Admissions Criteria

Prerequisites for a Strong Application

In addition to successfully completing a baccalaureate degree, the following background is prerequisite to admission to the UTC I-O program:

1. Successful completion of a college-level statistics course and research methods course, preferably within the behavioral and/or social sciences.

Pertinent courses offered by a department of psychology, sociology, mathematics, or business will likely satisfy this prerequisite. Singular courses that combine statistics and methods training will be considered equivalent as long as they cover sufficient depth and breadth of core topics in these areas. Applicants who take more than one undergraduate statistics and methods course will typically be better prepared for success in the UTC I-O program and the broader I-O Psychology field than those who have not successfully mastered the material covered in these courses. It is worth noting that the graduate statistics courses in our program make extensive use of the statistical package SPSS, so some prior knowledge of it will be helpful. However, knowledge of SPSS is not a specific prerequisite for admission to the program.

2. Successful completion of an Introduction to/Survey of I-O psychology course or an equivalent course or combination of courses.

Many colleges and universities offer survey or overview courses about I-O psychology. Equivalent courses may be courses in organizational behavior, human resource management, or personnel psychology. Applicants who are unsure about whether they have met this prerequisite should contact the program coordinator. Please note that meeting this requirement may be temporarily delayed for otherwise strong applicants to the program. If and when such applicants are admitted, they will be required to successfully complete our PSY 5406 - Introduction to I-O Psychology course in their first semester in the program. This course will then count as one of the electives toward the students program of study.

3. Computer literacy, particularly familiarity with Microsoft Office programs Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Applicants must have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). This knowledge will be required to handle the written work, data analyses, and presentation requirements in all of your courses and internship experiences. Frequent use of these programs during your undergraduate program is likely enough preparation for your use in the I-O program. Applicants should also seek out situations in which Excel and PowerPoint are required so that they will have at least a basic familiarity with their functionality and utility.

4. Successful completion of at least one psychology course.

Although we prefer applicants with at least an undergraduate minor in psychology, applicants do not necessarily have to have a B.A. or B.S. in psychology to be admitted into our program. However, some familiarity with psychological concepts, such as that provided in an introductory psychology course (or equivalent) is required. Applicants who have taken absolutely no psychology courses in their undergraduate careers should contact the graduate program director for advice before applying.

Admissions Criteria

The following information is considered when admissions decisions are made for the UTC MSIO degree program:

  1. Your official undergraduate transcripts (from all institutions through which you earned college-level credit)
  2. Evidence of successful completion of critical undergraduate courses
    • Success in the field of I-O Psychology increasingly requires competence in basic psychological statistical and methodological techniques. The UTC I-O program provides advanced training in both of these areas, but students get the most of this training when they have the background and basic understanding of core statistical and methodological concepts. Through our admissions review process, therefore, preference is granted to applicants who have successfully completed (prior to time of application) an (a) introduction to psychology course, (b) introduction to behavioral or social science statistics course, and (c) introduction to behavioral or social science research methods course. Equivalent courses will also be considered. This is the rationale behind the few prerequisite course requirements we have for applicants (as detailed the prerequisite details above).
  3. Recommender evaluations with letters of support through an online form that is made available by email to your recommenders when you enter their name and email address during your online application process. Please let your recommenders know that this process involves (a) responding to a few evaluation items about your suitability for graduate study and (b) entering relevant comments or the text of their recommendation letter for you into an open-ended comment box at the end of the recommendation form (either by typing into the online form or by copy/pasting it from a letter they prepare in advance).
    • Applicants must secure recommendation ratings and comments from at least two individuals with whom a professional relationship has been established. After completing your application, you may add a third recommender through your UTC Application Portal, by selecting the “Add new Record” button under Recommendations. Please note that only three recommendations will be considered when your application is reviewed.
    • Recommenders may not be friends or relatives; this is what is meant in the application system when you see a mention of "professional recommendations".
    • At least one of your recommenders should discuss your academic capabilities as a candidate and the other may focus on your work-related capabilities (e.g., from a supervisor or manager). All recommenders should discuss in their written comments information and details about you as a candidate that are not obvious from your academic transcript(s).
    • Applicants should follow-up with recommenders well before the application deadline to ensure that all recommendations information has been submitted in a timely fashion. It is a really good idea to communicate with recommenders before you begin the application process; as soon as you enter their information into your application, they will receive a request to submit their recommendation directly through the system.
  4. A personal statement of purpose, which should:
    1. Explain your interest in applying to our program and what qualities and/or experiences you have that will make you successful in this program.
    2. Explain how this graduate degree aligns with your current career goals, and include any other information about yourself that will help us evaluate your application.
    3. Identify and discuss the greatest challenge you think you would have in our program and how you would intend to overcome it.
    • The statement should be typed in advance and not heavily formatted, as during the online application process you will be asked to copy and paste your responses to the above questions into text boxes in the application. Please note that your responses to each of the above questions cannot exceed 750 words. Your overall statement will be evaluated in terms of its overall writing quality and evidence of your general knowledge of I-O psychology and the requirements for success in our M.S. program. In other words, show us you understand what it will take to succeed here at UTC and let us know how you can make a positive contribution to the program and to the field of I-O psychology when you graduate.
  5. A resume/curriculum vita
    • There are no specific formatting requirements for this, other than that you adhere to general standards for such documents and you provide the most current and up-to-date information about your past experiences with work, research, and class-related projects that you feel make you a strong candidate for our program. A functional or hybrid resume is preferred to a purely chronological resume. After completing your application, you will need to upload this resume through your UTC Application Portal, where indicated in the Requirements section of this portal.
  6. Finalists will also complete an internet-based video interview with the graduate program director in which several additional predictive factors will be assessed.

