Letter from the Directors of the Doctoral Programs

September 2024 

Dear applicant:

Applications will be considered for the Master's-Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology (English program and French program) as well as for the Master’s and Master's-Ph.D. programs in Experimental Psychology. Students admitted to a M.A.-PhD program on the basis of a Master’s degree in Psychology are enrolled directly in the Ph.D. program. In our CPA-accredited Clinical Psychology program, students complete 100% of their obligatory courses and the majority of their remaining courses and clinical training (including psychological service delivery and report writing) in the language associated with the program into which they are admitted. This means that applicants must be fluent in the language of the program to which they apply in Clinical Psychology. 

Last year we received approximately 500 enquiries about the program. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the Graduate Admissions Committee considered 283 applications to the Clinical Psychology program and 164 applications to the Experimental Psychology programs (MA and MA-PhD). At the end of the process, 9 students enrolled in the English program and 6 students enrolled in the French program in Clinical Psychology, 16 students enrolled in the MA-PhD program in Experimental Psychology, 4 students enrolled in the MA with Major Research Paper program, and 3 students enrolled in the MA Course-based with Coop program. Currently, 78% of students identify as women, 18% identify as men, with missing information for 4%. The ratio of Anglophone to Francophone students is roughly 2:1. The mean age of students currently enrolled in the Clinical and Experimental programs is 29 years, with a range of 21 to 58. Equity is a University of Ottawa policy, and the School of Psychology has adopted Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) goals for admissions. The Clinical Psychology program implemented BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) pools for admissions during the 2022-2023 cycle, which will continue this year. Indigenous and Black individuals, other individuals of colour, and individuals with disabilities and other diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply to our graduate programs. 

The University of Ottawa is committed to offering training in both of Canada’s official languages - English and French. All students in our graduate programs must meet the second language requirement (English or French) in order to obtain their doctoral degree. Students who, at the time of admission, can provide proof of their competence in both languages (e.g., prior education in both languages, certificate of linguistic competency) are deemed to meet the language requirement. For other students, the requirements can be met in one of four ways: 

1. passing a test administered by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI); 
2. successfully completing a graduate course in which all course requirements are met in the second language; 
3. writing the dissertation in the second language; or 
4. successfully completing a course designated by the OLBI (ELS 2111 or FLS 2511). 

As the nation’s capital, Ottawa combines the cultural activities of a large city with the community feeling of a smaller centre. The city provides excellent opportunities for outdoor sports and recreation. Because the vacancy rate for accommodation is low, students entering the graduate programs are urged to seek housing at an early date. 

We hope this information helps you in making a choice of a graduate program. We wish you the best of luck in the future.