Psychology: Psychological Science

The GRE (general) admission requirement has been waived for the Fall 2025 intake. 

 

The PhD program in Psychological Science is a research-intensive program in all areas of psychology including biological, cognitive, individual and social bases of behaviour.

 The Psychological Science graduate curriculum is based on an apprenticeship model with flexible core courses that are appropriate to a student's research area of focus.

NOTE: Students in this program are expected to complete all requirements within a minimum of nine terms (3 years) to a maximum of fifteen terms (5 years) of continuous full-time registration. Candidates must meet a minimum residency of nine terms, all of which must be consecutive.

Admission Requirements for PhD

Applicants for admission must be graduates of a recognized university and show evidence of scholarly achievement. Except where otherwise stated in the Admission Requirements of a particular program, students must have a Masters degree or its equivalent with an academic average as specified by the academic unit. An applicant holding a degree other than one in the discipline area to which admission is sought will be considered on the basis of Master's courses taken and academic standing. 

Meeting the minimum requirements does not necessarily guarantee admission. No candidate will be admitted unless the academic unit recommends admission. All applicants will be advised in writing by the Office of Graduate Studies of their admission status.

Program Specific Requirements

In addition to the general admission requirements for PhD programs, the following requirements also apply:

  • Applicants to the MSc and PhD Psychological Science programs with or without Collaborative Specializations should be aware that THIS IS NOT a degree that will lead to registration as a Psychologist or Psychological Associate in the Province of Ontario, or the title of "Psychologist" in other provinces, and that this degree does not normally lead to direct admission to the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Lakehead University
  • The admission requirement into the PhD in Psychological Science program is a Master's degree in Psychological Science, Experimental Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience, or an equivalent MA or MSc degree that is relevant and suitable to a psychological research area (i.e. biological, cognitive, individual and social bases of behaviour). See note below.
  • Besides official transcripts, a current CV and letters of recommendation, applications must include Graduate Record Exam scores for Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical tests, as assessed within the past five years; and a detailed statement of interests and objectives.
  • Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not studied in an English school system for more than three years will be required to present proof of English facility by achieving an appropriate standing in one of the following test: 
    • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum internet-based score of 100, or a minimum computer-based score of 250, or a minimum paper-based score of 600 and a score of at least 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE); the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) with a minimum score of 90; or the Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL) with a minimum score of 80.
Note:
  • Students entering the PhD in the Psychological Science field with an MA or MSc degree from a university other than Lakehead University must meet all Lakehead University MSc requirements, including a master's level thesis, on entry. The Graduate Studies Committee in Psychology, in consultation with the Director of Psychological Science, will review the equivalency of the applicant's academic background relative to the requirements for an MSc degree in Psychological Science at Lakehead University (see below for details). Where deficiencies in research areas are noted, the candidate will be directed, if admitted, to take the identified course(s) in addition to the standard requirements of the PhD program. Any student who has not taken a graduate-level statistics course that is deemed to be the equivalent of Psychology 5151 (Multivariate Statistics for Behavioural Research) will be required to take Psychology 5151. Any student who has not taken a graduate-level research methods course that is deemed to be the equivalent of Psychology 5711 (Research Methods and Program Evaluation) will be required to take Psychology 5711. Applicants to the PhD program who have a master's degree in Psychology (or equivalent) without a master's level thesis will not have their application considered.
  • View Calendar

Graduate Funding

At Lakehead University, we realize the importance of financial support for graduate students.

Therefore, financial assistance opportunities are available in several forms and are generally awarded to students by individual programs on the basis of academic promise and financial need.

The different funding options available include:

For your convenience, a searchable database of graduate scholarships, bursaries, and awards is provided below. Award eligibility, criteria, and application procedures for graduate funding is indicated for each award. Please use the general search tool to find available funding by program. Alternatively, you may also click the advanced search link to specify available funding by program level, award category and/or award amount.

Although financial support cannot be guaranteed to all graduate students in all programs, we encourage you to inquire about financial assistance with your Graduate Coordinator in your program of study. You may also contact the Graduate Funding Officer in the Faculty of Graduate Studies to learn more about your graduate funding options.

Conditions of Graduate Awards

Graduate scholarships are based on academic merit. Graduate bursaries are based on financial need, although there may be a merit component to the bursary. Where the award designates that an application is required, only those students who have submitted the specified application by the deadline will be considered for those awards. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered. Only successful applicants will be notified.

Recipients of scholarships, awards and bursaries must be registered in order to receive funding. Graduate awards are applied to any outstanding balance on the student's account. Students are entitled to their awards only after their fees are paid in full. Only students with credit account balances will be refunded the balance of the overpayment. Overpayment refunds of these awards will be issued at the end of September, January and May each year.

The University reserves the right to make changes without prior notice to the terms, conditions and award values listed in this section and in the University Calendar.

The most up-to-date internal awards and applications are on our new award system MyAwards

Graduate Studies Funding Database

Required Application Documents

Applicants for admission must be graduates of an accredited university, college, or institute as well as show evidence of scholarly achievement. Doctoral applicants must have a four year bachelor's degree and a master's degree.

Meeting the minimum application requirements does not guarantee admission. The Faculty of Graduate Studies will advise all applicants in writing of admission decisions once they are received from the program. Applicants are encouraged to regularly monitor their Lakehead University email and application portal for the most current information.

The first step in the application process is to complete the online graduate studies application form.

After you have submitted the online form along with the required $125 CAD application fee, you will be provided with an online account where you can complete the remaining steps of the application process which include uploading the required supporting documents and monitoring the status of your application.

Click here to Apply to Graduate Studies

After you have applied 

After you have submitted the online application form, you can access your account here. Any change in your application status will be reflected in this portal.

Graduate Studies Reference Form
  • An electronic reference form will be automatically sent by email to the references you identify on the graduate studies application form
  • This form is requested in support of the applicant's ability to undertake advanced study and research
Official Transcript
Proof of Degree
Program Specific Supporting Documents (If required)
  • For a list of program specific documents, please see this program's Additional Application Information section (if required, see above)
Official English Test Results (If required)

Additional Application Information

The Statement of Interest Form
Official GRE General Test Results
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
 

Next Steps

Registration Procedures

Before Registering!

Check to make sure all of your course selections are currently being offered by referring to the University Course Calendar and the University Course Time Tables.

University Graduate Studies & General Regulations & Policies