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Psychology

How to Apply

Application deadline for the doctoral program is December 1. 

The School Psychology faculty reviews applications and calls the top-rated applicants for phone interviews. Following phone interviews, some applicants will be invited to our on-campus interview day, usually occurring in mid-February to early March. Please note that visiting day is by invitation only. Please inquire about funding if you are asked to travel to UM for an interview. Offers of admission will be made shortly after visiting day.

The School Psychology doctoral program requires of each student a minimum of three full-time academic years of graduate study (or the equivalent thereof) and completion of an internship prior to awarding the doctoral degree. At least two of academic training years (or the equivalent thereof) must be at The University of Montana, and at least one year must be in full-time residence (or the equivalent thereof) at The University of Montana-Missoula campus.

Application Materials

  • Submit an online graduate school application and pay the application fee. The application can be found on the Graduate School webpage.

  • Submit three letters of recommendation via the online application. If you opt to have your letter writers submit recommendations electronically, you will provide an email address for each on your application and they will, in turn, receive an email with download instructions. Your letter writers may instead choose to send hard copies directly to the department. If that is the case, each letter should arrive in a sealed envelope with the recommender's signature across the seal. If your recommendation writers choose to use the online system please do not also send duplicate hard copies.

  • Upload a personal statement to the online application. If you opt to include your personal statement via the online system please do not send a duplicate hard copy. Please limit this personal statement to 2 pages, single-spaced. When writing your personal statement, we encourage you to consider including the following topics:
    1. Any relevant applied and/or clinical experiences working with children, schools, and/or families.
    2. Previous research experience (if any) and future research interests, as well as why you are interested in working with a specific school psychology faculty mentor.
    3. Your career goals and how a doctoral degree in school psychology at the University of Montana may prepare you for this career.
    4. Experiences working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and/or any activities you have engaged in related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

  • Upload your Curriculum Vitae to the online application. If you opt to include your CV via the online system please do not send a duplicate hard copy.

  • Provide official transcripts from ALL undergraduate and graduate schools you have attended. You can upload transcripts to the application or send electronic or hard copies directly to the Psychology Department. Applicants may also email official electronic transcripts. For further information or e-script questions please contact the PsychologyDepartment@umontana.edu. Official transcripts will be required of all admitted graduate students.

  • Applicants may also upload a writing sample to their application, but it is not required.

Western Regional Graduate Program

The School Psychology PhD program is an approved Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP). This means that a select number of students from any state in the Western Region of the United States are eligible to pay 150% of the in-state tuition rate, which results in a significant reduction in fees for eligible out-of-state students. If you are applying from a WRGP state, please include a note about your interest in the WRGP tuition rate in your application. Please note that only a limited number of students will be eligible for this tuition reduction per year. You can also find additional information at the following website: Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP).

Professional Licensure Disclosure

In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations and because we are located in an institution participating in the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), the School Psychology Ph.D. Program, which is a program leading to professional licensure, is required to disclose specific information regarding eligibility for licensure. First, we are required to generally disclose whether completion of our program meets state credentialing or licensing board requirements in any U.S. state, district, or territory. In addition, we are also required to make individual disclosures to current students if our curriculum does not meet educational requirements for the state, territory, or district in which they are located or to which they relocate. Finally, we are required to notify prospective students prior to enrollment in our program if we have determined that our curriculum does not meet educational requirements for licensure in the state, territory, or district in which they are located, or if we have not made a determination whether our program meets educational requirements. Please refer to the Provost's Office website for additional information.

Mailing Address

University of Montana
Department of Psychology
Attn: Admissions
Skaggs 143
Missoula, MT 59812

 

If you have further questions please email us, or call 406-243-4522