take additional undergraduate courses in the major areas of psychology (developmental, clinical, cognitive, neurobiology) to provide an appropriate background.

In recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of psychology, students with non-psychology M.A. or M.Sc. degrees may also apply for admission to the Ph.D. program.   Such applicants should have completed a thesis that involved empirical research, and, if admitted, such applicants may be asked to complete background courses that the Ph.D. program director or research supervisor deem necessary.

I want to be a Psychologist!

...but I don't think I meet the requirements of having "an Honours Undergraduate degree in Psychology (BA or Bsc) with a high GPA" that is required for application to the graduate program in Psychology.

What are my options? (click here) FAQs

Selecting a potential Supervisor

All entering students must have a research supervisor; therefore all applicants must indicate the name of at least one faculty member with whom they wish to work. See Faculty Research Interests for descriptions of the research activities of faculty members, which should be carefully reviewed by all applicants. Prior to application, potential applicants sometimes find it advantageous to contact a preferred faculty member to determine whether he or she will be sponsoring new students for the academic year for which admission is requested.

Required Documents

All applicants must provide transcripts of their university academic records, three letters of recommendation, and their scores on the aptitude and advanced portions of the Graduate Record Examination (optional, but highly recommended).   The first-language of applicants is considered when their GRE scores are reviewed.   Applicants should write the GRE in October (or December at the latest) in order for their scores to reach us before our December 15th application deadline.   Please note that the institution code for Concordia University is 0956 and that the scores should be sent to the Sir George Williams campus.   Applicants who seek admission to the clinical training option must ask the authors of their recommendation letters to complete the supplemental form about the applicant's suitability for clinical work.   Applicants to the clinical training option are also interviewed about their research and career interests.

The minimum TOEFL admission requirement for doctoral programmes for international students whose first language is not English is a score of 550, or 213 on the computer-based TOEFL (or its equivalent in other standard tests).