Why Pursue a PhD In Psychology
The PhD in Psychology produces graduates with a reputation for research excellence who are prepared to pursue careers in both academic and applied settings. Areas of focus include the exploration of complex cognitive, developmental, and social issues, behavioral and biologically related health topics including military health, and psychometric and statistical techniques.
Students will have the opportunity to develop their scientific communication skills by completing a dissertation and pursuing publication and grant opportunities. The focus of this program is on excellence in experimental psychology. Therefore, the curriculum does not include clinical training or preparation for licensure.
See What Our Students Say
When you choose UTSA, you join a community of talented scholars and professionals being taught by award-winning faculty. Learn more about the Department of Psychology at UTSA from current master’s student Joseph Torres as he discusses his path through graduate school.
Research Opportunities
Theoretical, statistical and research design skills are applied to solve problems in a variety of psychological areas, including:
- Social, Developmental, and Cognitive Psychology
- Biopsychology
- Military Health
- Clinical Mental Health
Faculty offer an integrative approach to student training, focusing on research and the development of statistical and scientific writing skills and oral communication.
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
| Psychology (PhD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Admission is only available for the Fall semester | ||
| Required Degree | Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
| GRE | Required | |
| English Language Proficiency | 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS / Duolingo 100 | |
| Purpose Statement | Required 2 describing professional goals and research experience | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 3 academic or professional reference(s) demonstrating your attributes for successful completion of this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time). Academic references for this program are preferred. | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Application Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Psychology (PhD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing on Admission Decision: Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on November 15 (priority) and March 1. Decisions will be made and sent to applicants within a few weeks after the review date. | |||
| Application Deadlines for: | Priority | International | Domestic |
| Fall 2025 | December 1 | February 1 | February 1 |
| Spring | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available |
| Summer | Not Available | Not Available | Not Available |
Career Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