The information outlined above is considered as we filter candidates with the help of a validated formula score we compute using your overall, major, and last 60 hours undergraduate GPA (x100), the extent to which you meet/do not meet course prerequisites, and your candidate quality ratings from letter of recommendation writers (detailed below).

  • Please note that each year applicants are selected after rank-ordering on the formula score detailed above, and then careful consideration of the top applicants' statements of purpose and letters of recommendation.
  • Exemplary letters of recommendation, a strong personal statement, and/or other evidence of a student’s ability to perform well in the program may positively influence the selection decision. 

What are the application requirements for international students?

In addition to normal graduate school and program admissions requirements, international students must address the following application requirements to be considered for admission into this program:

New International Students

Transfer Students (students currently studying in the U.S.)

  • Copy of current I-20
  • Copy of current I-94
  • SEVIS I-20 Verification Form: This form must verify your legal immigration standing before UTC may accept you.
  • Language Proficiency test score: TOEFL 79/IELTS 6.0/Duolingo English Test 100 (160-point scale)
  • Proof of funding: Documentation of financial resources sufficient for nine months of study must be received prior to issuance of an I-20. For more information regarding required financial documentation, please visit https://www.utc.edu/enrollment-management-and-student-affairs/center-for-global-education/international-student-and-scholar-services/prospective-students/graduate-cost-of-attendance.
  • Copy of passport
  • Transcripts: If you have attended a U.S. high school and/or college, transcripts should be submitted directly by the institution. Transcripts may be submitted in three ways:
    • Electronically through an electronic transcript delivery service
    • By email to international graduate student advisor Lora Cook
    • By mail in a sealed envelope to: 

International Graduate Admissions,

Center for Global Education

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Dept. 4755

Lupton Hall, 700 Vine Street

Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA 37403-2504

 

Academic Documentation Requirements for International Graduate Applicants

International graduate applicants to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga who have studied at an institution outside of the U.S. must submit their academic credentials for review. The UTC graduate school and Center for Global Education may then verify the documents and perform a course-by-course analysis to convert grades and credits to the UTC equivalents. For more information on these requirements, visit this portion of the website for UTC's Center for Global Education office for International Student and Scholar Services.

 

Will my academic documents be returned to me?

No. All materials received by the university become property of the university and cannot be returned or forwarded to a third party.

 

What is the cost of attendance for an international student?

International students can get a sense of the cost of attendance here at UTC by reviewing the information available on the Financial Matters section of our program website and by reviewing information available through the UTC Bursar’s Office.

 

CPT Information

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