Graduate Education Guidance

• Want general information about applying to graduate school?

  • Graduate School Guide (UVA Career Center - graduate school start to finish guide)

Visit these American Psychological Association resources:

• Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

• Applying to Graduate School

• Frequently Asked Questions about Graduate School

• Doctoral degrees in psychology: How are they different, or not so different?​ Clarifying key distinctions between the PhD and PsyD degrees

• Counseling Careers -  Visit the American Counseling Association

  • Find accredited programs through the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP)

A Series to Successfully Apply to Grad School and Help Diversify the Field. ​

• APA is excited to present Becoming a Psychological Scientist: A Series to Successfully Apply to Grad School and Help Diversify the Field. The series will walk through the grad school application process step-by-step.   

  The application process for doctoral programs for psychological science has several steps. Join APA for a series of 6 videos and live question and answer sessions with psychological scientists and current graduate students from different subfields with lived experience and expertise in the application process. Sessions will offer advice and strategies for navigating all the steps of the application process, discuss important considerations for selecting a program, and highlight resources for funding your graduate education. The series will address challenges and systemic barriers for students and is free and open to all. It is of particular interest to students applying to graduate school for the Fall 2023 term. 

  Watch the Video Series

• Before You Apply to Graduate Programs in Psychology: Knowing When You’re Ready and Gaining Post-Baccalaureate Experiences, Casey D. Calhoun, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill  

• Psych Research List: Visit the Psych Research List and learn more about paid internships, virtual graduate school information sessions, and resources for applying to and succeeding in graduate school, a resource created by Meltem Yucel, a PhD graduate in developmental psychology area at the University of Virginia.

• Psychology, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience Ph.D. virtual info sessions/prep programs

• UCLA UGSP: Psychology Graduate School Application Resources

• Harvard Psychology’s PhD Resources and Online Tips Page (PRO-TiP)

• Counseling Careers -  Visit the American Counseling Association

  • Find accredited programs through the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP)

• Clinical Psychology Overview

• A Career in Clinical or Counseling Psychology

• Guide to getting into Clinical Psychology Graduate School: The Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) has assembled the most useful links and resources on the web to guide you through the process of choosing and applying to graduate school. 

• Learn what you need to know

• Academy of Psychological Clinical Science 

• National Association of School Psychologist (Who are School Psychologists?)

• The American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS) is an interdisciplinary organization devoted to scholarship, practice, and public service in psychology and law. It functions as both a free-standing organization as well as a division (Division 41) of the American Psychological Association (APA).

• What you need to know to get licensed? 

• ASPPB Handbook on Licensing and Certification Requirements

Meet with UVA Pre-health to prepare for medical school. Visit psychiatry.org to learn more about a career in Psychiatry.

• Clinical Psychology

• Community Psychology

• Cognitive Psychology

• Developmental Psychology

• Quantitative Psychology

• Social Psychology

• Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience

  • Fellowship in QNB 

• Quantitative Psychology Concentration Add-On in PhD 

• +1 Master's (MA) in Psychology with a Research Methods Concentration

Psychology majors are not limited to graduate studies in psychology. Some majors use their background to pursue careers in Social Work and Education.  Other students go on to Medical School or Law School. Careful preparation will ensure the proper background.  Review the following helpful resources to learn more:

• Pre Health Advising
• Pre Law Advising
• UVA School of Education and Human Development - Academic Program

Regardless of whether you plan to get a job or go to graduate school following graduation, you probably will find that you need letters of recommendation. Because the majority of lower-level courses in the psychology program are large lecture courses, many students reach their fourth year and find they have not established close relationships with faculty members. No matter how good a student you are, a letter written by an instructor who can only discuss your in-class performance will not be as strong or convincing as a letter written by someone who knows you better. You must plan ahead! Some tips: Take your relationship with your major advisor seriously. Schedule an appointment outside class with an instructor whose class you really enjoy. Sign up for an independent research project. Sign up for smaller psychology classes  so you can begin building relationships with your professors.

• Visit the UVA Career Center for advice on Letters of Recommendation and Professional References.