Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

What graduate programs does the Department of Psychological Sciences offer?

You may find more information about our graduate program offerings here. We do not offer degrees in Clinical, Counseling, Forensic, Educational, or Social psychology.

Our professional master's programs in Human-Computer Interactions and Human Factors, and Industrial-Organizational Psychology are terminal M.A. degrees.

Do you offer online or distance programs?

No. We do not offer any online or evening courses. All courses are face-to-face on campus only.

Does your program offer a spring or summer start?

No. Our graduate programs admit for the fall only.

Does your program allow part-time study?

No. The graduate program requires a full-time commitment, and we accept only full-time students.

Does your department host an open house, campus visit, tour, or one-on-one visits?

The department does not offer tours. Additionally, due to limited faculty time and to ensure fairness to all our applicants, we are unable to meet individually with prospective students. Occasionally, we host virtual information sessions for prospective students; when these sessions occur, the information is posted on our website.

For a general tour, the Rice Grad Ambassadors offer campus tours on specific dates that require advanced registration. For more information, please visit: https://gradadmissions.rice.edu/portal/meet-rice

Are you able to send hard-copy recruiting materials to me?

To be more environmentally friendly, we no longer print hard-copy materials. All the current information about our program is available online.

Are your graduate programs designated as STEM?

Yes. Please visit the university’s General Announcements to view the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020 Codes and Descriptions from the National Center for Education Statistics.

The Application Process and Requirements

May I meet with someone to discuss whether I’d be a good fit for your program, or send my CV so that you can tell me whether I should apply?

No. If you have any questions not answered in this FAQ, please feel free to contact us. However, we cannot judge your chances of being accepted based on incomplete information. You will need to complete the application process and submit the required materials for our graduate committee to review.

May I find out which faculty have research interests similar to mine before applying?

Yes. Faculty-applicant fit is a significant factor in our doctoral (Ph.D.) admissions process, as each doctoral student is admitted to work with a primary faculty advisor. Please visit our faculty directory to review faculty research interests. If, after reviewing faculty research interests, you would like to learn more, please feel free to email the faculty member whose work you are interested in. Professional Master’s (MIOP, MHCIHF) students are not assigned an advisor and work closely with all faculty in their program equally.

What is the application deadline?

The application deadline is December 1st, 10:59 p.m. Central Time.

Do you accept late applications?

No. Our application deadline is December 1; if you miss the application period, you will need to wait until the following September, when we begin accepting applications for the following fall.

Are international students permitted to apply?

Yes. We welcome applications from international students.

Are all application materials due by the deadline?

Yes. All required application materials are due by the December 1 deadline. Required application materials for all three psychology graduate programs are available here.

Do you accept late application materials?

We can accept certain late application materials, such as GRE scores or letters of recommendation, if you have already submitted your application by the December 1 deadline. However, faculty begin reviewing applicant files promptly after the December 1 deadline, and an incomplete file can put you in a less competitive position compared to someone whose records have all arrived and are ready for review.

Do you require the GRE to apply?

Please see below for the GRE requirements for each of our graduate programs:

Ph.D. Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience – GRE required
Ph.D. Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine – GRE required
Ph.D. Human-Computer Interactions & Human Factors – GRE required
Ph.D. Industrial-Organizational Psychology – GRE is optional
Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology – GRE is optional
Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors – GRE is recommended

Is there a minimum GPA or GRE score required to apply?

There is no minimum GPA or GRE score requirement.

Should I take the GRE subject test in psychology?

The subject test is not required, but we do encourage it.

Do you accept GMAT scores?

Please feel free to submit your GMAT score if you believe it would be helpful to us in evaluating your application. However, submission of GMAT scores does not waive other test score requirements.

What if I retake a test and earn a better score after I’ve submitted my application?

Request that the testing service report your scores to us, and they will be added to your application file as soon as we receive them.

What are the English Proficiency test requirements?

More information on the minimum requirements for TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo scores is available here. Applicants may submit IELTS scores in lieu of TOEFL scores.

