Mailbag

Advice for Applying to Terminal Master’s Programs

Dr. Butina,

I have a few questions so I’ll begin to list them now, along with some brief context:

I’m just now getting my feet wet in terms of IO Psych studies, vocabulary terms, etc. I was unable to take an introductory course during my time here in undergraduate studies, but I found the short course you have online that I’ll do to get more information about the field. Also, I’ve been listening to podcasts as MUCH as possible to familiarize me with concepts and general ideas that I’ll encounter in the field and I have familiarized myself with the SIOP website. Regarding broadening my knowledge, what other resources do you think I should tap into?

I’ve gotten a list of terminal masters IO programs that I would like to apply to. The list is: Baruch, University of Central Florida, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Roosevelt , University of Houston, San Jose State, California State (Long Beach and Sacramento), Brooklyn College, and NYU. Do any of these in particular stand out to you, and if so, why? I’m gathering as much information on them all as possible, so anything you can share would be a great help. Also, if you know of any other great terminal masters programs that I should look into, I’ll take that as well!

Lastly, I’m a bit worried about my chances of getting into a program. Long story short, I had a rough first couple years of undergraduate because of a personal crisis, but I have been working on myself since then and I (should) graduate with a GPA around the 3.1 range. I’m applying to research labs to gain research experience, I’m training to be a hotline crisis counselor, and I’m currently studying for the GRE. Is there anything else you would recommend to offset my lower GPA? I’m completely open to suggestion.

– D.T.