Application for Admission

Applications completed by February 1 will be screened for regular acceptance. Applications completed after February 1 will be considered only if there are openings in the program. All requests for information will be directed to the Office of Graduate Admission. Students will be accepted only for the fall semester of each year. 

Admission Requirements

1. Successful completion, at an accredited institution, of a master’s degree (or equivalent) in one of the social sciences or in business.
2. Completion of a graduate statistics course with a grade of B or better.
3. GRE Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing scores must be provided from an examination within the previous five years of the date of application. For non-native speakers of English, a TOEFL may be required unless waived by the program director, after having received evidence of English-language proficiency.
4. A personal statement of interests and career intentions.
5. A personal interview. 
6. Two letters of recommendation.

Graduation Requirements

1. Completion of the 96-s.h. program with a cumulative grade point average of B or better.
2. Successful completion of a two-stage comprehensive examination that includes (1) a multiple choice exam administered at the end of the first semester of the program used to assess strengths and weaknesses, and (2) an essay exam administered at the end of the first year. Students who fail the essay exam twice will be dropped from the program.
3. Students must maintain at least a B average each semester, receive no more than one C per semester and no more than three Cs in total toward the PhD or the student will be dropped from the program.
4. If a student earns a grade of D in a course, the instructor of that course will inform the program director who will then convene a meeting of the core program faculty to discuss the circumstances under which the D was earned. If this is the first D earned during his or her course of study, the student will be immediately placed on probation and a remedial plan for the student will be developed by the faculty. In the case of a D, course credit will not count toward the degree being sought but the grade is included in determining the cumulative grade point average. The course or its equivalent, must be repeated. A second grade of D received in any course while enrolled in the program is grounds for immediate dismissal. The Core Program Faculty will decide if the dismissal is warranted. A letter which reviews the discussion and outcome of the meeting, will be generated by the Program Director with a copy sent to the student.
5. A grade of F in any class is grounds for immediate dismissal from the program. If a student earns an F, the instructor of that course will inform the Program Director who will then convene a meeting of the Core Program Faculty to discuss the circumstances under which the F has been earned. A letter, which reviews the deliberations of the Core Program Faculty, will be generated by the Program Director with a copy sent to the student.
6. Students are expected to behave in an ethical and professional manner according to the guidelines for students conduct and academic honesty at Hofstra University, and the Ethical Standards for Psychologists published by the American Psychological Association. Satisfactory interpersonal behavior and professional performance in classes, meetings and internships, etc. is expected. If a report of an ethics violation or an interpersonal problem which may be impeding professional growth is received, the Program Director will convene a meeting of the Core Program Faculty to discuss the circumstances under which the violation or problem arose. After a faculty investigation, a report will be issued that may clear the student of any wrong doing, place the student on probation with a plan for remediation or dismiss the student from the program. A letter, which reviews the deliberations of the Core Program Faculty, will be generated by the Program Director with a copy sent to the student.
7. Completion of a satisfactory research dissertation.
8. Satisfactory performance in an oral examination, to be given subsequent to the completion of the dissertation.

Program Requirements - Total Semester Hours: 96

Students must complete 96 s.h. of course work beyond the bachelor’s degree, of which 53 s.h. are in research methods and statistics, 34 s.h. in human behavior in organizations and 9 s.h. in electives. A maximum of 38 credits may be transferred from prior graduate level work to satisfy courses in the three areas above. All transfer courses must be approved by the program director. The maximum number of transfer credits is subject to the basic regulations governing doctoral programs at Hofstra University.

Sequence of Courses

Students admitted into the doctoral program will have earned a master’s degree, from which they will receive some number of transfer credits. They will be required to take various courses as specified under program requirements, above. The following table shows how 58 s.h. must be taken during the three years of the program, after the first 38 s.h. or prerequisite courses have been satisfied.

Footnotes

* Course must be taken at Hofstra University.

** A student who has not made sufficient progress on the dissertation to gain permission of the members of the committee to begin collecting data, will have to repeat the course, paying full fee. A student must maintain continuous enrollment in this course, registering for it during the fall and spring semesters. A student must complete the work for this course within two semesters. If sufficient progress has not been made by the end of this period, the student will have to enroll in 603A, Extended Dissertation Advisement. This course may be taken only once. If the student does not complete the work for this course by the end of the semester, the student will be dropped from the program.

***A student who does not complete the dissertation during the semester of enrollment in 604, Dissertation Advisement  will have to repeat the course, paying full fee. Once 602, Dissertation Proposal Preparation  or 603A, Extended Dissertation Advisement  has been completed, a student must enroll in 604, Dissertation Advisement , the following semester and maintain continuous enrollment in this course during the fall and spring semesters. A student must complete the work for this course within three semesters. If the dissertation is not completed by the end of this period, the student must immediately enroll in 605A, Dissertation Extension . The student will be dropped from the program if all requirements for the dissertation are not fulfilled by the end of 605A. Once a candidate has begun work on the dissertation, a leave of absence from the program will not be granted, except in highly unusual circumstances.