Frequently Asked Questions about Admissions
- Can I apply for a master's degree?
- What are the admissions prerequisites?
- What is the application deadline?
- What department should I send my application materials to?
- Do you have a minimum required GRE score?
- Do you require or accept the GRE Psychology Subject Test?
- Do you require or accept the new Personal Potential Index report from ETS?
- How do I know if a specific faculty member is accepting new students? How do I apply to work with that person?
- What should I emphasize in my application?
- Do you hold interviews as part of the application process?
- How many students are usually admitted each year?
- When will I find out if I am being offered admission or not?
- What types of jobs do students go into who have graduated from ICD?
- Is there any additional advice for international students?
- I have a question that is not answered here, or would like more information.
Can I apply for a master's degree?
The Institute of Child Development does award both MAs and PhDs, however, we do not offer admission to a terminal master's degree in Child Psychology. All students are evaluated relative to their potential in the PhD program, and are admitted with the goal of completing the PhD. Students are allowed, but not required, to earn an MA during their progress toward the PhD.
Are there any admissions prerequisites?
Formal prerequisites are: the equivalent of four quarter or three semester courses in psychology; and an introductory course in statistics. Also, most students admitted have a substantial background in psychology, courses in mathematics and the natural sciences, and undergraduate research experience.
What is the application deadline?
December 1 is the application deadline for all materials to be received in ICD. This deadline applies to all applicants applying to all PhD program tracks. Your ApplyYourself application is submitted to the Graduate School, and once they determine that it is complete, they will forward it to us at ICD. There will be a delay from when you submit your application to when we receive it. Even if your application is complete upon submission, it will take approximately ten days to be forwarded to ICD. We STRONGLY encourage you to submit your application early. All materials must be received in ICD (which means processed by the Graduate School and forwarded to us) by the December 1st deadline. If you wait until December 1st to submit your ApplyYourself application, it is very likely that the delay will cause us to be unable to consider you for admission. Do not wait until December 1st to submit your ApplyYourself application!
What department should I send my application materials to?
The Institute of Child Development is the Department of Child Psychology. We are housed in the College of Education and
Human Development at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. While we have ties to other departments such as Psychology (in the
College of Liberal Arts) and Educational Psychology (also in the College of Education and Human Development), we are a separate entity.
All students applying for a PhD in Child Psychology will submit materials
as described in the application instructions.
All students should be sure to select Child Psychology Ph.D. as their degree objective on their ApplyYourself
application, including students applying to joint tracks.
Do you have minimum required GRE scores or GPA in order to apply?
We do not have minimum required GRE scores or GPA for admission. (Note that the Graduate School prefers a 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Admission to the Institute programs is competitive. The median grade point averages and GRE scores for students offered admission for Fall Semester 2008, were as follows:
| Undergraduate GPA | 3.89 |
| GRE Verbal | 650 |
| GRE Verbal Percentile | 93% |
| GRE Quantitative | 750 |
| GRE Quantitative Percentile | 84% |
| GRE Analytical | 5.0 |
| GRE Analytical Percentile | 73% |
| GRE V & Q | 1390 |
These ranges are intended only as guidelines but we anticipate that most students admitted to the Institute will have GPAs and test scores comparable to these. We do not use GRE scores as cutoffs, nor do high grades and scores guarantee admission.
Do you require or accept the GRE Psychology Subject Test?
We do not require the GRE Psychology Subject Test, and as such we cannot take any scores for this test into consideration when making our admissions decisions.
Do you require or accept the new Personal Potential Index report from ETS?
At this time, we do not require the PPI report from ETS, and as such we cannot take PPI reports into consideration when making our admissions decisions.
How do I know if a specific faculty member is accepting new students? How do I apply to work with that person?
At ICD, the entire faculty makes decisions about admissions as a group, working in what is called a community model. (This is different than a mentor model, where you would apply to a specific faculty member and that person would make the decision.) Any student may apply to work with any faculty member here, or any combination of faculty members. We encourage you to indicate which faculty member you are interested in as part of your personal statement in the application packet, though you are not required to.
What should I emphasize in my application?
Admission to the child psychology graduate program is based on the applicant's academic record, letters of recommendation, Graduate Record Exams scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical), TOEFL where applicable, a statement of goals and interests, and perceived program "fit."
The admissions committee will carefully review everything that you submit. The committee looks for evidence that you have the academic preparation and skills to succeed, and that the program can offer you training in your area of interest (perceived program "fit"). To evaluate "fit," the admissions committee will evaluate how well your interests match with the interests of department faculty. You need not identify specific faculty with whom you would like to work, but you may do so if you wish.
The admissions committee evaluates applications in total. This means that strengths may outweigh weaknesses. For example, very strong letters of recommendation and perceived "fit" may outweigh lower GRE scores or grades, or excellent grades in math could compensate for a weak quantitative GRE score. These are just examples. Individual cases vary. However, the best advice is to showcase your strengths, and if need be, to explain how your strengths compensate for your weaknesses in your Personal Statement or in an addendum to the application. See Application Instructions for more information.
Do you hold interviews as part of the application process?
We do not hold interviews. After admissions decisions have been made, we hold a visit weekend for admitted students. See Visiting the Institute for more information.
How many students are usually admitted each year?
In recent years we have admitted 7-14 students total. This includes students admitted to specialty training tracks.
When will I find out if I am being offered admission or not?
We begin reviewing applications immediately after the December 1st deadline. A decision for admission notice will be emailed to you once your application is carefully reviewed by the ICD faculty and your transcripts and any credentials (test reports, diploma copies, etc.) are authenticated by Graduate School officials. You can expect a decision by late February or early March.
What types of jobs do students go into who have graduated from ICD?
Our PhD program is research-oriented and designed to prepare students to be researchers and faculty members. The majority of our graduates go on to careers in research and teaching.
Is there any additional advice for international students?
Please visit the Graduate School's International Student Information page for information about English-language requirements, support and resources. Counseling, advising, and educational services are provided for students and scholars from other countries by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) in conjunction with professional advisers in Student Services. Students may receive counseling and advising services regarding visa requirements and other immigration issues, social, personal, and financial matters; international and intercultural educational opportunities; academic issues; and English language requirements.
I have a question that is not answered here, or would like more information.
Please contact the Associate Director of Graduate Studies, Danielle Bordeleau, at borde021@umn.edu or 612-625-9778.