Advising
Undergraduate Psychology at UCF

The Advising Center is full of information for undergraduate students; such as postings for Research Assistants, information on graduate school and careers, and of course Psychology degree requirements. We recommend that you visit the Advising Center every semester to have us go over your degree audit and make sure you're up to date.

Undergraduate Advising Center
PSY 250
407-823-2219

Advising Center Staff

• Ms. Karen Cox, Director of Psychology Advising, 407-823-2547
• Ms. Glema Butler, Program Assistant, 407-823-2469

Advising Links

• Archived Advising Center Newsletters
• http://undergrad.cos.ucf.edu/
• Informational Powerpoint
• Freshman Orientation Powerpoint

Peer Advisors

The Psychology Peer Advisors are advanced undergraduate psychology majors who assist other psychology major/minors in understanding and completing their psychology degree requirements. The Peer Advisors inform students of academic policies and procedures, assist in conducting orientations for freshman and transfer psychology student orientations, and provide advisement on other psychology-related matters such as procedures in applying for graduate school. Peer Advisors are trained by Karen Cox, the Director of Undergraduate Advising for the Psychology Department, and earn upper level psychology credit. Becoming a Psychology Peer Advisor: Contact the Advising Center at 407-823-2219 or psychadvising@mail.ucf.edu.

FAQ ADVISING QUESTIONS for Psychology Majors

What will set me apart from the rest on my grad school applications?

• Your grade point average (GPA)
• Your Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
• Strong letters of recommendation
• Either research or internship experience
• Volunteer with the UCF Office of Student Involvement located in the Student Union in Room 208.  Phone Number 407/823-6471.  Website www.GetInvolvedUCF.com.  That office provides quality programs, services, and leadership opportunities.  This helps the student to connect with both the UCF Campus and the surrounding community.
• Check with the Victim Services  for either an internship or a volunteer position at (407-823-2425) or e-mail vsanswer@mail.ucf.edu.   Minimum Qualifications: Sophomore with specific interest in the field of victim advocacy/victim issues.  Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations.  Must pass police background check.
• Join and be active in professional associations related to Psychology such as:
• PsiChi Honor Society – Location: PSY 250 uc1fpsichi@gmail.com
• Psychological Society – Location: PSY 250-psychsociety.ucf@gmail.com
• American Psychological Society 1-800-374-2721 E-Mail Address: membership@apa.org

Note:  Talk to graduate students, professors, practitioners and Career Services about your intended career and about graduate school. Listen and learn from others’ stories about graduate school, this is a good way to pick up tips for your own admission process.

How can I become a research assistant with a psychology faculty member?

• Check the Psychology Department website and click on the Faculty link to become familiar with the professors in our department.  Read about their specialty, and try to align yourself with a faculty member that has similar interests as your own.   You must contact each professor individually to apply for a research assistant position, some of our faculty have links to their lab websites and online applications on their individual pages, if not you will need to visit in person and fill out paper applications. 

Note:  Faculty will usually require that you have completed PSY 3213C Research Methods in Psychology first. 

• Visit the Psychology Advising Center, and look at the opportunities that are listed on our bulletin board, and apply to anything that interests you.

• Visit the Office of Undergraduate Research website to view research opportunities from various disciplines at the University of Central Florida.

How do I file my Intent to Graduate?

• Determine the semester in which you want to graduate, by meeting with an advisor in the Psychology Advising Center.
• File your Intent to Graduate online  the semester prior to the semester you want to graduate, check the Academic Calendar for deadlines
• Once you have completed the online application and survey call COSAS (407) 823-6131 to set up a Graduation Review appointment with one of their advisors.
• Show up for your graduation review appointment early, they only allot 15 minutes for each appointment.

Can I take graduate level courses during my undergraduate career?

• The Psychology Department offers some 5000 numbered graduate courses that may be appropriate for you to take in your final year as an undergraduate, please keep in mind that you will be paying graduate level tuition if you decide to enroll, and read the following for more information.

Registration Notes:  To take any of these 5000 Level psychology courses, you must do the following:
Determine that the class is open, contact the professor who teach the course and get a signed note or E-Mail note that indicates the professor has approved you to take the course.  Then, take the note or the email to one of the program assistants who works with the graduate program the course is related to in order to get assistance with registration.
---Judy Olson, Program Assistant with the Clinical Ph.D. Program (PSY 301F) (407/823-2217)
--- Program Assistant TBD with the Industrial/Organizational Ph.D. Program (PSY 302 E) (407/823-3919)
---Lisa Mindak, Program Assistant with the Human Factors Ph.D. Program (PSY  301G) (407/823-2458)

How can I get an internship?

