Admissions Requirements and How to Apply

The Graduate Admissions Office regularly hosts Graduate Open Houses for prospective applicants, including those interested in the industrial and organizational psychology programs. This event provides an opportunity to visit the Brooklyn College campus, meet with I/O psychology faculty, and ask questions about our programs. Look out for upcoming events.

Matriculation Requirements

Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with an overall GPA of 3.00 or better, a minimum of 12 credits in psychology, and courses both in statistics and in research methods, with a grade of B or better in both courses.

Checklist of Documents to be Submitted

Required Documents

Online:

  • Application with fee
  • Two letters of recommendation (submitted with online application)
  • Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • Personal/professional statement (maximum three pages)
  • Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
  • Completed Application Summary Factsheet (can be downloaded on the ApplyYourself application system).

International Applicants or Institutions:

  • International Transcript Credential Evaluation (if degree from institution outside the United States)
  • TOEFL scores (if applicable). Check to see whether you need TOEFL scores.

Additional Information

Personal Statements

The professional statement is your opportunity to present yourself in the application process. The purpose of this statement is not to tell us your life story, but to focus on (1) why becoming an I/O psychologist is an important goal to you, (2) what will you bring to the program, and (3) how will this program help you get where you want to get ultimately. You should provide concrete evidence of your promise as a member of the academic community, giving the committee an image of who you are.

  • Articulate your reasons for selecting I/O psychology as your chosen career and Brooklyn College as your program choice.
  • Be specific. Do not be vague.
  • Your first paragraph should draw the reader.
  • Describe your professional and/or research interests.
  • This is also a good place to address any discrepancies in qualifications that you may not meet.
  • Highlight your communication skills and discuss your ability to maximize effective collaboration with a diverse academic community.
  • Carefully proofread and refine your statement.

Recommendation Letters

Good letters of recommendation take time. It is important that you approach your professors as early as possible, ideally at least one month in advance. Strong letters usually come from having established a good working relationship with faculty members to ensure a solid and personal letter that speaks to your work ethic.

  • Provide your professor with as much information as possible to best write your letter (e.g., updated CV, résumé, transcript, list of schools and their application deadlines, etc.).
  • Be proactive and upfront about any supplemental information that faculty may need to complete.
  • Make sure faculty have accurate information and access to properly submit all letters to schools. This is mainly relevant to online applications.
  • You can have letters from supervisors who are not faculty members, but be sure they can speak about your capability of learning and work ethic.

Résumé or Curriculum Vitae

A curriculum vitae (CV) highlights an individual’s academic and professional accomplishments. Unlike résumés, which tend to be concise and usually provided for job applications, CVs are much more comprehensive as they are supposed to explain an applicant’s suitability for an academic program or career. A CV reflects involvement in research projects, working within one’s respective field or attending relevant conferences. As you move forward in your career, you should update your CV to reflect new experiences that are noteworthy. Here are some general tips and suggestions to keep in mind as you begin constructing your own CV:

  • Format your CV so your experiences stand out (work experience and research experience in particular). Your most recent experiences should be listed first.
  • Be specific about your role in your work and research experience. For example, instead of saying “worked with Dr. XYZ….,” be more descriptive and say something like “Conducted literature reviews on ABC topic, created and administered a survey, cleaned and analyzed data, and contributed to a conference presentation.”
  • Indicate your membership status on professional affiliations (e.g., student affiliate). If you have not yet become a member of a professional organization, consider doing so. For example, the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology offers membership to undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Center your name and address.
  • Proofread it. Just like any other document, you want your CV to be easy to read and free of grammar mistakes.
  • They may print out your CV, so borders don’t always show up like they do on your copy. If you can, create a pdf file.
  • Keep the dates on the left. When reading left to right, the dates get lost on the right.
  • Use larger font sizes (e.g., 11 or 12 point) and more traditional fonts. Make use of bold type particularly in your work and research experience sections (e.g., bold the project titles). Do not use different types of emphasis. Don’t overuse emphasis in general (no underlining, no mix of underlining, italics, and bold).
  • It’s a good idea to list your references at the end of the document. Make sure that your reference people are aware that you listed them. If you had already asked them for a letter of recommendation, that’s enough warning.

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