Frequently Asked Questions - MA in Experimental Psychology programs

Applicants may apply to only ONE graduate Psychology program. (Master in Experimental Psychology Major Research Paper OR Master in Experimental Psychology Coursework with Co-op OR MA/PhD in Clinical Psychology OR MA/PhD in Experimental Psychology).

Applicants who apply to more than one graduate Psychology program will be asked to choose one to move forward with. 

The letter of intent (sent with the program application) should describe your motivations for applying for a graduate program and should show how your previous academic and professional activities have given you the background you need to succeed in the program to which you are applying. 

If you are applying to the Major Research Paper program, you should also include your research interests and how they relate to the potential MRP supervisors you have listed. 

Your letter should also include an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion statement. 

Our program is only offered full-time. There is no part-time option.

Unfortunately we do not have career counsellors to answer these types of questions. You could start contacting potential MRP supervisors with the same interests as you or the Experimental Program Director, and they may be able to guide you.

We would be happy to talk to you about our programs. We do not officially take appointments. We are open Mondays to Fridays from 8:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. from June to August). We can discuss the content of our programs and their requirements. Please note that we do not pre-evaluate applications. You must submit an application in order to have your file evaluated.

For admission to the Major Research Paper program, successful completion of the Baccalaureate in Psychology including an honours thesis, or its equivalent (determined only during admission), with a GPA of 8.0 (A- or 80% over the last 20 courses or 60 credits) is a pre-requisite. Exceptionally, admission to the program is possible on the basis of a four-year Honours degree in another discipline relevant to Psychology. The degree must include a thesis or an equivalent independent research paper (with supervisor worth 6 credits) and at least 36 credits (12 one-session courses) in Psychology, including two single-semester courses in statistics. N.B.: Students with a strong background in mathematics, physical sciences, biological science or computer science are especially encouraged to apply to the Experimental program.

For admission to the Coursework with Co-op program, successful completion of the Baccalaureate in Psychology, with a GPA of 8.0 (A- or 80% over the last 20 courses or 60 credits) is a pre-requisite. Candidates are not required to have completed an honours thesis in order to be considered admissible to this program. Exceptionally, admission to the program is possible on the basis of a four-year Honours degree in another discipline relevant to Psychology. The degree must include at least 36 credits (12 one-session courses) in Psychology, including two single-semester courses in statistics. N.B.: Students with a strong background in mathematics, physical sciences, biological science or computer science are especially encouraged to apply to the Experimental program.

The University of Ottawa does not require the GRE for admission to graduate programs in Psychology. Your results will not be considered if submitted with your application.

The admission application must be received no later than November 15th, and the file must be complete with all required documents at the latest December 7th. Please note that the School of Psychology adopted these new admission deadlines for the September 2025 cycle and beyond.

The School of Psychology offers two combined MA-PhD programs in Psychology: MA-PhD in Experimental Psychology and MA-PhD in Clinical Psychology. Graduates of these programs receive Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees

All reference letters are submitted online. Information about how to submit your referees will be provided in the acknowledgment email from the university. You will receive this email within 10 business days of the submission of the online application.

The reference letters are completed within a secure portal where your personal information will remain protected and accessible only by authorized personnel, ensuring the confidentiality of your recommendation letters. If you have any questions, you can contact the Graduate Studies office directly at: FSS 3021, 613-562-5732, or [email protected].

We require at least two letters of recommendation. 

There is no official rule concerning academic references. An academic reference is preferred but it is at your discretion. You should choose someone who can best attest to your academic and professional abilities. For candidates applying to the Major Research Paper program, it is strongly recommended that you include a letter from your honour's thesis supervisor.

Once applications are received, the following steps are followed: first, we ensure that the applicant meets the basic qualifications of the program (minimum GPA of 8.0, Honours degree in Psychology with thesis for those programs where this is a requirement). The next steps vary depending on the program. For programs with a research supervisor, professors are invited to review the files and submit their choices to the Admissions Committee. For admission to the clinical program, the applications of these selected students are then placed in either the BIPOC or General pool, and then ranked. The applicants and rankings are then reviewed by the Admissions Committee. More information about the ranking process.

If you are applying to the Major Research Paper program, it is strongly recommended that you begin contacting potential supervisors as soon as you can. The list of professors accepting students is available in mid-September. Professors play a significant role in the admissions process.

From our professors with supervisory rights, there are clinical and experimental professors but the majority will supervise students from either program. The list of professor accepting students in the upcoming year is posted on our website. This is the list you should consult when selecting your potential supervisors for your program application.

Both MA programs require four sessions (16 months) of full-time enrollment. 

Both of our programs calculate your GPA using your last two years of full-time studies or your last 60 credits. The minimum GPA required is 8.0 (A- or 80%).

So long as you meet our admission requirements, you will be considered for admission. Anything you choose to do above these criteria would be for the benefit of potential supervisors or for the benefit of the admissions committee. 

An individual research project with supervision worth the weight of 2 courses (i.e., two terms) could be considered equivalent to an honours thesis. When applying, you should have your research project supervisor prepare a brief statement in support of having your project considered equivalent to an honours thesis in psychology. This project must be approved by the program director as being equivalent to an honours thesis.We do not do any pre-evaluations. We will only evaluate the possibility of your research project being equivalent to the honours thesis after your application has been received. 

As a general rule, offers of admission are sent out in March and early April. Letters of regret indicating that an offer of admission will not be made to an applicant are also sent in April-May. However, admission to the Experimental program may be possible after this period if an opening is available. Applicants who do not meet the minimum required GPA will be advised as soon as their GPA has been calculated by the Graduate Studies office of the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS).

Students who achieve outstanding academic performance and demonstrate high promise for advanced research during the Master's may, with the permission of the Graduate Studies Committee, transfer into the PhD program in Experimental Psychology without completing the MA, under the following conditions:

• It occurs within sixteen months of initial enrolment in the master’s;
• Students have successfully completed the two Statistics courses and the first-year seminar course with grades of at least (A-) in each;
• Written recommendation/support by the supervisor or potential supervisor;
• Approval by the Graduate Studies Committee

Please note that the minimal admission requirements for the doctoral program must also be met.

Please also note that admission to this program is competitive and having the minimum requirements does not automatically guarantee admission. The request for permission to transfer must be made during the third term of enrollment at the latest. The student must enroll in the PhD in the fourth term at the latest.

Students who transfer but do not complete the PhD can receive an MA by fulfilling all the requirements of the MA program.