The American Psychological Association has prepared a series of twelve videos--Preparing and Applying for Graduate School in Psychology--that take prospective graduate students step-by-step through the preparation, application, interview and admission processes. We encourage applicants to review these anxiety-reducing strategies for mastering each step of the application process.
Below are some common questions and answers for students as they consider applying to our PhD program.
Our program does not accept students who want to earn only the MA degree.
The MA in Psychology is earned en route to doctoral degrees. Students apply to and are admitted to our Ph.D. in Psychology program. As part of the program they earn the MA and then continue toward meeting the Ph.D. requirements.
Our department not offer degrees in counseling psychology. Counseling psychology is offered by the College of Education & Human Development at Mizzou and click here to learn more about that program.
You can learn about our faculty members and their research interests on our webpage by clicking here. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to potential mentors to learn about their research and mentorship style via email.
Click here for an updated (June 13, 2025) list of faculty members who are and are not planning to recruit a new graduate student for Fall 2026 matriculation.
Submission of GRE scores, including the subject test, is optional. Submission of GRE scores is not required.
Please know that we do not view the lack of GRE scores negatively. No application will be dinged in the review process by not including GRE scores. However, if an applicant has taken the GRE and feels their inclusion would enhance their application, then they should be included.
GRE scores are only one piece of information we use to make admission decisions. Our faculty members closely review transcripts, letters of recommendation, writing samples, and fit with an ongoing faculty-led research program at Mizzou. A high GRE score does not guarentee admission and a low score does not mean a student will be denied admission to the program.
The University of Missouri code is 6875. Psychology is 2016.
The Department of Psychological Sciences will provide a limited number of waivers of the Graduate School's mandatory application fee. To receive a waiver the applicant must (1) begin the graduate application online (click here to begin the graduate application) and (2) answer the following questions (click here to go to the website to answer the questions).
For full consideration for the waiver, the request should be submitted before October 17, 2025. Requests submitted after October 17 may be considered and awarded based on remaining available funds.
The Graduate School waives application fees for U.S. military veterans and active service members. If you self-identify during the application process in the online system, you will receive waiver instructions automatically.
We offer the following guidance to help you prepare your personal statement. Faculty evaluate personal statements to learn about you in 3 primary ways:
- General qualities that make you well-suited for graduate school, such as intellectual curiosity, passion, persistence, work ethic
- Specific experiences and interests that make you a good fit for the program and the potential mentor’s (or mentors’) lab.
- To get a general sense of your writing ability and ability to think about psychological questions and issues.
There are different ways to approach writing a personal statement and you should take an approach that best allows you to convey the information that you want us to know. The following questions may be helpful for thinking about how to structure your statement and what kinds of points to integrate. You don’t have to try and address all these points. We note these as examples of more specific questions that may help to get you started.
- What are the research areas, ideas, or questions you’d like to pursue? Feel free to discuss your ideas in detail, and if you know how you would research them, please explain.
What academic, professional, or nonacademic life experience(s) have led you to your research interests and career goals?
- How do your prior experiences and interests make you a good fit for the University of Missouri? You can write about experiences in research, applied/clinical work, courses, or other life experiences.
- What experiences have prepared you to join your potential mentor’s lab at the University of Missouri?
- It can be especially informative to not just describe your experiences, but also what you have learned from them
Finally, the statement of purpose is also an opportunity provide additional information about you and your experiences that we should know but has not been asked (in other sections).
No. Once you submit your application you cannot make changes to it. However, you can log into the application and upload new or updated documents and make changes as many times as you wish before you submit your application. You can update and save information and documents as often as you wish until you hit the submit button.
While most of the students admitted to the PhD program majored in psychology in their undergraduate years, we do accept students from other disciplines with a strong interest in the various fields of psychological research.
If a student did not major in psychology, they should clearly describe in their application how they are prepared to successfully complete graduate-level psychology course work.
Our department welcomes international students. International students are eligible for full financial support including assistantships and many campus fellowships. Additional information for international students, including information on immigration and visas, can be found from the Mizzou International Programs office.
All non-native English-speaking applicants are required to provide proof of English language ability. Information on these requirements, testing and exemptions & waivers can be found on the University of Missouri Graduate School's website .
Our department does not require test scores that are higher than the minimum English language proficiency requirements posted on the Graduate School's website. An applicant should assume that the Graduate School's requirements will be applied as written. Requests for special waivers will typically not be considered until after an applicant has been recommended by the department for admission.
A student who has completed an empirical masters elsewhere may ask to have their thesis reviewed to meet our MA requirement. If it is accepted, the student will not have to complete a thesis in this program before beginning further work on their PhD.
No, the program is designed for full-time, on campus, continuous study.
No, the program is designed for on campus study.
All graduate students in good standing are eligible for five years of guaranteed financial support. This support is in the form of graduate teaching or research assistantships or campus fellowships. Financial support includes a tuition waiver, stipend and participation in student medical insurance plans.
Please see the Financial Support section of our webpage for more information.
The best source of information about our Graduate Program is this website. We no longer print hard copy materials.
Additional help on our graduation program application can be received from our Director of Graduate Studies, Dennis Miller (millerden@missouri.edu).