• Check with the Psychology Advising Center to gather information about Fieldwork opportunities within the department.
• Go to Experiential Learning to learn about co-op opportunities.   Denise Moore dmoore@mail.ucf.edu is the advisor for Psychology majors, she can help you find placements in paid internships during your Junior and Senior years.
• Apply to be a Peer Advisor Two Semester Internship offers opportunities to qualified undergraduate psychology majors to assist other psychology majors/minors to understand the psychology requirements, inform students of academic policies and procedures, assist in conducting orientations for freshmen and transfer psychology students, and provide advisement for procedures such as how to apply to psychology graduate programs.
• Apply to be a Teaching Assistant this practicum is designed for advanced psychology majors who want to explore Teaching as part of their professional development.  Additionally this experience gives students a chance to work more closely with professors in the Psychology Department.
• Take EDG4948 Service Learning this course is a guided field experience that helps students work with diverse populations while gaining insight into career and community issues and civic responsibility.  There are no required perquisites, it is repeatable for credit, and letter graded.   The Service Learning Office is located in the Dept of Educational Studies in the College of Education in ED 223B http://reach.ucf.edu/~edg4948a

What are the average GPA and GRE scores that graduate schools look for?
The American Psychological Association publishes a handbook called Graduate Study in Psychology that lists all APA accredited graduate programs in psychology throughout the United States.  In this handbook you will find detailed information on individual programs as well as GPA and GRE scores from recently admitted students. 

Is it necessary to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)?
Most programs you apply to will request the scores for the GRE.  When you apply to a specific graduate program, ask which exams they require. 

According to the APA’s Graduate Study in Psychology handbook on page ix, of all the graduate programs listed in that handbook that offer master’s degrees, 53% require the GRE Verbal and Quantitative sections and 8% require the GRE Subject (Psychology); 4% require the Miller Analogies Test (MAT).  61% percent of the doctoral programs listed require the GRE-Verbal and Quantitative sections, 15% require the GRE Psychology Subject Test Scores, and 1% the MAT.  The APA reports that the overall median test scores for candidates admitted to different master’s degree programs listed in their publication are 510 (GRE-V), 580 (GRE-Q), and 600 (GRE-subject).  The overall median GRE scores reported for applicants admitted to doctoral degree programs listed in that publication are 575 (GRE-V), 640 (GRE-Q, and 650 GRE-Subject). The handbook is available at most bookstores or you may order it from the American Psychological Association 1-800-374-2721 or www.apa.org  You are required to submit all scores for all entrance exams each school requires.  Information about the GRE, registration materials, and test bulletins are available on the GRE website http://www.gre.org/

How do I get good letters of recommendation?

• Determine the people who will write the best letters of recommendation such as:

1. People who have worked closely with you (For example, a research supervisor)
2. People who have known you long enough to write with authority (For example, a professor you have taken for several courses)
3. People who have relevant expertise
4. People who are senior and well known (For example, a departmental chair)
5. People who have a positive opinion of you and your abilities
6. People who have a warm and supportive personal style

• Ask the professor in a cordial and formal manner if he or she will write you a letter of recommendation.

1. Provide the full name, title, and complete mailing address to which a letter should be written.
2. Indicate for what purpose the letter is being written (e.g., Master of Science program in child development, probation officer for juvenile substance abuse offenders, etc). 
3. Waive your rights to read the letter or form.  Recipients place more credence on letters which are not read by students.
4. If you are not sure whether the professor or other persons can write a good letter of recommendation for you, ask the person who is writing the letter.
5. Give your letter writers plenty of time such as a minimum of three or four weeks to write your letters.  That will allow you to check back a few days before the deadline to ensure that the letter has been sent.

• Give the writers a well-organized packet of materials which includes:

1. A current copy of your academic transcript
2. A copy of your vita or resume
3. A copy of your graduate school essay
4. It is helpful to provide the following information when asking for a letter of recommendation:
5.  Name and current address
6. Current date
7. Deadline for each letter of recommendation
8. Indicate application for: Type of school (list specific schools if you know them)
9. The basis of the faculty contact with you: Formal courses (title, grade, other aspects of your special performance), Honors research, teaching proctorship, independent research, informal contacts, or other.
10. Academic Achievement: Tell about your grades (GPA), major, strengths and weaknesses, how your academic background has prepared you for what you are being recommended for.  Include anything “extra:” or unique about your academic background.  If you have graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores, let the faculty member know them. 
11. Non-Academic background:  Jobs, hobbies, sports, community volunteer work, political or social involvements, overseas travel, etc. 
12. Pre-College background: Anything of note in your family or earlier life history.
13. What would you like to be doing in your life ten years from now (in an ideal, just world)?
14. List your five major personal/social traits 
15. List your five major academic/work traits
16. What about your emotional stability and maturity?
17. What about your character?

