Application Process

Application Deadline

Applicants who wish to be considered for Fall 2022 should have completed files by March 1, 2022. Please note that students from international universities must submit their application by February 1, 2022. Applications open on October 1, 2021.

Undergraduate GPA Required

Before you apply, you should be aware of, and meet, our minimum requirements for all applicants. Your undergraduate G.P.A. and your G.P.A. for your psychology courses must be 3.0 or higher. Some schools (e.g., The Evergreen State College, University of California, Santa Cruz) do not give grades but give evaluations. In these cases, we will estimate grade point average based upon a subjective reading of these evaluations.

GRE Requirement

Not required

Prerequisite Courses

Prospective applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in psychology with at least 24 upper division semester units or 36 upper division quarter units in psychology. Consideration will also be given to students from other majors who have completed the same number of units (24 semester or 36 quarter). We look for coverage that is appropriate and rigorous. In either case, prospective applicants should have taken clinically relevant courses, such as Theories of Personality, Abnormal Psychology, Theories of Counseling, and Developmental Psychology.

Application Highlights

Applicants for this program will be required to submit three letters of recommendation (at least two from professors who can assess the applicant’s ability to perform successfully in graduate studies in psychology) and a biographical statement, which should be approximately 1 to 2 single-spaced or 2 to 4 double-spaced typewritten pages and should discuss personal history and factors that have influenced the applicant to pursue a career in counseling. This should not be confused with the Statement of Purpose, whichis just a small section on the university application where you indicate that you want to receive an M.S. in Psychology.

All other qualifications being comparable, factors such as ethnic background, bilingual skills, and relevant professional and life experiences will be seen as added strengths for the candidate.

How Do I Apply?

1. Complete the online application at http://www.CalState.edu/Apply

2. Have one copy of all of your undergraduate transcripts sent directly to the Admissions Office, including community college and graduate transcripts, if applicable. Transcripts may be unofficial for this initial screening.

Please send this information to:

Admissions Office
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona 3801 W. Temple Avenue
Pomona CA 91768

3. Email a cover letter with your contact information and the date you submitted your application, one set of transcripts (may be unofficial), and biographical statement directly to Dr. Lori Barker. We require three letters of recommendation, at least two of which being professors who can address your ability to be successful in a graduate program in Psychology. When you apply through the CalState.edu/Apply website, you will be sent a message asking you to provide the email addresses of the people writing your letters of recommendation. Your recommenders will be contacted and instructed on how to submit their letters online. The submit button will say “Add Recommendation” which really means for you to add the email address of your recommender.

Please also have your recommenders send their letter to labarker@cpp.edu.

There is no separate application form for our department, nor do we have a form for letters of recommendation. Most professors know the kinds of information that is relevant for graduate admissions, and we trust that your recommenders will include this information.

Interview Requirement

Applicants in whom we are interested will be contacted for an online interview (via Zoom) that will last about 30 minutes. After these interviews, we will make our decisions about acceptance into our program.