Frequently Asked Questions

Courses

What prerequisite courses are recommended for Transfer Students planning to major in Psychology?

• BSC 1005 Biological Principles or BSC 2010C General Biology (if additional biology courses are planned)
• PSY 2012 General Psychology
• DEP 2004C Developmental Psychology
• STA 2023 Statistical Methods I or STA 2014C Principles of Statistics
• Can also take 2nd level or higher a college level Foreign Language as well as 2 science courses related to humans/living things

 

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Careers

What career options do Psychology majors have if they are not planning on going to graduate school?

• Check out our webpage on various careers you can pursue after psychology bachelors or graduate degrees.
• Go to UCF Career Services as soon as you get to UCF
• Go to Experiential Learning in your Junior year and find a co-op or internship

 

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Graduate School

How can I maximize my chances of getting into graduate school?

• Take a strong course curriculum focused toward the area of specialization in psychology you are interested in.
• Earn the highest GPA possible, graduate school is very competitive
• Earn the highest scores on the GRE that are possible for you \
• Apply for extracurricular activities such as research assistant, internship, or an officer position in a student organization.
• Earn and ask for strong letters of recommendation from professors who know you well and can legitimately evaluate your chances of success in graduate school.
• Participate in local psychology student organizations such as:  Multicultural Psychological Student Association (MPSA), Psychological Society, or Psi Chi National Honor Society
• Find a faculty member or professional in your field of choice who is able to mentor you in the process towards graduate school and that career.

How will I get funding for graduate school?

• For information on scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other funding, check information listed on the American Psychological Association web site http://www.apa.org/education/grad/funding.aspx but you should also check with the individual programs that you are applying to and the U.S. Department of Education http://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/graduate-funding-info.pdf . More information on funding is on our webpage here: Financing Grad School

Will a minor help me to get into a graduate psychology program?

• In some cases a minor can be helpful especially if it is strongly related to the area the student wants to specialize in.  However if the psychology graduate programs you are interested in are research based, it’s in your best interest to have a strong statistics background in order to be competitive with your peers.

How long will graduate school take?

• Masters programs usually take 2-3 years, doctoral programs usually take 4-7 years

What is the difference between a Psy.D and a Ph. D.?

• Read the following articles to learn more on the topic
  • http://www.allpsychologyschools.com/licensing/psyd-vs-phd-programs/
    
  • http://psychcentral.com/lib/2011/choosing-between-psyd-phd-psychology-graduate-degrees/

What is the difference between a Clinical Psychology program and Counseling Psychology program?

• See this Psi Chi article for more some valuable information on the topic

Is there an accreditation body for Counseling Graduate Programs?

• Yes, visit the CACREP website

 

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Financial Aid

Financial Aid asked me to fill out a SAP or Graduation Assessment form, who do I ask for help from?

• Contact the College of Sciences Academic Services office for assistance with this.

 

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Graduation

• How do I file my Intent to Graduate?
• For more information on Commencement, go to this link