GRADUATE STUDY IN HUMAN SERVICES

Psychology

Employment Status Recent PhDs in Psychology: 2007Recent PsyDs in Psychology:2007

Realities of Graduate School  The overall median undergraduate GPA reported for applicants admitted to master’s degree programs is 3.37, while that for doctoral programs is 3.55  Median GRE scores for applicants admitted to master’s degree programs: 510 (GRE-V), 580 (GRE-Q), and 600 (GRE-Subject)  Median GRE scores for applicants admitted to doctoral degree programs are 575 (GRE-V), 640 (GRE-Q), and 650 (GRE-Subject) Source: American Psychological Association. (2009). Graduate Study in Psychology. Washington, DC: Author.

Average Acceptance Rates for Doctoral Programs by Subfield  Clinical = 21.2  Counseling = 21.5  School = 37.4  Industrial/Organizational = 25.7  Quantitative = 42.6  Health = 30.9  Social = 19.4  Neuroscience = 26.9 *Calculated by dividing the number of students accepted into a program by the number of students who applied Source: Nocross, J. C., Kohout, J. L., & Wicherski, M. (2006, Spring). Graduate Admissions in Psychology: II. Acceptance Rates and Financial Considerations. Eye on Psi Chi, 10(3), 20-21,

Acceptance Rates for Master’s Programs by Subfield  Clinical = 52.7  Counseling = 65.5  School = 48.9  Industrial/Organizational = 56.6  Quantitative = 72.7  Health = 70.3  Social = 47.6  Neuroscience = 32.3 * Calculated by dividing the number of students accepted into a program by the number of students who applied Source: Nocross, J. C., Kohout, J. L., & Wicherski, M. (2006, Spring). Graduate Admissions in Psychology: II. Acceptance Rates and Financial Considerations. Eye on Psi Chi, 10(3), 20-21,

Realities of Graduate School: Time to Complete  It typically takes a full-time student 4 to 7 years to earn a doctorate in psychology, and 2 to 4 years to earn a masters degree  On average, students take 7 years from entrance into a graduate program to complete a doctoral degree  80% of recent PhD recipients also have masters degrees Source: American Psychological Association. (2009). Graduate Study in Psychology. Washington, DC: Author.

Realities of Graduate School: Financial Aid  64% of programs indicate that they offer some form of fellowship or scholarship to 1 st year students; 62% offer to advanced students  81% of programs indicate that they offer teaching and research assistantships to 1 st year students; 87% offer to advanced students Source: American Psychological Association. (2009). Graduate Study in Psychology. Washington, DC: Author.

Realities of Graduate School: Financial Aid Source: Nocross, J. C., Kohout, J. L., & Wicherski, M. (2006, Spring). Graduate Admissions in Psychology: II. Acceptance Rates and Financial Considerations. Eye on Psi Chi, 10(3), 20-21,

Criteria Considered for Graduate School in Psychology  GRE Scores  Research Experience  Work Experience  Clinically Related Public Service  Extracurricular Activities  Letters of Recommendation  Statement of Goals and Objectives  Interview  Major/Minor in Psychology or Record of Specific Courses in Psychology  Undergraduate GPA

Social Work

Master’s in Social Work (MSW) Programs  An undergraduate degree in social work is not an admission requirement for MSW programs  Sociology, psychology, and other behavioral sciences provide a good foundation  Relevant paid or volunteer experiences in social services, residential or care facilities, shelters, or other human service settings are very important  Generally requires 2 years of coursework as well as many hours of supervised fieldwork Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2006). Occupational outlook handbook - Social workers. Retrieved from:

Master’s in Social Work (MSW) Programs  The U.S. Department of Labor (2006) predicts that employment of social workers will increase faster than the average for all occupations into the next decade Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2006). Occupational outlook handbook - Social workers. Retrieved from:

Child, Family, and School Social Workers  Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well- being and the academic functioning of children  Median annual wages: $39,530 Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2006). Occupational outlook handbook - Social workers. Retrieved from:

Medical and Public Health Social Workers  Provide persons, families, or vulnerable populations with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, such as Alzheimer's, cancer, or AIDS  Median annual wages: $46,650 Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2006). Occupational outlook handbook - Social workers. Retrieved from:

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers  Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs  Median annual wages: $37,210 Source: U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2006). Occupational outlook handbook - Social workers. Retrieved from:

Marriage and Family Programs

 Marriage and family therapy is one of the fastest growing mental health disciplines  Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are mental health professionals who bring a family-oriented perspective to health care. They evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders and other health and behavioral problems, and address a wide array of relationship issues within the context of the family system. MFTs believe that individuals and their problems must be seen in context, and that the most important context is the family. Source: American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (n.d.). A career as a marriage and family therapist. Retrieved from:

Marriage and Family Programs  These professionals might be providing family-related education, serving as an advocate, providing social services, or lobbying for or seeking funding for family related programs  Those who earn the master's degree in Family Therapy will most often be providing family-centered interventions, helping couples or families deal with a variety of issues  Marriage and family therapists might work in a treatment setting, a social service agency, a school system, or the criminal justice system  Often work in many of the same settings as those with degrees in psychology, counseling, or social work  A master’s degree is the most common advanced degree in this area, typically taking about 2-3 years to complete Source: American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (n.d.). A career as a marriage and family therapist. Retrieved from:

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

The GRE General  The GRE is a computer based, adaptive test  At the start of the test, you are presented with test questions of moderate difficulty. As you answer each question, the computer scores it and uses that information, as well as your responses to preceding questions and information about the test design, to determine the next question. As long as you answer correctly, you will typically be given questions of increasing difficulty. When you respond incorrectly, you will typically be given less difficult questions.  Once you answer a question and move on to another, you cannot go back and change your answer. Source: About the GRE General Test. (2010). GRE General Test. Retrieved from Educational Testing Services website:

The GRE General  Skills Measured:  The Verbal Reasoning section measures your ability to:  analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it  analyze relationships among component parts of sentences  recognize relationships between words and concepts  The Quantitative Reasoning section measures your ability to:  understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and data analysis  reason quantitatively  solve problems in a quantitative setting  The Analytical Writing section measures your ability to:  articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively  examine claims and accompanying evidence  support ideas with relevant reasons and examples  sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion  control the elements of standard written English (this factor plays a role only to the extent that poor writing skills impede readers' understanding of the argument) Source: About the GRE General Test. (2010). GRE General Test. Retrieved from Educational Testing Services website:

The GRE  Testing fees range from $  ETS preparation materials:   Kaplan preparation materials:   Princeton Review preparation materials:  practice-test.aspx practice-test.aspx Source: About the GRE General Test. (2010). GRE General Test. Retrieved from Educational Testing Services website:

The GRE Subject Test: Psychology  Most editions of the test consist of approximately 205 multiple- choice questions. Each question in the test has five options from which the examinee is to select the one option that is the correct or best answer to the question.  Some of the stimulus materials, such as a description of an experiment or a graph, may serve as the basis for several questions.  The questions in the Psychology Test are drawn from the core of knowledge most commonly encountered in courses offered at the undergraduate level within the broadly defined field of psychology.  A question may require recalling factual information, analyzing relationships, applying principles, drawing conclusions from data, and/or evaluating a research design. Source: About the GRE Subject Tests. (2010). GRE Subject Tests. Retrieved from Educational Testing Services website:

The GRE Subject Test: Psychology  There are questions in three content categories:  Experimental or natural science oriented (about 40 percent of the questions), including learning, language, memory, thinking, sensation and perception, and physiological psychology/behavioral neuroscience. They contribute to the experimental psychology sub-score and the total score.  Social or social science oriented (about 43 percent of the questions). These questions are distributed among the fields of clinical and abnormal lifespan development, personality, and social psychology. They contribute to the social psychology sub- score and the total score.  General (about 17 percent of the questions), including the history of psychology, applied psychology, psychometrics, research design, and statistics. They contribute to the total score only. Source: About the GRE Subject Tests. (2010). GRE Subject Tests. Retrieved from Educational Testing Services website:

 Prepare early!  Inform yourself of the facts  Application methods and fees  Application deadlines  Admission criteria  Typical GPA and GRE criteria  Typical acceptance rates  Tuition, financial aid options  Cost of living

Helpful Resources

Resources  Guide to careers in the helping professions:   What is the interview process like?   spx spx  Recommendations for the application process:   Organizing your personal statement: 

Resources  Letters of recommendation:   How do I select programs to apply to?   What is graduate school like?   shock.aspx shock.aspx

Resources  What is the difference between clinical and counseling psychology?   aspx aspx  Top 10 habits that hold graduate students back:  habits.aspx habits.aspx  What can I do if I get a low GRE score? 

Resources:  American Psychological Association:  s.aspx s.aspx  Association for Psychological Science:   APA Grad Psych:   Eye on Psi Chi: 

Resources  National Association of Social Workers:   Council on Social Work Education:   Association of Social Work Boards:   Social Work Graduate School:   American Sociological Association: 

Resources  American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy:   Occupational Outlook Handbook:   Guide to careers in the helping professions: 

Resources  Educational Testing Services:  Kaplan Test Prep:  Princeton Review: