Apply for the clinical psychology PhD

Admission criteria and application procedures

In order to ensure your online application is properly processed, please confirm you have met all the standard graduate school requirements and psychology program-specific requirements outlined below.

Students applying with a bachelor’s degree (arts or science) in psychology will need:

• Honours degree (or equivalent) in psychology
• Honours thesis
• Coursework in:
  • History of psychology
  • Systems of psychotherapy
  • Biological bases of behaviour
  • Cognitive/affective bases of behaviour
  • Developmental bases of behaviour
  • Social bases of behaviour
• Minimum cumulative GPA: 3.7 / 4.3
• Three reference letters
  • Referees will be asked to complete a supplemental form regarding both academic and clinical suitability (instructions will be emailed directly to your referees)
• Statement of research experience and interests, clinical interests and related experience, and career goals (500 words)
• Curriculum vitae, showing complete list of awards/honours received, professional presentations and/or publications, relevant volunteer  (e.g., crises phone line, hospital, research lab, social justice committee) and employment positions (e.g., research assistant, summer camp leader

Students applying with a master’s degree in psychology must also meet these criteria. They may be eligible to receive advanced standing in some courses, which will be determined by the clinical program committee.

Additional requirements for international students whose first language is not English:

• IELTS = band 7
• Paper-based TOEFL = 600
• Internet-based TOEFL = 213
• TWE = 4.0

The Department of Psychology is committed to pluralism and diversity within its programs. We encourage applications from qualified students within cultural, visible minority and disability communities. Our policies and procedures concerning graduate admissions are non-discriminatory with regards to gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disabilities.

Application procedure

Apply now

Application deadline: Dec. 1

All official supporting documentation not included in the online application should be mailed to the School of Graduate Studies:

School of Graduate Studies
University of New Brunswick
P.O. Box 4400
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
E3B 5A3

Admissions to the Clinical program involves a three-step process:

1. All applicants are screened based on information provided in the application package. A list of applicants who meet the minimum admissions criteria is circulated to faculty who will contact applicants they are interested in interviewing. These students constitute a short list of possible candidates.

2. All short-listed candidates are invited to a virtual interview with the potential supervisor and another clinical faculty member. The interview focuses on assessing the match between the applicant’s career objectives, the resources available in the Clinical program, and the interests of the potential research supervisor.

3. Final decisions to recommend an offer of acceptance, place an individual on the waiting list, or not make an offer of acceptance, are made by the clinical program committee.

An application waiver is available for Indigenous students. Eligible domestic students may identify as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. This will be extended to international applicants from the Wabanaki Confederacy.

Contact Toss Ross at t.ross@unb.ca, Indigenous Advisor, (506) 648-5610 or psyc@unb.ca for more information.