The English Language Proficiency Requirements may be waived for international students who have earned a degree from a university where English is the official language of instruction.

How long are GRE/TOEFL/IELTS scores valid?

GRE scores are valid for 5 years after the testing year (July 1 – June 30) in which you took the exam. For example, if you are applying for the 2027-2028 school year, you may submit GRE scores earned on or after July 1, 2022.

TOEFL and IELTS scores are valid for 2 years after the test date and are required for all international applicants unless you have earned a bachelor’s or master’s degree from an institution where English is the primary mode of instruction.

Should my recommenders submit their letters online, or will you accept a hard copy letter?

The online application allows your recommenders to submit online recommendations, and we prefer that method.

I’m an international student. Should I submit a financial statement with my application?

You do not need to submit a financial statement with your application. If you are admitted and choose to enroll at Rice, the Office of International Students and Scholars will coordinate with you to obtain the necessary information.

What hard copy application materials are needed?

None. All required application materials should be submitted electronically within the application system.

Do you accept electronic transcripts?

We do. However, e-transcripts must be sent directly to the department (psyc@rice.edu); if your institution sends them to a different Rice email address, we cannot guarantee that they will reach us.

How many transcripts are required?

One from each college or university you have attended. This includes any/all community colleges attended during summer or winter mini terms.

Do you need transcripts from institutions where I have taken courses for transfer credits?

Even if those courses are listed on your home institution's transcript, we may need the original institution's transcript. Transferred courses often appear on transcripts as "transfer credits" without grades attached; if your home institution's transcript does not include the grades you received for your transferred courses, we do need the original institution's transcript.

May I mail the transcripts myself, or do you need my school to do so?

If the transcripts are official (provided by your college or university and in an official, sealed envelope), you can mail them.

Are you able to provide any guidelines for the written materials required to apply?

A completed application must include a statement of purpose, an up-to-date CV/resume, and a writing sample. For the statement of purpose, applicants will need to submit a 1-2-page essay that includes their own statement of goals, aspirations, and special interests. Please also include the applicant's future goals and plans for applying what they learn in the program. For the writing sample, applicants will submit a piece from their past work, ideally on a topic relevant to psychological science (e.g., a class paper, honors thesis, conference submission, or journal article in which they were the sole or primary author).

The Admissions Process and Requirements

What specific qualities are you looking for?

Since each doctoral (Ph.D.) student is admitted to work with a primary faculty advisor, your research interests are an important factor. If you are admitted, we want to ensure we have a faculty member who can advise you in your areas of interest. We are aware that your research interests may change over time, so, provided there is at least a rough match between applicant and faculty interests, we do not seek a single quality. Our application evaluation process is holistic.

What percentage of applicants are admitted to your programs each year?

Acceptance numbers vary from year to year, but we typically receive about 500 applications per recruitment period. We admit 5 students to each professional master’s (M.A.) program (10 total) and 5-10 doctoral (Ph.D.) students each fall.

Which professors are planning to admit new students?

This is a difficult question to answer, as many factors influence the number of students the department can admit as a whole. You are welcome to email the faculty member(s) whose work you are interested in, but they often cannot provide a definitive answer until well into the application review process.

Are phone or in-person interviews part of your decision process?

While we frequently arrange for admitted applicants to visit the campus as part of their decision process, we do not schedule in-person interviews prior to making offers. Faculty may choose to interview some applicants by phone or Zoom before making an offer, but this is entirely up to the individual faculty members.

What is the average GPA and GRE score of admitted applicants?

In recent years, admitted applicants have had an average Verbal GRE score of 82%, an average Quantitative GRE score of 72%, and an average GPA of 3.67. Please bear in mind that these are averages, so if your scores or GPA are lower and you choose to submit them for your application, you may still fit the profile of an admitted applicant.

Do you accept applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a field of study other than psychology?

Yes. We admit students from a wide variety of backgrounds. A bachelor's or master’s degree in psychology is not required for admission to our graduate programs.

