Application Information
Dear Potential Applicant:
Thank you for expressing interest in our Ph.D. program in Industrial/Organizational
Psychology. Over the years we have talked to many students with varying backgrounds
as they have contemplated graduate education. As a result, we are well aware of
how difficult it can be to obtain all of the information you need about graduate
programs in industrial/organizational psychology. We believe that this letter, along
with other departmental materials, will answer many of your questions.
Please pardon our impersonal method of communicating to you; however, a written
summary enables us to provide potential applicants with a great deal of relevant
information. If you have general questions about the application process or about
careers in the field of psychology, we encourage you to read some of the resources
noted in the P.S. below. You can also obtain more information regarding our graduate
program by visiting the USF psychology department home page on the internet. That
web address is: http://psychology.usf.edu
If you have specific questions about our I/O program after reading this material,
please feel free to contact the director of I/O admissions by e-mail, phone or physical
mail. In the meantime, we wish you good luck in making your decision and hope that
you will seriously consider applying to our program.
Those of you who are inquiring for the first time about graduate programs in I/O
psychology may find some of this material a bit discouraging. This is not our intention.
We simply want to aid you in making an informed decision. Please keep that in mind
as you read the information below.
1. The competition for acceptance into our I/O program is intense. Over 120 students
apply each year, but only about 18-20 are accepted of which 6-8 are admitted. Acceptance
is based on a number of factors, including GPA, GRE scores, interests, and past
experiences. In general, if you are very interested in attending a Ph.D. program
in I/O Psychology, you should seriously consider applying to at least several programs.
Following this strategy will increase your chances of acceptance into at least one
program.
2. Our program strongly encourages applications from minority members. Minority
members are under represented in the field of I/O psychology, thus we hope that
students who represent cultural minorities will seriously consider applying.
3. We don't have formal cutoffs for GRE scores and GPA, nor minimum experience requirements.
Nevertheless, there are some guidelines you can use to evaluate your chances for
admission. In recent years, the median GRE scores for our entering classes have
typically been between 1300 and 1350 verbal and quantitative combined, and the median
GPA has been between 3.8 and 3.9 (last two years of undergraduate). Please realize,
however, that many students admitted into our program have lower (and higher) scores,
and to a great extent a higher score on one compensates for a lower score on the
other. Furthermore, these are not the sole criteria for admission.
4. You will need three letters of recommendation. Optimally, these letters will
be from professors with whom you have worked in the past and who know something
about your abilities and accomplishments. For example, professors with whom you
have worked as a research assistant would be good references.
5. Most of our students have an undergraduate degree in Psychology, but this is
not required and students in the past have had a variety of backgrounds. It is highly
desirable for a student to have at least some background in Psychology and in Research
Methods (e.g., Introductory Psychology, Experimental Design, Statistics, etc.).
6. The entire Ph.D. program usually takes five years of academic work, but some
students have done it in four. All students complete two independent research projects,
a masters thesis and a doctoral dissertation. In addition to intense involvement
in research activities, students are required to complete an I/O internship during
their training.
7. Although a M.A. degree is awarded on the way toward receiving the Ph.D., you
should not enter the program with the intention of obtaining only a masters. If
you cannot commit to the Ph.D. program, you should investigate the large number
of other schools that offer a terminal masters program in I/O Psychology.
8. Some students are admitted with an M.A. in psychology, and understandably, would
like to obtain full credit for their degree. It is sometimes possible to transfer
credit for courses that are virtually identical to those offered by our department.
Students can apply for course waivers based on coursework completed before coming
here. Each individual case is evaluated by the Graduate Program Committee. Likewise,
it is sometimes possible to obtain credit for an already completed masters thesis
if it is judged equivalent in quality and scope to those conducted by students in
our program. A faculty committee would review your thesis to determine if it can
be transferred.
Once again, we welcome your interest in our I/O Psychology program and sincerely
hope that this letter along with other departmental materials, will enable you to
make an informed decision about applying. If you have additional questions after
reading all these materials, we will gladly answer them. In the meantime, good luck
in your pursuit of graduate education!
Sincerely,
Walter Borman , Ph.D.
Chair, I/O Admissions
813-974-3124
wborman@cas.usf.edu
P.S. There are a number of excellent books that can help with the application process.
Books that our students have recommended are: Getting In: A Step by step Plan for
Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology, Graduate Study in Psychology
(both of which can be ordered from the American Psychological Association: 1.8OO.374.2721,
and The Complete Guide to Graduate School Admission in Psychology (by Spiegel, 1990,
published by Lawrence Erlbaum). The last book can be ordered from your local bookstore.
The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology also has information listing
graduate programs in I/O psychology. It can be accessed on line at the following
internet address http://www.siop.org/GTP.
We hope these references help you become more educated about the application process.