Why is it beneficial to attend an accredited program?
The American Psychological Association, in their 2009 Graduate Study in Psychology Handbook  on page viii, states that if you graduate from an accredited psychology program that may make it easier to become licensed in your chosen field and to gain employment in your chosen field.  If you do not attend an APA-approved program, state licensure as a psychologist can be difficult or impossible.

How do you prepare for the GRE?
You can study for the GRE Test using different methods such as:

• If you are a motivated person who has the ability to study on your own, check on the free website www.number 2.com that you can register online and study at your own pace.
• Bookstores have GRE Prep manuals that contain CD disks with practice tests that you can use to increase your speed when you are taking the GRE General Test.
• If you need a structured study environment in which to prepare to take the GRE, the Princeton Review  and  Kaplan Testing Center provide information classes and practice tests for the GRE.
• Michigan State University provides advice and helpful hints regarding suffixes, vocabulary words, and commonly confused words.
• A CD-ROM containing GRE prep software will be sent to you when you register for exam .  For more information visit the following website: www.ets.org/gre/

What type of program is good for me if I do not like the research aspect of Psychology?
On the doctoral level the Clinical PsyD is less research-oriented than the PhD.  At the master’s level, programs do not typically emphasize research.  Some examples of programs you may want to look into are, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, school counseling, and clinical social work.

Will I get funding for graduate school?
For information on scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other funding, check information listed on the American Psychological Association Education Web site http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/financial_aid.html 

Financial assistance in various forms is available to students, such as fellowships, scholarships, assistantships and etc.  PhD student usually get tuition waivers and part-time jobs as research assistants.  Sometimes they may teach undergraduate courses in the summer or during the school year.  Masters students may be allowed to teach for pay and sometimes fulfill other office or research work.
Most PsyD programs do not offer research assistantship and thus PsyD students often have to take out large loans that will take many years to pay back.  However, since the PsyD takes less time to complete, the PsyD students will be earning money in their profession while the Ph.D. Students are still completing their dissertations.

There are many forms of employment for services in a department.  Teaching Assistantships may require teaching a class or assisting a professor by grading papers, serving as a laboratory assistant or performing other supporting work.  Research assistants work on research projects that are conducted by program faculty. 

The amount of work required for fellowships, assistants, traineeships is expressed in hours per week.  When given an offer of financial assistance, the student needs to ask about the amount to be given in terms of tuition remission (not requiring the student to pay tuition) in contrast to a stipend which is actual cash in hand.

How many credits will transfer from my masters to my PhD program?
Each graduate program has an individual policy about transfer of credits.  Please check with the program you want to transfer to for this information.

Can I come back after I graduate with my bachelor’s degree to take classes at the graduate level without being in a graduate program?
It depends on the school a student is attending.  For example, at UCF in the Psychology Department the student may return after graduating to take some 5000 graduate level courses.  However, in most cases, students must be formally accepted into a graduate program in order to take 6000 and 7000 graduate level courses related to a specific psychology graduate program. 
Note:  Students must obtain written permission from the professors who teach the courses and then take the note or e-mail to the program assistant related to the graduate program to be registered into the course. 

Will a minor help me to get into a graduate psychology program?
In some cases a minor can be helpful especially if it is strongly related to the area the student wants to specialize in. 

Are there any absolute rules that you can follow to ensure that you are admitted?
No, no matter what your qualifications are, it is impossible to predict whether you will be admitted to certain programs or not.  You should plan on applying to several schools to increase your success rate.

How long will graduate school take?

• Masters programs usually take 2 years.

• Doctoral programs may take between 4 to 7 years.

What is the difference between a clinical PsyD and a clinical PhD?

• The PsyD is less research oriented than the PhD 
• Some PsyD programs do not require a dissertation.  The student who is interested in practicing psychology and has no interest in research should seek a PsyD
• PhD programs vary between 5 and 6 years.  The PsyD is usually shorter, but both PhD and PsyD programs require an APA-approved internship in the last year. 

See this article that was in Eye on Psi Chi in Fall 2002 for more some valuable information on the topic
http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_171.aspx

What is the difference between a clinical psychology program and counseling psychology program?
See this article that was in Eye on Psi Chi in Fall 2000 for more some valuable information on the topic http://www.psichi.org/pubs/articles/article_73.aspx