Graduate Admission FAQs

When is the application deadline?

• The application deadline is December 1st. If positions are still available, we will consider applicants who apply after this deadline. To find out if any positions are still available, you should contact the professor(s) with whom you want to work.

Where do I send my application materials?

• All of your application materials can be submitted online.

Is the GRE required?

• Although students are not required to take the GRE, students who have done well on it may be at an advantage compared with others who have not taken the exam
• The Department considers students who may have less than perfect verbal or quantitative scores and they may still be strong candidates for graduate study. Students scoring less than 500 on both quantitative and verbal are at a competitive disadvantage.

Is there a minimum undergraduate GPA, below which my application will not be considered?

• No, but you must keep in mind that admission to graduate school is competetive.
• The most qualified applicant will be accepted. However, we recognize that many students do poorly in their first year or two of undergraduate study.
• We also recognize that students with extensive math and/or physical science coursework on their transcripts may have lower GPAs than more traditionally trained undergraduate psychology majors.
• Concerning your academic record, we tend to look for students who posted a high GPA in their last two years and have taken (and done well in) coursework relevant to behavioral science.

Who reviews my application?

• On the departmental application, you will indicate the faculty members with whom you would like to work. These faculty members will conduct the initial review of your application. From there, if a faculty member is interested in your application, they must obtain the consent of three other faculty members and the department's director of graduate training before your name can be forwarded to the KU Graduate School with our recommendation to accept.

What happens after I submit my application?

• Shortly after the application deadline, the ABS faculty will review all completed applications. This process may take several weeks to complete as it must be coordinated with the KU Graduate School.
• If one of the professors puts you on their shortlist of candidates, then that professor will contact you.
• The professor may invite you to visit KU or conduct a remote interview and discuss how your career goals may be compatible with the activities of that professor. Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit KU if invited to do so.
• The professor with whom you interviewed will notify you of their decision in a timely fashion.
• Ultimately, students must be accepted by the professor in the ABS department and the KU Graduate School (a separate entity). Students are not admitted into the program without both acceptances.

When do you typically know if you will be accepted to the program?

• First, applicants should know that each applicant must be accepted by a faculty member of the ABS department and the KU Graduate School (a separate entity). Only if both of these requirements are met will the student be admitted into the ABS program. For example, it is possible to be accepted by the KU Graduate School and not accepted by a faculty member. In this situation (and similar situations), the student would not be accepted into the ABS program.
• Shortly after the application deadline, the ABS faculty will review all completed applications. This process may take several weeks to complete as it must be coordinated with the KU Graduate School. If one of the faculty members puts you on their shortlist of candidates, then that faculty member will contact you and invite you to an interview and discuss how your career goals may be compatible with the activities of that professor. Applicants are encouraged to visit KU if invited to do so. Following the interview, the faculty member will either invite you to join their lab or place you on their waiting list. If you are placed on the waiting list, the faculty member will usually contact you with a final decision within a few weeks. The professor with whom you interviewed will notify you of their decision in a timely fashion.

Does the graduate program offer funding and/or tuition waivers or reimbursement?

• Funding for graduate students depends on the faculty advisor and his or her sources of funding (e.g., grants, clinical work, etc.). Currently, most of the students in the doctoral program have funding.
• Although some faculty can offer graduate teaching or research assistantships, the department does not guarantee funding. Contact the faculty with whom you would like to work to learn more about funding opportunities they may provide for you

How long does it typically take to complete the program?

• M.A. - Generally, students complete all requirements for the MA degree in 2 to 3 years.
• Ph.D. - If a student enters with a master's degree, the student is expected to complete the requirements for the Ph.D. degree within four years.
• Both - Students who enter the department with a bachelor's degree must complete the requirements for the master's degree before pursuing the requirements for the Ph.D. degree. Typically, students will complete the requirements for the master's degree within 3 years and the requirements for the Ph.D. degree within 4 to 7 years.

Does the ABS department offer courses and supervision that fulfill the  Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) requirements?

• The ABS Department currently offers a course sequence that fulfills the BACB education requirements. The ABS department does not programmatically offer supervision. However, many faculty will provide the supervision necessary to fulfill the BACB supervision requirements. If you are interested, you should discuss this with the faculty with whom you are interested in studying.
• You may visit the BACB website for eligibility and exam information.

Can people work/do research with faculty other than their advisor?

• Students are typically admitted to work with one faculty member. In addition, students are often very busy conducting either their own research under the supervision of their faculty advisor or conducting research that is part of their advisor's line of research. Further, the faculty member with whom the student wishes to work may not have sufficient time or resources to supervise an additional graduate student. However, nothing prohibits the practice of working/doing research with multiple faculty members. Applicants are encouraged to discuss this with the faculty members with whom they may be interested in working.

Are you expected to stay in Lawrence for the summer?

• This depends on the needs and requirements of your faculty supervisor. Some faculty supervise clinical and research programs that are in operation whenever KU is in session and some faculty supervise clinical and research programs that are open year-round. If your faculty supervisor does not work during the summer, it is still expected that you will work on projects that contribute to your progress as a student, such as continued exposure to the literature and writing manuscripts.

My question didn't appear in this list.

• Contact the department at absc@ku.edu with your question.