Dear Potential Applicant,

Thank you for expressing interest in the University of South Florida (USF) doctoral training programs in Psychology. We offer the doctorate in three areas, Clinical, Experimental, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology, but we do not offer a terminal masters degree in any area. Because of the high cost of copying and mailing applications, we would like to first provide you with an overview of the department. If you are interested in applying to one of our programs in Psychology after reading this material, please fill out the last page of this letter and return it to us. You are also invited to visit our home page on the world wide web (http://www.usf.edu/psychology).

If you choose to apply to USF, applications must be received in the Psychology Department (including three letters of reference, General GRE scores, all graduate and undergraduate transcripts, personal statement, application, and $20 application fee) by January 15th. The advanced GRE in Psychology is strongly encouraged, but not required. We only accept graduate students for fall admission each year and the January 15th deadline is followed strictly. GRE's must be taken by the October date. Scores from the December date will not reach USF until after the deadline.

Competition for admission is very intense. We tend to get over 500 applications for 25-30 slots across all three areas (usually 400 of those applications are for the Clinical Program, which admits about 10 students per year). Admitted students will generally have average GPA's of 3.6 and GRE scores (verbal and quantitative combined) averaging 1250. Admission decisions are based on GRE's, GPA's, research experience, letters of recommendation, a personal statement, and the fit between the applicant's area of interest and what our program offers.

Applicants can only apply to one program (Clinical, Experimental, or Industrial/Organizational) within the Psychology Department. Although students earn a Masters degree along the way to the Ph.D., we do not have a terminal master's program in any of these three areas. If students already have a masters degree from another university, they might be able to transfer the masters thesis if it is an empirical study that meets the same standards as ours. These decisions, however, can only be made after the student is accepted into the program.

All three doctoral programs emphasize core components of Research Methods and Statistics in addition to specialization within that particular area. Students in all three programs have a fairly heavy course load and they are required to conduct an empirically-based masters and dissertation project. Students are only accepted into the program if they can attend the program on a full-time basis. For all three programs, the average time of completion of the Ph.D. (Including internship for Clinical and Industrial/Organizational) is five to six years.

The Psychology Department is able to provide funding for a great many of our graduate students, usually through teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and teaching opportunities. Clinical assistantships are also available for students in the Clinical doctoral program and placements in business and industry are available for students in the Industrial/Organizational program.

There is a great deal of interaction and collaboration across all three areas of Psychology. Since each program has special training needs, however, specific information about each program is provided below.

The Clinical program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and it is based on a scientist-practitioner model. Students who are primarily interested in learning how to practice clinical psychology and who have little interest in learning about and conducting psychological research should consider pursuing their graduate training in another program that is better suited to that training goal (e.g., in a Psy.D. program, a masters program in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, Social Work, or Rehabilitation Counseling, or a Ph.D. in a program that is less research based). Students who attend the clinical doctoral training program at USF do quite well in securing an APA-Accredited internship as part of their training.

The Experimental program is designed to prepare students for research and teaching careers in a variety of academic or applied settings. Through individually tailored classroom and laboratory experiences, students receive a strong foundation in the core areas of experimental psychology, as well as in scientific methodology and research design. Beginning in the first year, students choose and then work closely with an adviser to develop a specific research focus and area of specialization. Research interests of the Experimental faculty include Judgment and Decision Making, Human-Computer Interaction, Sensory Processes, Physiological Processes, Human Memory, Speech and Hearing Science, and Language.

The Industrial/Organizational program is based on a scientist-practitioner model. Concentrations are provided in Industrial Psychology and Organizational Psychology. The program is appropriate either for students who have applied interests or for those who intend to pursue an academic career. Students serve as an intern in an organization, usually during the third year of study.

If you are interested in applying to School Psychology (813-974-3246), Counselor Education (813-974-3515), Rehabilitation Counseling (813-974-2855), Social Work (813-974-2063), or another related program at USF (Information 813-974-3180), you will need to contact those departments directly for the appropriate application.

We hope that this information helps you make an appropriate decision as to whether you would like to apply to USF for your graduate training in Psychology. In addition to this specific information about our training at USF, we would like to encourage you to seek out resources that discuss the application process in psychology. Many of our students have recommended the following resources: Graduate Study in Psychology, Getting In: A Step-By-Step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology (both of which can be ordered from the American Psychological Association: 1-800-374-2721), Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical Psychology (by Maine, Sayette, and Norcross, published by Guilford), and The Complete Guide to Graduate School Admission: Psychology (by Keith-Spiegel, published by Lawrence Erlbaum).

We encourage applications from all qualified applicants. In particular, we encourage applications from students who are from ethnic or cultural groups that have been under-represented in Psychology.

If you feel that the Psychology Department at USF fits your graduate training needs, please print and fill out the tear off sheet (below) and mail to us at the address below.  Please allow three weeks for delivery of application materials.

University of South Florida
Department of Psychology
ATTN: Graduate Application
4202 E. Fowler Avenue, BEH 339
Tampa, FL 33620-8200
 

Once again, thank you for your interest and best of luck in reaching your career goals.

Sincerely,
 

Edward L. Levine, Ph.D.
Professor and Chairperson
 
 
 

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Please send me an application for the doctoral program in Psychology at the University of South Florida.

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Please send information on the following program:

_____ Clinical _____ Experimental _____ Industrial/Organizational