Prospective Graduate Students

Many qualified students are not admitted because acceptance is determined not only by credentials but also by past experiences. Nearly all entering students have worked as research assistants and many have had experience in a mental health facility, usually as a volunteer. Although both types of experiences will enhance your chances for admission, psychological research experience is most important. The majority of our entering students have presented their research at a conference or have published their research. Another reason that experience will help you when you apply to our program is that you will need three letters of recommendation. Optimally, these letters will be from academic psychologists with whom you have worked in the past and who know something about you personally. For example, professors with whom you have worked as a research assistant would be good references.

Other than the minimum criteria set by the university for all graduate programs, we have no formal cutoffs for GPA. Nevertheless, there are some guidelines you can use to evaluate your chances for admission. The entering classes for the last three years had a median GPA of 3.88. Please realize, however, that many students admitted into our program have GPAs lower (and higher) than this as GPA is not the sole criterion for admission. A GPA around 3.5 for the last two years is recommended. We also prefer that students have an undergraduate degree in Psychology. However, we have occasionally made an exception for applicants who are particularly strong in other areas (e.g., research experiences). Still, it is highly desirable for a student to have at least a minimal background in Psychology (e.g., Introductory Psychology, Abnormal Psychology) and in Research Methods (e.g. Experimental Design, Statistics, etc.).

The USF Clinical Program is committed to improving access to graduate training. While the Psychology Department recommends applicants submit GRE scores, they are currently optional for Clinical applicants. Applications will be deemed complete even without GRE scores.

Applications are assessed holistically. For different applicants, GRE scores may or may not enhance their application.

For example, applicants who have a high undergraduate GPA and extensive research experience – especially postbaccalaureate research experience – may decide GRE scores do not enhance their application.

In some cases, applicants may want to consider submitting GRE scores.

• GRE scores increase competitiveness for USF fellowships.
• Applicants with less research experience or a lower undergraduate GPA may benefit from including GRE scores as part of their application.

For applicants who may be interested in submitting GREs as part of their application, the entering classes for the last three years had a median GRE (Verbal and Quantitative combined) score of 321, Analytic Writing 4.75 (on the newer version). Please realize, however, that many students admitted into our program have scores lower (and higher) than these scores, as applications are assessed holistically.

Many qualified students are not admitted because acceptance is determined not only by credentials and past experiences but also by match with the research interests of our faculty. We are an apprenticeship model (also known as a mentorship model) program, which means that students work closely with at least one primary research mentor. Admission decisions are made with mentorship matches in mind, so it is important for applicants to identify at least one potential mentor among the clinical faculty. It is a good idea to mention your preferred mentor(s) in your personal statement. Note that not all faculty members expect to admit students into their laboratories next Fall. Those who expect to admit students are identified by asterisks.

Many incoming students already have a Master’s degree. Students entering with a Master’s degree can waive previously taken graduate courses that are judged to be equivalent to requirements in our Ph.D. program, and can potentially transfer up to 15 credits toward the Ph.D. However, all of the course requirements from our Masters Along the Way must be met either by waiving the requirement based on courses already taken in the previous Master’s degree or by taking the courses en route to the Ph.D. Decisions about course waivers and credit transfers can only be made after review once an applicant has been accepted into the program. Each individual case must be evaluated by the concentration after admission. Likewise, it is sometimes possible to count a completed Master’s thesis if it is judged equivalent in quality to theses conducted by students in our major. After acceptance into the major, a faculty committee will review your thesis to determine whether it can meet our requirements.

There are a number of excellent books that can help with the application process. Books that our students have recommended are the following: Getting In: a Step-by-step Plan for Gaining Admission to Graduate School in Psychology and Graduate Study in Psychology (both of which can be ordered from the American Psychological Association: 1-800-374-2721), and Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical Psychology (by Norcross, Mayne & Sayette, published by Guilford Press). We hope these references help you become more educated about the application process.

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 above. If you have specific questions about our Clinical program after reading the material on this webpage, please feel free to contact our clinical admissions advisor. This advisor is an advanced clinical student who monitors this email address. In the meantime, we wish you good luck in making your decision and hope that you will seriously consider applying to our program.

A Note on Interviews, Visits, and Contacting Faculty:
Because of the volume of applications each year, we cannot arrange visits or interviews with prospective applicants until February, at which point we invite about 35 applicants to the University of South Florida Open Houses to interview. If you are interested in the program and have questions, you should contact faculty whose work looks like the best match for you and who are taking students for the current year, or contact our clinical admissions advisor.

Our program is a full-time, APA-Accredited and PCSAS-Accredited, Ph.D. program. It is also a member program of the Academy for Psychological Clinical Science, which indicates our commitment to research training. Although an 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 schools that offer a terminal masters program in Clinical Psychology.

The entire Ph.D. program usually takes four or five years of academic work, followed by a one-year clinical internship. All students complete two independent research projects, a masters thesis and a doctoral dissertation. In order to be eligible for graduation, students are required to complete 90 hours of course work. In addition to intense involvement in research activities, students are involved in clinical practica throughout their training.

Please follow this link.

The research interests of the Clinical faculty are described below. Our faculty members have diverse interests within clinical psychology, and we urge applicants to read the descriptions carefully before deciding whether to apply to our program. In addition to the research foci of the individual faculty members, we would like to highlight a few general areas that cut across faculty, and are therefore particular strengths of the clinical training program at USF. Please note, however, that these general themes do not represent all of the areas of research carried out by our faculty and students.

Tuition and Fees

For the 2024-2025 academic year, see the tuition rates for Florida residents and for non-residents. The typical entering clinical student will register for 9 credit hours each fall and spring.

The large majority of graduate students receive tuition waivers. For example, most TA and RA positions come with a tuition waiver. The tuition waiver covers 100% of tuition costs and students are responsible for additional student fees.

Housing

The cost of living in Tampa is affordable compared with most large cities. Many nice apartment complexes are located close to campus. For more information about housing and Tampa in general, take a look at any of several Tampa Bay area guides on the internet.

In choosing a career path, you should be aware of graduate programs in other mental health fields. For example, at USF, there are excellent programs in School Psychology (813-974-3246), Social Work (813-974-2063), Rehabilitation Counseling (813-974-2855), Counselor Education (813-974-3515), and Aging Studies (813-974-2414). Other universities offer additional programs at the masters and doctoral levels.