Dear Prospective Applicant:
Thanks for your interest in our APA-accredited Clinical Psychology doctoral program. On this website, we have links to all items you will need for applying for admission and for financial aid. We no longer send admissions packets. In addition, we do not send a copy of the School of Graduate Studies and Research (SGSR) catalog. A catalog is sent to all incoming students. View the Graduate Catalog here.
Please note these special instructions: All application materials should be mailed in one package.
In order to assure that your application materials are complete and to speed up our review process, we strongly encourage you to electronically submit your application, or to collect and mail in one package all application materials except your GRE test report. Be sure to allow your letter writers ample time to prepare your letters prior to our December 15 deadline.
Your complete package will include the Application Form, the Application Fee ($40 nonrefundable), the Assistantship Application (omit if you are not applying for financial aid), your Goal Statement, transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended, and three letters of recommendation in sealed and signed envelopes. Note that while the SGSR requires two letters of recommendation, the Psy.D. program requires three letters, at least one of which should be written by a practicum/research/ clinical/ volunteer supervisor. International applicants must also include the Financial Statement and TOEFL scores (forwarded directly from ETS).
Ask your letter writers to seal their letters of recommendation in an envelope and to place their signatures over the sealed flap. Insert the sealed envelopes in your package to be mailed to us. Do the same for your transcripts. Request that official GRE score reports (forwarded directly from ETS) be mailed directly to the SGSR (School Code 2652).
Mail all materials to: The School of Graduate Studies and Research, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 101 Stright Hall, Indiana, PA 15705-1081.
Our admissions process occurs in January, February, and March of each year. The deadline for receipt of all application materials is December 15 (GRE scores from the December exam will be accepted until late January). Applications will not be reviewed without the receipt of all requested material. We review application materials from mid-January through February. Invitations for personal interviews are made by e-mail in February and March. If you are not invited for an interview, you should assume that you will not be accepted into our program. You will, however, receive formal notification from the SGSR in May.
Our financial aid comes primarily in the form of assistantships. Our stipend for half-time assistantships currently includes a full tuition waiver for twelve months and a stipend. Quarter-time assistantships provide a stipend and a half-tuition waiver during the Fall and Spring semesters and six free credits during the Summer.
It is important to highlight a few things about our admissions criteria. The Psy.D. program at IUP is a generalist program that follows the local clinical scientist model of training with a strong emphasis on the connection between science and practice. We are interested in learning about academic, research, clinical, and interpersonal strengths of our applicants. We obtain this information from your application materials and your letters of recommendation. The letters should be written by individuals who can make such a professional assessment, such as an advisor, instructor, or clinical or research supervisor. It is not encouraged to solicit letters from relatives, friends, or neighbors. It may also be helpful to remind your letter writers to be specific about the above, including your strengths and weaknesses. You can encourage recommenders to use additional sheets. Brief letters that say you are “a nice person” do not help in distinguishing you from other applicants.
The goal statement should be two or three pages and double-spaced. Spend time constructing the statement, because it is an important part of the application. You should include information about (1) your primary clinical interests, (2) your clinical experience, (3) your research interests, and (4) your research experience. If there are any special aspects of your academic background that you feel make you especially well prepared for a career in professional psychology, be sure to emphasize them in your statement. Similarly, if there are specific weaknesses in your application that you feel should be explained, mention them in your statement. Finally, extended biographical information is usually not appropriate in the goal statement. Please feel free to include a curriculum vitae to cover additional information.
You can be very helpful to our Admissions Committee by providing a list of psychology courses that you have completed (graduate courses, too, if any) along with your grade in each course. Sometimes transcripts are blurred or it is hard to determine which courses were taken in a psychology department. Also indicate any online courses, especially in psychology.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate contacting me.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Sincerely,
David J. LaPorte, Ph.D.
Director of Doctoral Studies
Director of Clinical Training
724/357-6259
LaPorte@iup.edu
