Submit your application through The Graduate School.

• If this is your first time applying to WKU, please create a new web application ID at application account creation
• If you have previously applied to either graduate or undergraduate programs, please use your WKU ID (or web application ID) and PIN number to log in below. Click here to look up your WKU ID or reset your PIN.

Admission to the doctoral program requires the applicant to have either a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology or related field or a specialist-level degree in School Psychology.  Applicants with graduate degrees from closely related fields may be considered for the program, but, if accepted, may need to take additional courses to complete the foundational coursework. Program admission is based on a comprehensive evaluation of a candidate’s application file and an interview.

Download the Application

The application file must include:

• GRE minimum scores of 142 Verbal, 142 Quantitative, and 4.0 Analytical Writing. Our program aims to produce practitioners who collaborate with stakeholders, both verbally and in writing, and to create consumers of research, who have the ability to conduct and utilize current research. These minimum scores are utilized to ensure that all students enter the program with the skills needed to be successful in our program. In lieu of the GRE scores, applicants can submit a portfolio that includes evidence of at least five years successful practice in the field and evidence of managerial/supervision experience or superlative practice.
• Graduate transcript(s) with a minimum graduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 and undergraduate transcripts verifying undergraduate degree.
• Three letters of recommendation from professionals in a position to evaluate the applicant’s potential for success in a doctoral program.
• Personal statement describing professional interests, expectations from the doctoral program, and career goals.
• Resume or curriculum vita.
• Psy. D. application form.
• Graduate School application form

In addition to the application materials, interviews will be held with all viable candidates based on review of the application file. The purpose of the interview is to ascertain the applicant’s fit with the program’s goals and objectives and with their intended career paths (APA, 2013). In addition, the interview serves to further inform potential students of the Doctor of Psychology in Applied Psychology program’s mission, goals, curriculum and expectations for students.   

Applicants with graduate degrees from closely related fields and international students may be considered for the program, but, if accepted, may need to take additional courses to complete the foundational coursework. Foundation coursework in clinical and school psychology programs provides the basis for understanding human behavior and consists of courses in the areas of social psychology, physiological psychology, developmental psychology, cognition/learning, and diversity/multicultural awareness. Applicants with degrees in clinical or school psychology will also have their transcripts reviewed for these foundation coursework due to variability in training across programs and universities.

Because some students may lack coursework in the foundational areas of psychology, assessment of applicants’ previous graduate coursework will be important to help them be successful in the program and to be eligible for licensure upon graduation. Students will be informed of any deficiencies upon program entry when they sign a curriculum contract identifying any deficiencies in the foundational areas of psychology that will need to be completed.

Consistent with university policy, any identified deficiencies will need to be remediated prior to admission to candidacy and any courses taken as remediation for deficiencies may not be counted in the 48 hours required for the Psy.D. degree.

All applicants must also submit an affidavit affirming that they have not been convicted or charged with a felony crime or an ethical violation.  A criminal background check will be required of successful applicants during the first semester of graduate study at the applicant’s expense. Individuals evidencing a felony conviction are not eligible for licensure in Kentucky as a psychologist. Training programs have an ethical obligation to disclose the inability to obtain licensure at program entry.

International students are encouraged to apply and must meet two additional requirements.

1. They must submit evidence of the ability to communicate in English (as evidenced by a minimum of 570 on the paper based TOEFL, a minimum of 88 on the iBT TOEFL, or a minimum of 7.0 on the IELTS Academic Version).
2. Evidence of adequate financial resources is also required. 

Portfolio Requirements for Application to the Doctor of Psychology in Applied Psychology Program

Directions: Provide the following information in a single file. The format should be one of the following: .doc, docx, or .pdf. The portfolio should consist of the each of the following pieces of information.

1. Provide a description/narrative of your work experiences, including roles and responsibilities, focusing specifically on psychology-related work. Provide sufficient detail to support an argument that you have successfully performed psychological work for at least five years.
2. Provide an exemplar of a substantive, appropriately redacted work sample. This could be a psychological report, a treatment/intervention plan, a series of therapy notes, or any other professional sample that reflects your professional focus over the past five years.
3. If applicable, you should also provide an exemplar of an additional professional activity, such as an outline for a professional development workshop you led, a task force outcome report, a work force manual for initiatives/programs you led, or other professional sample that represents your engagement in other professional activities within the past five years.

Provide a narrative of the context for each exemplar in the work sample. Within this narrative you should discuss the following points. From where was this exemplar drawn? What made you decide to select this particular exemplar? What makes it reflective of your professional experience? How does this exemplar illustrate your distinctiveness?

Download the Affidavit