Psychology - Industrial/Organizational-Social Psychology

University Admission Requirements

A student applying to a master's program must:

• Have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university prior to fall admission
• Send official transcripts from each college or university, other than Illinois State, where graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. Transcripts can should be emailed from the school to Admissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Office of Admissions, Campus Box 2200, Normal, IL 61790-2200

International students can learn more about specific application requirements and deadlines by visiting the Office of Admissions.

Additional Program Admission Requirements

A student applying to this sequence must:

• Submit a complete application by January 1
• Have a cumulative 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for either the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework or at least a 3.0 GPA for 9 hours of graduate coursework
• Have completed at least 21 hours of undergraduate psychology courses that include general psychology, experimental psychology or research methods, and psychological statistics. Applicants should have a proficiency in math based on a passing grade in finite math or Precalculus (MAT 120 or 144 or equivalent), a grade of B or better in psychological statistics (PSY 340 or equivalent) or a score of 144 or higher on the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE General Test. Applicants who have not completed the required undergraduate courses may be admitted, but the missing course(s) will be added to the curriculum. Any missing courses must be completed during the first year of graduate study.
• Based on recent data from our incoming I/O-Social Psychology Graduate cohorts, average GRE and GPA scores have been:

  • GRE and GPA Scores

    Data Point	Average	Score
    GRE	Verbal Average	157
    GRE	Quantitative Average	155
    GPA	Average (last 60 hours)	3.75

• We require applicants to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 but note that competitive applicants generally have a GPA above 3.3. We also strongly encourage applicants with both GRE subscale scores (verbal and quantitative) below the 50th percentile to consider re-taking the exam to improve the scores as applicants who are competitive for admission in our program generally have both GRE-Verbal and GRE-Quantitative scores above the 50th percentile (please see above section for recent average GRE scores).

A complete application requires:

• Official GRE General Test scores (use institution code 1319)
• A curriculum vitae or resume that includes the following information, if applicable:
  • Any experiences (paid, unpaid, internship, volunteer, etc.) including dates, employer or organization, business addresses, and the nature of the experiences that are relevant to admission to this graduate sequence.
  • Any academic honors and awards including the year it was received and, if not evident from the title, briefly explain what the honor or award recognizes.
  • Any research experiences, skills, and accomplishments
• A writing sample (scholarly work approximately 5-15 pages long), which is optional for this sequence
• A personal statement (approximately 2-3 pages, double-spaced) that addresses the following
  • Professional and career goals
  • Research interests and experiences
  • Qualifications for admission to this graduate sequence
  • How your interests and goals fit with this graduate sequence
• Three recommendations (see application instructions about providing names and email addresses; recommendations must be uploaded to the application)

Applicant Interview Day: Friday, March 6, 2020

Some applicants may be invited to visit the department during the spring semester. The Applicant Interview Day schedule includes meeting with current graduate students and other invited applicants, interviews with faculty members, lunch, and a late afternoon social. Invited applicants will be contacted by the graduate coordinator.

Admission is offered only for the fall semester and is very competitive. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Admission offers are sent in March. The Council for Graduate Schools stipulates that an applicant has until April 15 to accept or decline an admission offer. Some admission offers may be delayed until applicants notify the department that they are declining admission.

Application Deadlines

• Fall (August) Term — January 1
• Spring (January) Term — No spring admission
• Summer (May/June) Term — No summer admission

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