Master's in Psychology FAQs

It is not required to have a specific research idea, but applicants should have a broad idea of what they are interested in researching and have several ideas of how they might pursue research they are interested in under different UL faculty. This is important to allow for appropriate assessment of match, both on the part of the student and the admissions committee. Applicants should mention at least one area of research they would like to pursue at UL in the personal statement, along with how that would fit with UL faculty researchers.

Students may take courses in other departments. That said, any credit received will not count towards the degree, and only a small number of undergraduate courses will be covered by graduate student financial aid. For those with a tuition waiver this can be an excellent way to pursue interests outside of Psychology to build the foundation for multidisciplinary collaboration or to support personal growth.

There is funding available over the summer for Teaching Assistants to get a tuition waiver, however no stipends are available. Students must inform the Graduate Coordinator by Spring Advising if they intend to enroll during the summer under a tuition waiver.

Every year we receive a varying amount of applicants so there is, unfortunately, no exact date that we can be certain you will hear from us. That being said, initial acceptance decisions are given out in late March. We make every effort to provide decisions to students in a timely fashion. If you have questions about the status of your application, please do not hesitate to contact the graduate coordinator, Dr. Sandoz.

Yes! Please reach out to faculty you feel might be a good fit for your research interests and career goals. Find out what their most recent work is in, whether or not they anticipate taking on new thesis students, whether they have students that would be willing to chat with you about the program, etc. Match is an important aspect of graduate student selections and this will help you to be sure we are the program for you!

The program is set up to take two years (i.e., from August of your incoming year to May of your second year), but this varies depending primarily on thesis productivity and on availability for summer coursework. On average, our graduates are awarded their degrees at around 2.25 years (i.e., at the end of their second summer).

The program is set up to take two years (i.e., from August of your incoming year to May of your second year), but this varies depending primarily on thesis productivity and on availability for summer coursework. On average, our graduates are awarded their degrees at around 2.25 years (i.e., at the end of their second summer).

Our program is designed to prepare students for doctoral training. Students that choose a different route often re-specialize by enrolling in a terminal master’s program (e.g., social work or applied behavior analysis), or doing assistant work for licensed psychologists.

About 9/10 of our graduates who apply for doctoral programs successfully enroll.

Yes. In fact most of our graduate students are funded through Graduate Assistantships outside of the department (as opposed to Teaching Assistantships within the Psychology department). Nearly every office on campus hires Graduate Assistantships. These usually require about 20 hours per week and include a range of duties. Postings for graduate assistantships can be found on the Career Services website, on the Graduate School Facebook page, and via emails from the Graduate Coordinator or other faculty.

Applicants are encouraged to gain whatever research experience they can prior to applying to our program. The more research experience an applicant has, and the more closely this matches with faculty, the more competitive an applicant will be.

While an undergraduate degree in Psychology is not required for admission, applicants do have to have minimum prerequisites to be considered for admission. Prerequisites include one undergraduate statistics class and 18 credit hours of Psychology courses, including (1) general psychology and (2) statistics/research design in behavioral sciences. If you do not have these prerequisites, you can apply to take undergraduate courses at University of Louisiana at Lafayette or most other universities, as a non-degree seeking student.

If you have an international BA or BS degree, you need to send your transcript to get evaluated for equivalency. A good place to start is World Education Services (WES), www.wes.org, where they look over your international degree and evaluate your credits if they match or are equivalent to those in the US. Be aware that a 3-year BA or BS degree from your country will not be a BA or BS in the United States. Once WES evaluates your credentials, they will send one copy directly to the UL’s Graduate School Office. Contact the Graduate School Office or Dr. Sandoz with any concerns.

Our Psychology Department has exceptional faculty from different perspectives in Psychology, namely clinical, cognitive, developmental, educational, experimental, psychobiology, and social. Within those perspectives, our faculty have different interests and foci allowing every student to find a member of the faculty with whom they could work regarding thesis and/or other research projects.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has many different opportunities to help you with funding your graduate education. Please seek information on student loans from the Financial Aid department at http://financialaid.louisiana.edu . In addition to loans, high achieving applicants are often hired as graduate assistants The Psychology Department offers four to five Graduate Assistantships to incoming students every year. Teaching assistant responsibilities include holding office hours, observing classes, and guest lecturing in the first year, and teaching one section of PSYC 110 in the second year. There is also one Graduate Assistantship position in the department’s Assessment clinic, which involves scheduling, carrying out, and writing up assessment results. Our applicants are also highly competitive for Graduate Assistantships across campus, many of which teach useful skills. If you are interested in an assistantship, be certain that you fill out an application for Graduate Assistantship when you apply for admission. Also inform Dr. Sandoz that you are interested, as she forwards advertisements for graduate assistantships to interested incoming students, which typically results in a match.

Read, read, read! Read all the assigned readings, write all the assigned papers, do your work, don’t fall behind, and ask for help if you do! Additionally, get involved with research labs beyond just seeking support for your thesis. The Psychology Department has many productive research labs that will prepare you to be a successful researcher and consequently a competitive PhD candidate. Graduate school differs from undergraduate because while classwork and performance are important, the experiences outside of class are what truly shape your success.

About one third to one fourth of each class are from out-of-state. The graduate faculty and in-state students provide a great and friendly resource for these out-of-state students. In addition to the strengths of the program, most of these students enjoy the friendly atmosphere, along with the rich and diverse culture Lafayette has to offer. To verify that Lafayette is right for you, you might spend some time considering resources from Lafayette Consolidated Government (www.lafayettela.gov) and Lafayette Economic Development Authority (www.lafayette.org). (FYI - The primary complaint amongst out-of-state students is probably the weather, as it gets quite hot and humid. That said, students tend to accommodate pretty quickly.).

The psychology masters program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is designed to prepare students to enter a doctoral program upon completion. The program is customizable to an extent in order to better specify your academic skillset. It does not, however, provide you with the combination of courses and practicum training that you would need to provide for masters-level licensure in states that offer such. In other words, we discourage you from applying if your ultimate goal is to practice with a master’s degree.

There is no way to fully prepare yourself for all of the complex differences between undergraduate and graduate education. That said, taking steps early on and often to clarify short and long-term goals and interests will help you to navigate the transition’s challenges with some sense of direction. Students are most successful with the transition to graduate school when they (1) build strong relationships with faculty and student colleagues, and (2) develop personal time management skills that allow for academic and personal needs to be met.