Do you accept applicants who earned a three-year bachelor’s degree?

Yes. Rice requires completion of a bachelor’s degree before beginning the graduate program, but the duration of the undergraduate program does not matter.

Are applicants required to have research experience?

While we do take research experience into account when evaluating applications, it is only one of several factors involved in our selection decisions. Prospective students without research experience are still encouraged to apply.

How much research experience do you recommend?

Research experience helps applicants gain a realistic sense of what research entails and the basic skills needed to succeed in a graduate program, but it is only one of several factors in our selection decisions. While we do take it into account, we admit students with a wide range of experience.

I’ve been out of school for a while. Are my recommendation letters required to come from my previous professors?

No. Your recommenders should be people who can provide information about your skills and assess your ability to succeed in our program. While psychology professors and others in academia may be better able to assess your ability to succeed in our academic environment, a work supervisor who knows you well can provide the information we need.

Financial Information

What are the annual tuition and fees?

The University posts current tuition and fees online. In fall 2026, most matriculating doctoral (Ph.D.) students will receive full tuition waivers for their first five years in the program. Tuition waivers are usually based on stipend support, so advanced doctoral (Ph.D.) students may be eligible for waivers beyond the fifth year if funding is available. Doctoral (Ph.D.) students are required to pay fees and a health insurance subsidy each year. Professional Master’s (M.A.) students do not receive a stipend and pay full program tuition. Tuition information for our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program is available here. Tuition information for our Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program is available here.

What kind of financial aid is provided?

In fall 2026, most matriculating doctoral (Ph.D.) students will receive full tuition waivers for the first five years in the program, in addition to a $37,000 stipend over 12 months (also for their first five years). Tuition waivers and stipends are not applicable to professional Master’s (M.A.) students. Tuition information for our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program is available here. Tuition information for our Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program is available here.

Do I need to apply separately or submit additional information to be eligible for funding?

No. While we encourage students to apply for external fellowships, all students admitted to our doctoral (Ph.D.) program are eligible for the tuition waiver and stipend support described above. Tuition waivers and stipends are not applicable to professional master’s (M.A.) students. Tuition information for our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program is available here. Tuition information for our Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program is available here.

Do you require graduate students to serve as research assistants or teaching assistants in exchange for funding?

Doctoral (Ph.D.) students must remain in good academic standing to be eligible for financial support, but there are no additional requirements for Rice-funded students. Doctoral (Ph.D.) students funded by an advisor's research grant are required to serve as research assistants on that project. Every doctoral (Ph.D.) student is required to perform a modest amount of service to the department as part of the degree program; this may include serving as an assistant to a professor in teaching or research activities, but it is part of the graduate student experience and is not "in exchange" for funding.

Does Rice offer graduate student housing?

Rice graduate students live off campus, either in nearby rental properties or at one of the University-owned graduate housing properties.

Program Requirements and Graduate Student Life

What if I have already earned a master’s degree prior to entering your program?

This is handled on a case-by-case basis for doctoral (Ph.D.) students only. Once you matriculate at Rice, the department's graduate committee will determine whether your degree is "relevant" to your program of study at Rice (often, but not always, this refers to a master’s degree in psychology or a related field). If so, you will not be required to complete a master’s degree at Rice and will continue on to your doctoral work.

How long does it usually take to complete your program?

Students typically take 5-6 years to complete the doctoral (Ph.D.) program, although some students finish in 4 years. Each professional Master’s (M.A.) program is 2 years.

How many credits will I need to earn?

For our doctoral (Ph.D.) program, each Research Interest Group sets its own course requirements, which can be found on its Research Interest Group's profile page. As a university requirement, all doctoral (Ph.D.) students must earn at least 90 credits by the time they graduate. Credit information for our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program is available here. Credit information for our Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program is available here.

May I transfer graduate credits I’ve earned at another institution?

