The Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech offers a doctoral program leading to the Ph.D. in psychology. Students may concentrate in one of four areas: Cognitive Neuroscience & Biopsychology, Clinical Science, Developmental Science, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Students earn a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in psychology en route to the Ph.D., but the Department does not offer a terminal M.S. degree in any area. Applications from students with either bachelors or advanced degrees are welcomed. Although the graduate curriculum is organized into four specialty areas, all share the same philosophy: to assure that all graduate students are provided with the conceptual, quantitative, and methodological skills necessary to solve theoretical and applied problems.

Information for Current Students

• Current students can visit the Psychology Graduate Programs site on Canvas.

Information for Prospective Students

• GRE Policy for Fall 2022 Admissions
  • For applicants to the Cognitive Neuroscience & Biopsychology, Clinical Science, and Developmental Science training programs, GRE scores will neither be required nor accepted.
  • For applicants to the Industrial/Organizational Psychology training program, GRE scores will be required. Report them directly to Virginia Tech. The ETS Institution Code is 5859.
  • All applicants, regardless of training area, are evaluated holistically. 
• If you prefer to mail hard copies of any materials, the Department of Psychology Address is:

Graduate Application Coordinator
Department of Psychology
109 Williams Hall
Virginia Tech (0436)
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

• To ensure timely review of your application please follow these steps.  At the Graduate School Website (http://graduateschool.vt.edu/):
  1. Complete the online application and pay the application fee. (Note: Only online applications will be considered. Notify the Director of Graduate Programs [Bob Stephens, stephens@vt.edu] if you do not have internet access to the online application system)
  2. As part of the online application, upload your resume, personal statement, and any supporting documents providing evidence of your scholarly or professional work (i.e., theses, conference poster or paper presentations, publications).
  3. Submit referee information on the online application so that referees will be sent the link to submit their letters online following the instructions on the Graduate School web page.
  4. On the online application, upload a scanned version of your official transcript(s) from all post-secondary schools you have attended. While completing your online application and prior to submitting it, you will be required to upload one copy of your scanned official transcript from each institution from which you have earned or will earn an undergraduate or graduate degree. Do not send transcripts for community college attendance or from any institution where you enrolled in classes but did not earn a degree. Make sure your scanned documents are legible before uploading, as non-legible documents will result in processing delays.

For full consideration, all application materials must be received by December 1 for the Cognitive Neuroscience & Biopsychology, Clinical Science, and Developmental Science training areas, and by January 1 for Industrial/Organizational.  Applications are reviewed following the deadline and offers of admission are typically made during the spring for the following fall.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, national origin, religion, or political affiliation. Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office.