How do I Apply?

Applied Social Application Deadline

December 15 is the deadline to apply to Applied Social Psychology for the following Fall semester.

Please ensure you apply at least one week before this date. This will give you enough time to ensure that you receive your login, your referees receive their requests for references, and you can upload all documents by the December 15 deadline.

GRE Information

All materials, including reference letters, should reach us by this date. Missing information may preclude an application from being considered for admission. NOTE: If you attended more than one university, please ensure transcripts from all places are sent in time.

Please see the Applied Social Psychology Application and Supplementary Material Checklist for application instructions. 

Graduate Supplemental Document (cover page). 

How do I apply to Graduate Studies in Applied Social Psychology?

First review these eligibility requirements.

Applied Social Application Requirements:

GRE Information

Masters

Students who are admitted to the MA program in Applied Social Psychology will normally have an Honours thesis in Psychology or equivalent research experience. Because of the research-intensive nature of our program we are most interested in students with a strong background in research methods, qualitative and/or quantitative approaches. In addition, we see research and/or work experience in an applied setting as a strong asset. The Subject (Psychology) test is not required, but is recommended for international applicants or those without a background in psychology.

Doctoral

Students who are admitted to the PhD program in Applied Social Psychology will normally have an MA degree in social psychology or a relevant sub-field of psychology.

Applicants will typically have a strong research background; including experience in research methodology, qualitative and/or quantitative approaches, and writing/communication skills. Applicants will also normally have demonstrated potential in knowledge mobilization activities, such as conference presentations, and/or scholarly or other types of publication.

Relevant experience outside of academic settings, such as work or volunteerism with community organizations, is also an asset.

Current MA students applying to the Doctoral program

The Applied Social Psychology MA and PhD program at the University of Guelph form an integrated graduate degree. Typically, our students continue to the PhD upon completion of their MA degree. However, admission to the PhD program is not guaranteed, even upon satisfactory completion of the MA degree.

MA students currently enrolled in the Applied Social Psychology program of the department who wish to continue to the PhD must apply to be admitted to the PhD program. The process is the same as for other applicants to the doctoral program; with the exception that TOEFL (if applicable) does not need to be resubmitted.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language the University of Guelph requires that you write a standardized English Language Proficiency Test. See this link for details of acceptable tests and corresponding scores for demonstrating English language proficiency.

GRE Requirements

GRE Information

 

How are applicant files evaluated by the Applied Social Psychology Area?

Each application receives an initial overall evaluation reflecting a candidate’s potential capacity to succeed in the program as a function of her or his experience, interests and fit with one or more faculty members of the area. This evaluation is performed by area faculty members, who consider applicants’ past scholarly performance, interpersonal skills based on past experience and letters of reference, motivations for applying to graduate school, and expectations for the program. In addition, the Applied Social Psychology MA and PhD programs at the University of Guelph form an integrated graduate degree; thus MA applicants whose objective is to pursue a PhD degree are typically preferred. 

Applications that pass the initial evaluation process are shortlisted for interviews with faculty and students from the Applied Social Psychology program at the Department of Psychology.

 

What is the status of my Graduate Application?

Each graduate area evaluates their applications and conducts interviews throughout January and February. Only those being interviewed will be contacted.

Offer of Admission recommendations are submitted by the Department to the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies for review and acceptance. Following this action of the Department, our field's of study typically email their students who have been recommended, indicating that an Official Offer of Admission is pending. We ask for your patience during this process.

Shortly thereafter, you will receive an email from our Graduate Program Assistant informing you on behalf of the Department of Psychology, that a recommendation has been forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies that an Official Offer of Admission be made. Attached will be our "Departmental Guarantee of Funding Letter". This letter will detail our funding obligation to you (as per MTCU funding eligibility rules). You will want to refer to this letter later when reviewing particularly the "Funding Form"  within the Official Offer of Admission, as said form is more technical in nature.

An Official Offer of Admission notification can be expected between March and April.  This notification comes directly from the Office of Graduate Studies and will be sent to the email noted in your OUAC application, thus please ensure you monitor.  You will be provided with instructions to login to your WebAdvisor account to view as well as to accept/decline.

Non-admission notifications are sent as soon as all outstanding offers of admission have been finalized, thus we ask for your patience during this time due to the volume of applications we receive. If at any time you wish to inquire as to the status of your application, please contact the CCAP Admissions Representative for that field of study. Please note our Graduate Program Assistant is unable to assist with such an inquiry.

Electronic Offer of Admission

  • You will receive notification via email indicating that a decision has been made on your application.
  • Log in to WebAdvisor, select Applicants, select Documents, and click on View Offer.
  • Your offer of admission will be displayed.
  • Read your offer of admission and guaranteed funding form.
  • Scroll to the bottom and select a response by clicking on the appropriate selection ( 'I Accept' or 'I Decline') prior to the response deadline..
  • The offer will remain valid until the response date listed on your offer of admission and/or the due date listed on WebAdvisor.
  • If you choose to accept the offer of admission, you are required to mail in all final official documentation and meet all conditions as specified in your offer (if the offer of admission is conditional).
  • If you choose to accept your offer of admission, you will receive information about how to register via email closer to your semester start term.
  • If you choose to decline your offer, select the appropriate response. Please note, once you select 'I Decline', your offer of admission becomes void and we cannot reverse this decision. If you change your mind, you must contact the department directly for reconsideration. You may be required to reapply and resubmit all of the required documents