Graduate Program

Both the general GRE test and the Psychology GRE subject test are optional as part of the application, but we do encourage the general GRE test in particular. The school/department code for the GRE is 5885 and TOEFL is B994.

Graduate Program Index:

General Information

The faculty of the Department of Psychology at Wake Forest University affirm their commitment to three interrelated goals in their roles as teachers, scholars, and members of the Wake Forest community: excellence in the education of Wake Forest students, an ongoing contribution to the field of psychology, and service to the University and community.  The Department of Psychology stresses both the commitment to classroom teaching characteristics of the liberal arts college and the commitment to scholarship characteristic of the research university.  Such a dual emphasis is consistent both with the University’s identity as a small comprehensive University and with the faculty’s philosophy that education and science are intimately related ventures, each of which benefits from cross-fertilization by the other.

The Department of Psychology offers graduate work leading to a research-oriented general MS degree, not a clinical or counseling degree.  For those interested in an MA in counseling, please see http://college.wfu.edu/counseling/. The general MS psychology program at Wake Forest is appropriate for students who wish to pursue their education at the Ph.D. level but may not be sure of the area of specialization, who want to strengthen their application for high-quality PhD programs, who wants more individual attention than is typically possible in large PhD programs, and/or want more background in psychology. It is typically the case that our graduate courses transfer to PhD programs, but of course we can’t guarantee this.

The general Master’s program provides a strong basis for selecting a PhD program as well as a strong academic foundation for doctoral work.  Most importantly, it provides considerable research experience – with a high degree of individual attention from graduate faculty. Your personal training would reflect a blend of your interests and the interests of the advisor who you’re paired with.  Please see the faculty web page for details on faculty research interests.  The department has an excellent record of placing graduates in doctoral programs in all major areas of psychology.

The department adopts a mentorship model of graduate education in which students work closely with a faculty advisor during their two years in our program. Typically there is a 2:1 graduate student:faculty ratio that provides the student with individualized attention and, therefore, superior training. Because our program is designed to prepare students for entry into doctoral programs, there is a strong emphasis on research. Students conduct both a first-year research project and a thesis. These projects typically result in conference presentations and/or publications.

Facilities

In Fall of 1999 the department occupied over 30,000 feet of space for offices, classrooms, and labs in Greene Hall, a brand new beautiful and high tech classroom building. Space in Winston Hall was also renovated for animal research. There is generous office and lounge space for students, as well as considerable technology and other resources specific to the needs of the individual labs.

The University

Founded in 1834 in Wake County, North Carolina, Wake Forest College moved 100 miles west in 1956 to its new home in Winston-Salem. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences was established in 1961, one of seven schools comprising Wake Forest University. Two campuses comprise the Graduate School – the Reynolda Campus and the Bowman Gray Campus.

The Reynolda Campus is located on Reynolda Road, on approximately 340 acres in northwestern Winston-Salem. The campus is well known for its open areas accentuated with magnolias, willow oaks, pines, hollies, and ash, as well as a a variety of flowering shrubs and trees. The campus also boasts the Reynolda Gardens annex, the former estate of Richard J. Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolda Tobacco Company, which consists of 150 acres. The Gardens include Reynolda Woods, Reynolda Village, and Reynolda Gardens, providing numerous trails for jogging and hiking, a formal garden, and a lake as well as shops, offices, and restaurants.

There are approximately 3,800 undergraduates and 2200 graduate and professional students currently enrolled in Wake Forest University, representing all states and many foreign countries.

The Community

Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a city remarkable for its history and diverse cultural activities. The Blue Ridge Mountains are two hours west and one hour north of Winston-Salem, and the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean can be reached in four or five hours by car.

Winston-Salem is the home of the North Carolina School of the Arts which provides training and instruction in the performing arts; Old Salem, a restored Moravian community; Salem College; and Winston-Salem State University. The city supports its own symphony, a minor league baseball team, an active Arts Council, and the Little Theatre, and is the site for numerous other theatrical and cultural activities. The Artist’s Series, sponsored by Wake Forest University, presents at least six major concerts at the University each year.

As a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest participates in Division I intercollegiate athletics, which brings major sports events to the campus. Graduate students are eligible for tickets to all University sponsored events in sports, the Artist’s Series, museum activities, plays, lectures, and seminars.