Typically, doctoral (Ph.D.) students earn more than enough credits through their regular Rice courses and their research courses to make the transfer of credit moot. More relevant is whether it is possible to "place out" of required courses. This is handled on a case-by-case basis and depends on whether the same content was covered with equal rigor. Professional Master’s (M.A.) students may transfer up to 6 hours of course credit. This is a hard rule and not subject to change.

What are the course requirements?

For doctoral (Ph.D.) students, each Research Interest Group sets its own course requirements, which can be found on its Research Interest Group's profile page. Course requirements for our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program are available here. Course requirements for our Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program are available here.

Are there any other requirements?

In addition to the requirements specific to each Research Interest Group, all doctoral (Ph.D.) students must complete a First-Year Project, a Second-Year Project, and a doctoral dissertation. Doctoral (Ph.D.) students who enter without a relevant master’s degree must also complete a Master's thesis in order to earn the M.A. en route to the doctoral degree. Professional master’s (M.A.) students enrolled in our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors or Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology programs must complete an internship and a capstone project during the course of the program.

What is the workload for current graduate students?

First-year doctoral (Ph.D.) students usually take 3 classes per semester, along with their area's research seminar. In addition, they are required to complete a First-Year Project and perform a modest amount of service to the department, often by serving as an assistant to a professor in his or her teaching or research activities. The amount of coursework tends to decrease over time as doctoral (Ph.D.) students engage in more research and complete degree requirements (thesis and dissertation). Most doctoral (Ph.D.) students complete their course requirements by the end of the third year. Workloads for professional Master’s (M.A.) students are the same each semester for the two years of the program. The degree plan for our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors program is available here. The degree plan for our Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology program is available here.

Will I have an opportunity to work with different faculty members or just my advisor?

Our faculty members often collaborate on research, and we encourage the same from our graduate students; there are several opportunities to work with different faculty members on a variety of projects.

Will I have the opportunity to complete an internship?

Many doctoral (Ph.D.) students in the Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors RIGs choose to complete internships either during a semester or over the summer. Some Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience doctoral (Ph.D.) students also benefit from internship experiences. Doctoral (Ph.D.) students on internships work in an applied setting and are paid by the sponsoring organization. Previous companies students have interned at include NASA or Lockheed at the Johnson Space Center, IBM, Texas Instruments, Honeywell, Canon Information Systems, Normal Modes (a user experience and usability testing company), the Center for Technology in Teaching and Learning, eBay, Facebook, Google, ACT, ETS, Education Pioneers, the Harris County Department of Education, the Air Force Personnel Center, The University of Texas Medical School, and Baylor College of Medicine. Professional master’s (M.A.) students enrolled in our Master of Human-Computer Interaction & Human Factors or Master of Industrial-Organizational Psychology programs must complete an internship and a capstone project during the course of the program.

What is the atmosphere like within the department?

The spirit of the department is collegial and collaborative rather than competitive. Graduate students and faculty members often work together on research ideas and offer feedback and suggestions on projects.

Could you describe the social side of graduate life at Rice?

Rice and Houston are vibrant communities with many opportunities for sports, fine arts, dining, and a variety of other activities. Students often gather in neighboring Rice Village for dinner or drinks; Rice's Graduate Student Association sponsors social events, organizes cultural festivals, and coordinates volunteer activities. The department holds picnics, start-of-the-school-year parties, and other get-togethers throughout the year.

What is Houston like?

Houston is home to a blend of ethnic groups and cultures rivaled only by those of New York City and Los Angeles. Houston is a center for the visual and performing arts, an international business hub, and home to the second-busiest port in the United States. We encourage you to go to “Visit Houston” to explore the wide array of opportunities available to visitors and locals.

Would I be able to speak to graduate students about their experiences in the program?

If you have questions about what it is like being a Psychological Sciences graduate student at Rice, you may reach out to graduate students here. The Psychological Sciences Graduate Student Association offers a buddy program for enrolled students, in which an early-career graduate student (1st- or 2nd-year) can be paired with a senior graduate student (3rd- or 4th-year).