Admission Requirements & Deadlines

Psychology — Clinical Concentration (M.A.)

Application Deadline

Students are admitted to the Psychology - Clinical Concentration (M.A.) for the fall term only.

  • Final Deadline: Jan. 15

*** It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all application components are received by Towson University by the deadline of January 15th. This applies to documents that must be submitted from sources other than the applicant, such as transcripts and recommendation letters. Application items that remain missing by the deadline make the application incomplete and thus subject to denial without review.

Admission Criteria

  • No GRE scores are required. 
  • A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
  • A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 is required for admission. GPA calculations may be based upon the cumulative units or the last 60 units of the degree. See graduate admissions policies for more information and exceptions.

prerequisites

  • Four undergraduate courses in psychology are required and must be completed with a “B” or better, except general psychology:
    • General Psychology (3 credits)
    • Psychopathology (formerly "Abnormal" Psychology) (3 credits)
    • Research Methods or Statistics (3 credits)
    • Personality, Social, Cognitive or Developmental Psychology (3 credits)
  • Interview with program faculty. The most competitive applicants will be invited by the program director for an interview with faculty and students. This interview is a compulsory part of the application process.

Application Requirements

Submit anonline application, application fee and official transcripts, along with:

  • Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation from experiential placements/internships/fieldwork and from academic sources (e.g., professors) are preferred. Please do not send personal reference letters (e.g., letters from parents, friends, family, employers/supervisors from a non-psychology related job, etc.) Email addresses of recommenders must be entered on application.
  • Statement of Purpose: A statement of purpose (between 500-1000 words) that addresses each of the following:
    • Why you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology, your area of clinical and/or research interests, and your professional goals. 
    • As described on our website, there are two training options within the clinical psychology master’s program: the practitioner option and the researcher option. You must indicate which option you wish to pursue; if you choose the researcher option, please browse the list of faculty in the psychology department and indicate 1-3 specific faculty members with whom you would be interested in working, and how you see this as a good fit with your clinical interests, experience, and future career goals. 
    • Include what you see as your greatest strength, as well as where you believe you require the most growth, as an aspiring graduate student in clinical psychology.
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV): Students are required to submit a CV, highlighting their research and clinical experiences, any teaching experiences they have had, and any honors or awards received.
  • Transcripts: Official transcripts must be submitted from all institutions where coursework was completed. Transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution to be considered official.

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

U.S. Immigration requires F1 and J1 students to be enrolled full-time with the majority of their classes taken in-person and on campus. For a list of TU programs that comply as well as information on required credential evaluations and English-language proficiency, please see admission requirements for international students.

Application Timeline

The graduate program in clinical psychology is a small, selective program. We receive 100 to 120 applications each year. Those students who meet the initial screening criteria will subsequently be evaluated based upon the strengths and other relevant information they present in their application portfolio. 

Except for the above mentioned January 15 deadline, the following dates are approximate:

  • January 16th: Program faculty begin review of only completed applications.
  • First Week of February: Invitations extended to top 40 candidates to attend required interview. *Note: If you do not receive an interview invitation and have not received a denial decision message by mid February, you are among those eligible individuals who could still be considered until the process has reached completion. We value for your patience while you await communication updating your status, which will be sent once it is determined.
  • Mid-February to Early March: Clinical interviews.
  • Mid-March to Early April: Applicants notified of admission decision.
  • April 15: Deadline by which admitted applicants must notify Towson University of their decision.