Graduate and Doctoral Admissions

Whatever your professional calling, a Marywood graduate education will prepare you from Day One. Large enough to offer the most advanced opportunities, yet small enough to provide a more personalized mentoring approach, Marywood provides graduate and doctoral programs that will challenge you, inspire you, and prepare you in every way to move forward and succeed in your career.

There are few pursuits in life more significant than going after a lifelong dream by pursuing a master's or doctoral degree. It’s a serious step and a huge investment of time, energy, and financial resources. However, the rewards, both personal and professional, are nothing short of life changing. Just as your commitment is deep, so is ours to you: we will do everything we can to help you realize your educational goals.

Applying for Graduate Admission

The $35 application fee is waived when you submit through the Marywood online application.

Submit OFFICIAL, SEALED transcripts of all your academic work. When requesting transcripts, please ask the sending institution to indicate your current name and former/maiden name. Official, electronic transcripts should be submitted to gograd@marywood.edu .

Send two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic and/or professional background. If you have not attended college for three or more years, please contact the Office of University Admissions for guidance.

Please note the following:

• MSW Applicants: At least one academic reference is needed if you have graduated within the last two years.
• Interior Architecture, PsyD Clinical Psychology, Psychology (General Theoretical), and School Psychology (EdS) Applicants: Three letters of recommendation are required for these programs.
• Psy.D. Requirements: All applicants must provide the completed application form, official undergraduate/graduate transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation (at least 2 from psychologists), a current curriculum vitae, and a personal statement indicating how the applicant's professional goals will be met by Marywood's Psy.D. program (500-word limit). GRE tests are no longer required. Applicants selected for interviews will be notified in January for virtual group interviews in early February. Prerequisites Admission to the Psy.D. program requires at least 18 credits of Psychology coursework at the undergraduate level, including: statistics, experimental methods/research design, and abnormal/ psychopathology. A major in Psychology is preferred. A minimum overall GPA of 3.48 on a 4.0 scale is expected, for both general curriculum and psychology courses. Transfer Credits Up to 15 transfer credits in graduate Psychology coursework will be accepted. All credits transferred must reflect at least a 'B' grade, be from a regionally accredited institution, be similar in content and demand of equivalent Marywood courses, and have been earned within the preceding 5 years. The Director of Clinical Training must approve all transfer credits. Admission Post-Master's For a post-master's application to be considered, all of the following courses (or their equivalent) must have been completed at the master's level, with a grade of B or better.
  • Psy 503 Research and Statistics I
  • Psy 504 Research and Statistics II
  • Psy 508 Biological Bases of Behavior
  • Psy 514 Human Development
  • Psy 517 Personality Theories
  • Psy 521 Social Psychology
  • Psy 522 Cognitive/Affective Bases of Behavior
  • Psy 531 Psychopathology
  • Psy 532 Child Psychopathology
  • Psy 580 Assessment of Adult Personality and Psychopathology
  • Psy 555 Professional Contribution or Psy 556 Master's Thesis
  • Psy 561 Introduction to Psychological Testing
  • Psy 571 Introduction to Individual Psychotherapy
  • Psy 574 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
  • Psy 577 Practicum I
  • Psy 587 Practicum II Or Psy 578 Internship

  All students accepted post-Master’s must pass the Master’s Comprehensive Exam. The exam is offered in the Fall semester, and consists of seven sections (Research Methods I, Research Methods II, Personality, Developmental, Social, Biological Bases of Behavior, and Cognitive/Affective Bases of Behavior). The exam is a multiple choice format.

  Up to two students will be accepted annually post-Master's degree in psychology, to join the third year doctoral students. Students must have completed their degree no more than five years prior to application. Demonstrated excellence in academics and clinical work is expected. Applicants also must have completed an empirical Master's thesis or Professional Contribution. Two of the applicant's letters of recommendation must be from full-time graduate Psychology faculty at the institution where the Master's degree was completed. All other application procedures are the same as for the post-bachelor's admissions.

  Recommendations can be submitted electronically via the online application.

  All documents submitted in connection with the application become the property of the University.

  Standardized Test Scores

  GRE required for the following programs. General Test must be taken within the past five years.

  • Physician Assistant
  • Speech Language Pathology (external applicants only)

  GRE optional for the following programs. General Test must be taken within the past five years.

  • Dietetic Internships Onsite Program Only
  • Ed.S. School Psychology
  • Psychology

  Portfolio Requirements

  • Art Therapy
  • All MA and MFA Art Programs
  • Interior Architecture
  Essay Requirements

  If your program is not listed, you should include a brief statement of your career goals and how they align with your program.

