Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology Ph.D. Program

Admission

On this page:

Procedures

For full consideration for admission to the following Fall semester, applications must be received by December 15, though we will accept applications after that date. Here are the necessary application steps:

  1. Visit the Graduate School website. Visit the Apply page where you can create an online account to apply. 
  2. Once you have created an account, you may begin the application for admission to the Graduate School. Our program is listed under the College of Science and Mathematics (please note that we are separate from the School of Professional Psychology), with a concentration in Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Make sure to select your interest in either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree program, and also indicate your area of interest in either Human Factors Psychology or Industrial/Organizational Psychology.
  3. As part of the application, you will be required to submit a packet of materials, review what you need to submit under the Materials section.
  4. All applicants are required to pay a $40 (domestic applicants) or $70 (international applicants) non-refundable application fee. The fee can be submitted online.

Materials

Here is a list of materials needed to apply to the Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology graduate program. We only accept new applicants for the fall semester and first preference will be given to those who have all materials in by December 15 of the previous year. We will continue to review applications that come in after that date.

  1. A completed application to the School of Graduate Studies (submitted online).
  2. An essay outlining your professional goals and research interests. This should be a brief essay telling us what you hope to learn here and what type of career (academic, applied, or research) you want to pursue. This is also an appropriate place to describe which research areas you would like to explore and if there are any particular faculty you want to work with.
  3. Three (3) letters of recommendation; preferably from academic sources that can speak to your capacity for graduate study. A letter from a professional source that can provide information on your abilities and characteristics outside of an academic setting would also be appropriate. Each source must mail their letters directly to the School of Graduate Studies in individually signed and sealed envelopes, or you may email them to wsugrad@wright.edu.
  4. One (1) official transcript sent from each institution attended (except Wright State University) is required. If courses from one university/college appear on another university’s/college’s transcript, you are still required to submit an official transcript from the college where you originally completed the course work.
  5. The GRE is required for all applying to this program.

Any supplemental materials (letters of recommendation, transcripts) should be sent to:

Wright State University
Graduate School
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy.
Dayton, OH 45435-0001

Application materials for domestic students, with the exception of transcripts, may be e-mailed as attachments to wsugrad@wright.edu. Transcripts must be sent through postal mail, hand-delivered, or sent to the Graduate School via e-transcript. (For e-transcripts, the e-mail containing the link to the transcript must come directly to the Graduate School from the issuing body. Scanned or faxed copies of transcripts will NOT be accepted.

International students should contact International Admissions at (937) 775-4400 or international-admissions@wright.edu for all information regarding their application processing, including the issuing of I-20s and submission of application materials.

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for additional information.


Requirements

GPA

Minimum undergraduate GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Average undergraduate GPA of accepted students is 3.64.

GRE

Minimum GRE is 300 across verbal and quantitative scores. Average GRE across verbal and quantitative scores of accepted students is 315.

Backgrounds

Selected courses in psychology (research methods, cognition, perception, social psychology, personality) are recommended.

Evaluation Criteria

The admissions process is competitive. Applications will be reviewed to assess the likelihood of success in the program and potential for a career in Human Factors or Industrial/Organizational psychology.  Evaluation criteria will include: cumulative grade point average, verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination scores, performance in relevant coursework, letters of recommendation, previous research experience, relevant job experience, and other information about writing, speaking, and quantitative skills.

Acceptance offers are typically extended by mid-March, however depending on the number of applicants, offers may be extended as late as April 15th.


Financial Assistance

All applicants are considered for financial assistance without an additional application.
The percentage of full-time students in the program receiving the financial assistance for academic year 2017-18:

  • Stipend and Tuition (Department/Grant/Scholarship): 80%(1st year); 100%(2nd year); 100%(3rd year)
  • Tuition (Department): 100% (1st year to 4th year)

Admission Statistics

The average number of applications we get per year (over the last 5 years) has been 64, and we admit a target number of 8 new students per year. 


Contact Information

Please contact the Graduate Program Administrator, Dr. Pam Garverick, or the Graduate Program Director, Dr. Scott Watamaniuk, for more information.