phd psychology canada

• Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
• Graduate School
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Psychology is a diverse discipline that attempts to understand the basis of behaviour, thoughts and emotions. Psychology at UBC was introduced as a single course in 1915 and was initially offered by the Department of Philosophy. Over the years, the number of courses and instructors grew until we officially became the Department of Psychology in 1958.

Information on research areas offered in the department, as well as admissions-related information, can be found on the department website . Read the department program website carefully before contacting the department with specific questions that are not addressed on the website.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

UBC’s Department of Psychology is a top ranked research department in Canada and in the world. Our 58 faculty members and 130 full-time graduate students and postdoctoral fellows conduct research across the spectrum of psychology, representing seven sub-disciplinary specializations: Behavioural Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive Science, Developmental, Health, Quantitative Methods, and Social/Personality.

The strength of our graduate programs lies in the highly productive research faculty, well-organized programs of study, extensive opportunities for student-faculty interaction, and rich offering of research specializations. Our faculty are well known for their research expertise in health, happiness, language acquisition, gambling, child development, gender roles, environmental behaviour, neuroscience, and many other areas of psychology. Our research programs are well funded by major national granting agencies, and our faculty are committed to research excellence and interdisciplinary collaborations within UBC’s Faculties of Medicine, Science and Arts, the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and many other institutions around the world.

I decided to study at UBC following a visit to the campus where I was stunned by the kindness of the administrators and staff as well as the beauty of the campus itself. The environment at UBC is one of welcome and ambition and I was confident that it was the right choice for me.

Chantelle Cocquyt

Quick Facts

Program Enquiries

Admission information & requirements, program instructions.

Please refer to the department website for all admissions-related information.

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum academic requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement : 90

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is required by some applicants. Please check the program website.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior degree requirements.

A thesis-based MA or MSc in Psychology is required for applicants applying for the PhD program.  Applicants with only a BA/BSc degree must aply for the MA program as they are ineligible for the PhD program.

Other Requirements

GRE requirements vary depending on the area of research and/or intended research supervisor. Please visit the respective Research Stream page on the department website for area-specific GRE requirements.

2) Meet Deadlines

3) prepare application, transcripts.

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest , sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

• Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Applicants will not be admitted without identifying a faculty member as their intended supervisor.  Admissions decisions are made by prospective research supervisors; applicants are encouraged to reach out to them directly for further inquiries after reviewing the information on the department's website.

Criminal Record Check

Citizenship verification.

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Research Information

Research focus.

We offer research-intensive graduate studies in seven sub-disciplinary specializations: Behavioural Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive Science, Developmental, Health, Quantitative Methods, and Social/Personality.  Please refer to the department's Research Streams page for more information.

Tuition & Financial Support

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

From September 2024 all full-time students in UBC-Vancouver PhD programs will be provided with a funding package of at least $24,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. Please note that many graduate programs provide funding packages that are substantially greater than $24,000 per year. Please refer to the department's Funding page  for additional information on funding opportunities.

Average Funding

• 32 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 32 students was $10,912.
• 37 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 37 students was $7,725.
• 18 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 18 students was $2,366.
• 51 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 51 students was $16,504.
• 22 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 22 students was $32,136.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

112 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 1 is in a non-salaried situation; for 5 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 106 graduates:

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, career options.

The PhD in Psychology is designed to prepare students for employment in academic or private sector settings. Recent graduates have taken positions as tenure track faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, research scientists, practicing clinical psychologists, biostatisticians, and public policy quantitative analysts.

Alumni on Success

Zak Witkower

Job Title Postdoctoral Researcher

Employer University of Toronto

Kristina Uban

Job Title Post Doctoral Researcher

Employer Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Julie Belanger

Job Title Director, Research and Evaluation

Employer Education Partnerships Group

Kirsten Dalrymple

Job Title Research Associate

Employer University of Minnesota

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates & Times

Upcoming doctoral exams, wednesday, 21 august 2024 - 10:00am, thursday, 29 august 2024 - 11:00am - room 200, friday, 6 september 2024 - 9:00am.

• Research Supervisors

Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Alden, Lynn (Cognitive processes in the anxiety disorders, Social Anxiety Disorder, adult-onset Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, cognitive-behavior therapy)
• Baron, Andrew (cognitive development, infancy, childhood, adolescence, racism, race, stereotypes, cooperation, bias, innateness, science education, multiculturalism, gender, ethnicity, neuromarketing, attitudes, preferences, psychology )
• Biesanz, Jeremy (personality, Personality, interpersonal perception, accuracy, personality coherence, quantitative methods)
• Birch, Susan (Social perspective taking, social learning, social cognition, imitation, nonverbal behavior, confidence, communication, decision-making, impression formation, child development My primary area of expertise is the study of children and adults’ social perspective taking abilities (i.e., their abilities to reason about other peoples’ mental states–their intentions, knowledge, and beliefs) and how their abilities to take another person’s perspective impacts how they form impressions of others, learn from others, communicate with others, and informs a range of socials. Of particular interest is a) how children make inferences about what is credible information to learn (e.g., how they decide whether someone is a credible source of information based on how confident that person seems) and b) how a widespread bias in perspective taking referred to as ‘the curse of knowledge bias’ (a difficulty reasoning about a more naive perspective as the result of being biased by one’s current knowledge) can impair communication (both written and in person) and decision-making across a range of fields (politics, law, education, economics, medicine, etc.)., Development of language, learning, and social understanding in infants and children)
• Chen, Frances (Health psychology; social connection; social support; stress; coping; conflict and negotiation; hormones; Neuroendocrinology)
• Christoff Hadjiilieva, Kalina (brain, cognitive neuroscience, psychology, prefronal cortex, fMRI, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, executive functions, problem solving, reasoning, thinking, mind-wandering, attention, consciousness, real-time fMRI, trauma and PTSD, Cognitive and neural basis of human thought, reasoning and problem solving)
• Clark, Luke (Gambling, Problem Gambling, Addiction, Decision-Making, Reward, Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms involved in gambling behaviour and disordered gambling)
• Dawson, Samantha (Psychology and cognitive sciences; Interventions for sexual dysfunction; Sexual function and dysfunction in individuals and couples)
• DeLongis, Anita (Psychology and cognitive sciences; social determinants of health; chronic illness; coping; couples; families; health; Health Psychology; marriage; social support; stress)
• Dunn, Elizabeth (Happiness, money and spending decisions, self-knowledge)
• Emberson, Lauren (Learning, Perception (audition, vision, crossmodal or multisensory), Language development, Face/object perception, Impacts of premature birth, Neural connecitivty, fNIRS, Neonatal and Infant development , Early adversity / Risk and resilience , Increasing diversity and representation in the neurosciences , Naturalistic neuroimaging recordings)
• Enns, James (Behavioural neuroscience of reward and motivation; attention; action kinematics; social perception; perceptual development)
• Floresco, Stanley (Neural circuits subserving learning and executive functions, behavioural and electrophysiological analyses of limbic-cortical-striatal interactions involved in decision making and behavioural flexibility, animal models of schizophrenia and drug addiction)
• Goetz, Friedrich (Psychology, social and behavorial aspects; Geographical psychology; Causes and consequences of regional personality differences; Mobility and migration; Wanderlust; Courage; Entrepreneurship; Personality development; open science)
• Hall, David Geoffrey (Lexical and conceptual development, semantic development, language acquisition)
• Hamlin, Kiley (Psychology and cognitive sciences; Cognitive development; Moral Judgement and Duty or Obligation Morals; Infant / Child Development; Foundations of Religious, Mystical, Mythical and Moral Thoughts; Infant moral cognition; infant social cognition)
• Handy, Todd (aging and cognition, aging and exercise, cognitive neuroscience, attention, migraine, fMRI, Cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, attention and its impairment in clinical populations, mind wandering, and real-world human behaviour)
• Heine, Steven (Culture and human nature in psychology, culture, how people strive to maintain a sense of meaning in their lives when they encounter anomalies which they are unable to make any sense of, how people understand essences and genetic foundations for human behavior )
• Hewitt, Paul (perfectionism, Therapy Perfectionism, personality vulnerability, depression, suicide in adults and children)
• Hoppmann, Christiane (Psychology and cognitive sciences; Aging Process; Social Aspects of Aging; stress; Health Promotion; social determinants of health; Health and well-being across the adult lifespan and into old age; individual differences in goals)
• Kerns, Connor (assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); childhood anxiety and stress-related disorders; trauma-related disorders; Autism; Anxiety; Comorbidity)
• Kim, Eric (Health psychology; Psychosocial, sociocultural and behavioral determinants of health; Epidemiology (except nutritional and veterinary epidemiology); psychological well-being; Purpose in life / Meaning in life; resilience; Optimism / Hope; Health Psychology; Social Epidemiology; Aging)
• Kingstone, Alan (Cognitive sciences; Brain mechanisms of human perception, attention, and behaviour in experimental & everyday situations)
• Klonsky, Elisha (Clinical psychology; Suicide (theory, motivations, transition from suicidal thoughts to attempts); emotion; personality.)
• Laurin, Kristin (Social psychology; Psychology of social class; Political psychology; Rationalization and system justification; Morality)

Doctoral Citations

Sample Thesis Submissions

• Examining the relationship between children's theory of mind and social-emotional functioning
• When people do allyship : a typology of allyship action
• Parent engagement in parenting interventions for children with ADHD : the role of parent mental health
• Psychological consequences of financial scarcity
• Understanding hoarding clean-outs : a public scholar approach
• Sociocontextual factors impacting the biological embedding of major transitions during adolescence
• Social values and social motivations as vulnerability factors for excessive acquisition
• Cognitive and affective dimensions of inattention
• Actual and anticipated reactions to engaging with and dismissing political opponents : who and where they come from, and why they matter
• Mechanisms underlying the interface between number words and perceptual magnitudes
• Trust and social class : the complex relationship between explicit stereotypes (about dispositions and situations), implicit stereotypes, and trust
• Memory network of social anxiety
• A cognitive framework of nudge and sludge
• Reward sensitivity and emotionally biased cognition in depression
• Seeing mind in all : subjective panpsychism and moral psychology

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Arts in Psychology (MA)

At the UBC Okanagan Campus

Further information, specialization.

Psychology covers most major areas of the discipline, including: behavioral neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognitive science, developmental psychology, health psychology, personality and social psychology, and quantitative methods.

UBC Calendar

Program website, faculty overview, academic unit, program identifier, classification, social media channels, supervisor search.

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form .

UBC offers a lot of opportunity for interdisciplinary research at least in the context of my work. The Department of Psychology has ties with, for example, the Centre for Brain Health and Sauder School of Business. I really look forward to collaborating with folks outside of the department so that...

Talia Morstead

My decision to study at UBC was driven in large part by my desire to work with Dr. Anita DeLongis, a foremost expert in the field of stress and coping. After coming across Dr. DeLongis’ work during my undergraduate studies and having the opportunity to volunteer in her lab, I saw that our research...

Bronwen Grocott

I applied to UBC because I wanted to work with my present supervisor, Dr. Joelle LeMoult. I was especially interested in researching social stress and depression using a mixed-methods, experimental approach and working with Joelle has made this possible.

Leilani Forby

Before I decided to pursue a graduate degree, I worked in the film industry and was required to do a lot of international travel. The business trips to Canada were always my favorite --- I fell in love with the cities and the people. When I decided that I would study how to support autistic...

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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis-based program

Program overview.

As they gain knowledge from highly accomplished faculty members, students in the Psychology (PhD Thesis) program will learn specialized training and scientific methods to collect data and perform research in three areas. Brain and Cognitive Science looks at the mental processes and brain structures involved in movement, perception, learning, memory, and understanding language. Industrial-Organizational Psychology is concerned with individual and group behaviour, as well as the relationships of organization-wide variables to individuals and groups in work settings. Social and Theoretical Psychology involves social and cultural relations, as well as foundational and philosophical questions in psychology.

Completing this program

Courses: Topics may include research design and methodology, brain and cognitive sciences, industrial/organizational psychology and more.

Medical Imaging:  Students take a course sequence in medical imaging in additional to the core requirements of the psychology program.

Industrial Organization:  Students take courses in research methods and statistics, industrial/organizational psychology and more.

Research Proposal:  Students must formally present a thesis proposal within 20 months after admission to the program.

Candidacy:  Students are expected to complete both oral and written candidacy exams within 24 months after admission to the program.

Thesis:  Students will be required to submit and defend an original research thesis.

Specializations

• Industrial/Organizational Psychology
• Medical Imaging (Interdisciplinary)

Universities, research centers, the government, private businesses.

A PhD in psychology is usually considered a final degree.

Students are required to prepare a thesis and successfully defend in an open oral defense.

Six courses minimum

Learn more about program requirements in the Academic Calendar

Classroom delivery

Time commitment.

Four years full-time; six years maximum

A supervisor is required, but is not required prior to the start of the program

See the Graduate Calendar for information on  fees and fee regulations,  and for information on  awards and financial assistance .

Virtual Tour

Explore the University of Calgary (UCalgary) from anywhere. Experience all that UCalgary has to offer for your graduate student journey without physically being on campus. Discover the buildings, student services and available programs all from your preferred device.

Supervisors

Learn about faculty available to supervise this degree. Please note: additional supervisors may be available. Contact the program for more information.

Michael Antle

Joshua Bourdage

Brandy Callahan

Tavis Campbell

Derek Chapman

Jackson Cone

Richard Dyck

Deinera Exner-Cortens

Susan Graham

Admission Requirements

A minimum of 3.4 GPA on a 4.0 point system.

Minimum education

A master’s degree in Psychology or equivalent.

Work samples

Reference letters.

Two academic letters

Test scores

English language proficiency.

An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ibt)  score of 105.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)  score of 7.5 (minimum of 6.0 in each section)
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)   score of 75, or higher (Academic version).
• Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL)  score of 70 (minimum 70 in each section)  
• Academic Communication Certificate (ACC)  score of A- in each course.
• Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency  minimum score of 200.

For admission on September 1:

• Canadians and permanent residents: November 15 application deadline
• International students: November 15 application deadline

For admission on January 1:

• Canadians and permanent residents: September 1 application deadline, except for the Industrial/Organizational Psychology specialization
• International students: September 1 application deadline, except for the Industrial/Organizational Psychology specialization

If you're not a Canadian or permanent resident, or if you have international credentials, make sure to learn about international requirements

Are you ready to apply?

Learn more about this program, department of psychology.

Psychology Graduate Program Faculty of Arts University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4

Contact the Graduate Program Advisor

Visit the departmental website

University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4

Visit the Faculty of Arts website

Related programs

If you're interested in this program, you might want to explore other UCalgary programs.

Thesis-based MSc

Linguistics

Thesis-based MA

Neuroscience

Thesis-based PhD

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On average, it takes four to five years to complete the PhD program (after the MA) and requires full-time academic year residency until the attainment of candidacy.

At least 12 credits of coursework are required, and the details of required courses vary by research area. In addition to courses, doctoral students are required to complete a comprehensive examination and a dissertation. Students in the Clinical Program are, in addition, required to complete a year-long accredited clinical internship.

Interested in why we behave, think and feel the way we do?

Study the rich and complex nature of human behaviour, thoughts and emotions and explore how you can help improve the lives of people in your community..

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Psychology (PhD)

Program overview Program structure Admission requirements Application process Tuition & funding

Program overview

The PhD in Psychology is a research-intensive program, and most students pursue training in one of our department's four main areas of research: behavioural neuroscience , clinical and health research , cognitive science and human development and developmental processes . Students choose from one of two program options. The Research Option is suitable for those who wish to pursue careers in research, industry, or academia. The Research and Clinical Training Option also provides professional training in the provision of psychological services, and can lead to careers in research, industry, academia, hospital and health care domains, as well as positions involved in public policy. The Research and Clinical Training Option is fully accredited by the Ordre des Psychologues du Quebec, as well as the Canadian Psychological Association. Our department trains the next generation of researchers in world-class laboratories.

Program structure

Degree requirements, degree requirements.

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 90 credits.

Please see the Psychology Courses page for course descriptions.

Psychology PhD (90 credits)

Psychology PhD Research Option (90 credits)

Set A: Psychology PhD Research Option

Set B: Psychology PhD Research Option

Psychology PhD Research and Clinical Training Option (90 credits)

Admission requirements

Admission requirements.

• Master's degree in psychology or its equivalent in a closely related discipline.
• Research and Clinical Training Option requires that applicants have completed specific Psychology undergraduate courses required by federal and provincial licensing bodies, including an empirically based undergraduate thesis or its equivalent, as well as master's-level courses in Psychology specified by the program.
• Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions .

Application process

Application deadlines.

Priority will be given to complete applications submitted by the deadline. In some cases, programs may continue to accept applications as long as there is space available.

International students: Considering the waiting period involved in meeting the entry requirements to Canada and Quebec , we strongly encourage international applicants to apply early and submit supporting documents prior to the deadline.

Tuition & funding

Tuition and fees.

Tuition and fees of the program may depend on your student status, among other key factors. Estimate these costs based on the most common situations.

Awards and funding

Funding packages are generally available for students in thesis-based programs. They come in the form of awards, teaching and research assistantships are offered at the time of admission to most students to allow them to focus on their research and studies. Research and thesis-based students are automatically considered for all entrance graduate awards when they apply to Concordia, provided they meet eligibility criteria. No separate application is required.

The Quebec and Canadian governments offer a number of competitive graduate scholarships. We encourage you to apply for these awards at the same time you are preparing your application.

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Psychology (PhD)

Faculty of Social Sciences PhD

The PhD in Psychology program has been designed to provide intensive research training and develop the capacity for a critical and scholarly approach to issues in each of the three specializations. Collaborative work allows students to link across focal areas to pursue the research questions they seek to address.

Specializations:

• Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience
• Lifespan Development
• Social / Personality

Entry point:

• September (full-time and part-time)
• Thesis – 12 terms (4 years)

Application deadline:

Applications submitted after the deadline may be looked at on a first-come, first-served basis. International applicants interested in applying after the posted application deadline should contact the program for details on availability.

General program inquiries Graduate program director Karen Campbell Graduate program coordinator Lindsay Grifa

Apply now Graduate Studies at Brock

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Program website Faculty research Faculty of Social Sciences

Admission requirements

• Check the university requirements and the program requirements .
• Complete the online application  and submit the non-refundable application fee.

For applicants with a master’s degree with a major in psychology or neuroscience:

You will need to submit your transcripts as well as the following program specific materials:

• Two references, preferably academic, are required.
• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test are recommended but not required. See the program website for additional information.
• A personal statement of interest in pursuing graduate studies. It should be no more than one page and provide an indication of your research interests as well as your intermediate and long-term goals. If you are interested in including a CV (optional) indicating any relevant research, teaching or work experience, please include 1-2 pages of CV at the end of the statement of interest document.
• Complete the  Applicant Interest Form  and upload. On this you will indicate, in order of preference, potential faculty members as supervisors in addition to indicating your interest in various research topics. If you are unable to fill out the form directly in the link provided, you can download the form and then upload to your application.

If English is not your native language, an official copy of your TOEFL score, or other evidence of competency in English, must be scanned and uploaded

For applicants applying with backgrounds other than psychology or neuroscience:

In recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of Psychology, the Admissions Committee will consider applications from students holding degrees in allied fields. To ensure that such applicants have a background in psychology adequate for successful completion of their graduate program, the following conditions for eligibility to the Ph.D. program have been established for candidates holding a non-psychology (or neuroscience) Master’s degree. In addition to the requirements above (i.e. for those with backgrounds in psychology or neuroscience):

Applicants must have completed a Master’s thesis in another discipline that involved empirical research of scope and complexity comparable to that of a Master’s Psychology thesis.

You will need to submit your transcripts as well as the following program specific materials:

• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. See the program website for additional information. (Test results can be photocopies and must have been written within the last ten years.)
• Scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Psychology Subject Test.  (Test results can be photocopies and must have been written within the last ten years.)
• If English is not your native language, an official copy of your TOEFL score, or other evidence of competency in English, must be scanned and uploaded.

Career outcomes

• University professor
• Data management, research design, data analysis
• Counselling, clinical psychology, assessment, mental health, health care
• Education, teaching
• Computer programming
• Vision Rehabilitation

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Graduate Studies in Psychology

McGill's Graduate Department of Psychology is one of the oldest and best known in North America. The Department offers two full-time, research-intensive graduate program tracks, each ultimately leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree. 

Clinical Psychology

Experimental psychology, graduate association of students of psychology (gasp).

The Graduate Association of Students of Psychology is a graduate association under the Post-Graduate Students’ Society (PGSS). They represent psychology graduate students’ concerns to committees within the Department and to the PGSS, and function as a liaison between graduate students and the department. They organize academic events, lecture series, orientation week activities, and a number of social events throughout the year. Check out GASP's website for the current schedule of events.

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Find out about opportunities available through the new NSERC-CREATE in Complex Dynamics of Brain and Behaviour.

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