Ph.D. Admission Requirements

  • Entry Level Requirements. The NMSU Graduate School sets as a basic entry-level requirement for the doctorate the holding of a bachelor’s degree and a minimum grade-point average of 3.0. Students who do not hold a master‘s degree may apply in their senior undergraduate year. Students who already possess the master’s/specialist degree should hold it in a closely related field, such as special education, educational diagnostics, school counseling, general counseling, or school psychology.School Psychology Requirements
    1. Completed Graduate Record Examination (GRE). These scores must be less than 5 years old at the time of application.
    2. For students who hold an advanced degree (master‘s/specialist degree) or have completed graduate coursework and have taken the GRE as a requirement for admission to those programs/coursework may request that these scores be accepted for admission regardless of the date taken; however, the following also need to be met:
      • Students will need to submit official copies to the Graduate Student Services office or a copy of their individual report to the program so that scores can be verified.
      • These scores will be considered in conjunction with GPA in the advanced degree and/or coursework; students will still be required to have maintained a minimum of 3.0 GPA in their prior gradate work to the school psychology program regardless of when the GRE was taken.
      • Students who hold an advanced degree or graduate coursework and did not take the GRE as a requirement for admission to these program/coursework are still required to take the GRE and submit official scores to the Graduate Student Services Office for consideration for admission to the School Psychology PhD Program.
    3. An official transcript from every college or university attended.
    4. A professional statement (personal statement) or a statement of purpose/letter of intent addressing why they are pursuing a doctorate in school psychology, their professional experiences in teaching, research and community/public service, their professional experiences with school age populations (P-12), and their professional experiences with diverse populations and a statement regarding their multicultural/diversity philosophy.
    5. At least three current (i.e., less than 1 year old) letters of support from different individuals. Information and/or criteria can be found on the Application Checklist attached to the application form.
    6. A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) outlining your educational, professional, and other experiences, interests, etc. Your resume/CV must include current contact information.
    7. Additional optional materials include published research papers, special projects, licensure/certifications, grants, etc.
      Questions regarding the online application process can be directed to: Dr. Lisa Peterson, Program Director Phone: (575) 646-2868 School Psychology Program New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM 88003-80011
  • For more information see the following: