Clinical Psychology: Applied Developmental Emphasis

How to Apply

Requirements for application to our clinical graduate program which begins at the M.A. level are:
  • Completion of an Honours Psychology Degree (with a thesis component), additional experience working in a research lab is recommended.
  • Written General GRE (Graduate Records Exam) and Psychology GRE.
  • And if English is a second language, a written Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
  • Adequate training in statistics and relevant coursework (especially Developmental Psychology).
  • Some documented experience working with children, preferably within a clinical setting.
  • Applicants must be able to pass child abuse registry and police security checks, and upon an offer of acceptance into the program are required to obtain this documentation.
  • According to Department graduate requirements, consideration for graduate studies requires a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of B+ for admission at the MA level. Applicants, however, that are considered for admission to the CP:ADE MA program have had a minimum GPA of A-. Note that the admission GPA is based on the last 16 half-credit courses without splitting a semester. (Also see below for current GRE averages.)

    • The average GRE scores of students admitted into our program for Fall 2011:
  • GRE-Verbal: 81%
  • GRE-Quantitative: 60%
  • GRE-Written: 74%
  • GRE-Psychology: 84%
  • Grades: GPA = A (Range: A- to A+)

    • Your application package must also contain all of the forms: submission summary, transcripts, letters of recomendations, and Psychology Department Graduate Studies Admission Questionnaire, as detailed on the Application Instruction page. Be sure to indicate in your application which faculty member you wish to work with (see below 'Finding a Supervisor')

    Note. We do not typically admit students to the PhD program unless they have completed an M.A. in child clinical psychology.
    * Students of diverse ethnic backgrounds and those with special needs are encouraged to apply to the program. Equipment and additional support for students with disabilities is available at the Centre for Students with Disabilities (519-824-4120 ext. 56208).

    Financial Assistance

    Incoming MA graduate students are all guaranteed a minimum level of funding currently set at $16,000 for two years (6 semesters), and PhD students are guaranteed a minimum of $17,500 for three years (9 semesters). This guarantee of funding consists of all sources of graduate funding which you might obtain including Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs), Graduate Service Assistantships (GSAs), Board of Graduate Studies: Research Scholarships (BGSRS), CSAHS Dean's Scholarships, research support provided by faculty research grants (GRAs), external scholarships (e.g., OGS, SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR), sessional teaching, and payment for providing consulting or clinical services sponsored by University-based institutions. Students who receive an award from SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR will also receive the Dean's Tri-Council Scholarship, an additional $5,000 per year of the award. In more detail:

  • Students typically are supported by Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs). For the Fall 2010/2011 year (3 semesters), approx. $326,721 in GTA support was awarded to clinical students. A current 1.0 GTA (Fall '11 - Summer '12) is 140 hours worth $5,432.43 (although current rates are under negotiation).
  • Additional sources of funding include Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) in which individual faculty pay students from personal research grants. GRAs are typically equivalent in value to a GTA.
  • External Awards. Several of our students have also received external awards from the Ontario Graduate Studies (OGS), Canandian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Social Science and Humanities Research (SSRC), and the Ontario Mental Health Foundation (OMHF). Awards typically range from $15,000 (Ontario Graduate Scholarship) to three-year awards totaling $105,000 (SSHRC Doctoral Scholarship). Additional sources of funding exist specific to the area of clinical research. External awards to clinical students totaled $360,000 in the 2010/2011 year (excluding concurrent awards of lower financial value that had to be declined).
  • University-Wide Internal Awards (UWIAs). "The Dean's Tri-Council Scholarship valued at $5,000 per year are awarded in equal semesterly payments, to all registered graduate students winning a scholarship from NSERC, SSHRC or CIHR. This scholarship will be awarded in the semester in which the tri-council award is confirmed to begin and is held for the duration of the award. The CSAHS Deans' Scholarships ($2,500 MA, $5,000 PhD) are awarded to students showing outstanding academic performance with a minimum of 75% average in the last year of full-time, or equivalent, study. Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are registered master's students up to semester six and doctoral students up to semester nine are eligible. Departments will nominate students to the College Awards Committee on the basis of research performance/potential, including progress in the program of study. Application is not required" (2010-11 Calendar - XI. Graduate Awards & Financial Assistance). For further details regarding UWIAs see:
    http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/graduate/current/gradawards/gradawards-uwia.shtml. .
  • A few students elect to work as sessional instructors. Both qualified graduate and non-graduate students are eligible to work as sessional instructors under CUPE 3913 Unit #2. Pay is determined by a wage scale that incrementally increases based on the number of previous courses taught. The department Chair determines a sessional's starting position on the pay scale. Current 2010-11 minimum wage is $6,761.43 per course.
  • Experienced students may also be provided with some reimbursement for their work in administering clinical assessments.
  • All students also receive an annual professional development allowance each year ($100 for MA students, $150 for PhD students), conference travel allowances ($250 per year), and receive reimbursement for their thesis expenses ($200 for an MA Thesis, $300 for a PhD thesis). See the Graduate Handbook for details concerning submission timelines for reimbursement.


    • For further application details, instructions, and forms see: Application Instructions: Psychology - Graduate Program at Guelph. Application and payment are completed online via the O.U.A.C. Materials are to be completed by the applicant and forwarded to:

    Robin Fraser
    Graduate Secretary
    Department of Psychology
    University of Guelph
    Guelph, Ontario
    Canada
    N1G 2W1

    DEADLINE: Complete applications must be received by December 15th

    REMINDER: Request ETS to forward Official GRE general and psychology subject test score reports directly to the University of Guelph as well as Official TOEFL scores (if applicable). Note. We do not normally accept applications from our own undergraduate program. For additional information, contact:

    Robin Fraser
    Graduate Secretary
    phone: 519-824-4120, ext. 53508
    e-mail: psygsec@psy.uoguelph.ca

    To discuss the Clinical Psychology: Applied Developmental Emphasis program, contact:

    Dr. Stephen Lewis
    e-mail: slewis03@uoguelph.ca

    Finding a Supervisor:

    Unlike many other graduate programs, we admit students into the clinical area generally rather than first linked to an immediate supervisor. Matching applicants and supervisors will take place as a subsequent step. Be sure to indicate in your application which faculty member you wish to work with. Indicate more than one faculty member as a particular faculty may not be taking students for that year. See the Faculty section to find out who will be taking students for the next incoming year.