  Art Therapy Applicants: Submit an essay of 350-word minimum addressing the three points outlined below:

  • Describe your personal involvement in art.
  • Describe your understanding of art therapy.
  • Why have you chosen to pursue art therapy graduate education?

  Autism Endorsement Online Program Applicants: Submit a 350-word essay describing how this program will enhance your current profession and advance your career goals.

  Biotechnology Applicants: Submit an essay (1-2 pages) describing your career objectives and how the M.S. Biotechnology degree will assist with such goals.

  Business Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in business (350-word minimum).

  Counseling (School and Mental Health) Applicants: Submit an essay outlining professional and personal qualities that you believe will make you a successful school or mental health counselor. Applicants should be specific. Please review the follow resources prior to submitting the essay:

  • American Counseling Association: counseling.org
  • American Mental Health Counselors Association: amhca.org
  • American School Counselors Association: schoolcounselor.org
  • Pennsylvania Counselors Association: pacounseling.org
  • Pennsylvania School Counselors Association: psca-web.org

  Criminal Justice Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and the way in which the Criminal Justice program will contribute to these objectives (350-word minimum).

  Education Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in education.

  Interior Architecture Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in interior architecture.

  Nutrition Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in nutrition or sports nutrition (350-word minimum).

  Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) Applicants:

  Please describe why you want to pursue doctoral training in clinical psychology, including mention of relevant lived experiences, interests, and professional goals. What makes Marywood University’s Psy.D. program a particularly good fit for you? If possible, identify two psychology faculty members whose research interests appeal to you and state why.

  Professional Writing Applicants: Submit an essay that meets the following criteria:

  • A statement of purpose (two pages)
  • An academic or professional writing sample (6 to 10 pages, can be excerpted from a longer work).
  • Choose one of the two following prompts and write approximately 500-600 words in response:
    • Write an op-ed piece for a local newspaper (local to you) persuading its readers of the importance of learning a second language. Please identify the name of the paper to which you have chosen to write in the header. Give your essay a title that could be used as a headline.
    • Write a professional letter that could be sent to a real local business or a real local nonprofit agency arguing that their services to customers should be offered in both English and Spanish. Please identify the name of the business or agency.

    Psychology Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in psychology.

    Public Administration/Health Services Administration Applicants: Submit an admission essay (350-word minimum) addressing the four points outlined below:

    • Describe your professional work background.
    • What attracted you to a M.P.A. / M.H.S.A.?
    • What do you expect to receive in management training?
    • How do you expect to use the management training and the M.P.A. / M.H.S.A. degree as a credential in pursuing your career objectives?

    Social Work Applicants: Submit an informal statement of about 800 words (3 pages). This statement should include information about the following:

    • Development of your interest in social work, including educational work and personal experiences as relevant.
    • Your strengths in relation to social work practice.
    • Gaps or limitations in your experience or attributes that would need attention in preparing for social work practice.
    • Your preference for your future in social work.

    Speech-Language Pathology Applicants: Submit a well-developed essay that responds to the following questions. Elaboration of responses, cohesive writing style, and writing mechanics (e.g. spelling, grammar, punctuation) will be considered when reviewing the essay portion of the application. The final essay response should be no more than 500 words total, double-spaced in 12 pt. font.

    • What are your academic and professional goals? How and why do you feel the Communication Sciences & Disorders Department at Marywood University can help you to achieve these goals?

    Strategic Leadership and Administrative Studies (Ph.D.) Applicants: Submit an admission essay addressing the four points outlined below:

    • What are your career and academic experiences?
    • Why are you applying to the Ph.D. program?
    • What are you expecting to achieve with a Ph.D. from Marywood after graduation?
    • What are your strengths and weaknesses? And, how can the Ph.D. program help support these strengths and offset these weaknesses?
    Credit Transfers

    At least two-thirds of the degree requirements must be met at Marywood. Departments or individual programs may require more hours taken at Marywood and may limit transfer credits to fewer than this limit. Specific credits and numbers of credits accepted for transfer must be approved in writing by the department chairperson in the degree program or graduate certification program to which a student has been fully admitted.

    All credits accepted for transfer must have been taken at the graduate level. Bi-level courses are generally unacceptable and must be specifically justified in the student's departmental records. All credits transferred must be equivalent to a "B" grade or better. If a course has been taken on a pass-fail basis there must be a written statement attached to the requested transfer credit that states it is the institutional policy to grant credit only for grades of "B" or better in graduate coursework. Transfer credits must parallel or integrate well, both in terms of content and quality, with current standards at the University. Ordinarily, acceptable transfer credits must have been earned within the five previous calendar years from the date of provisional or regular admission.

    Tuition & Fees

    Check out the Tuition & Fees for a graduate degree at Marywood.