Department of Psychology

Psychology Graduate Program (PhD, MA)

Program Overview

Launched in 2007, Ryerson University's innovative graduate program in Psychology offers students the opportunity to study in the fields of Psychological Science or Clinical Psychology, with a curriculum that is anchored in real-world issues. Trained at and recruited from top universities in Canada, the United States, and around the world, the core faculty that supports the program brings a leading-edge scientific and clinical training approach to student development.

Based in a department known for its experiential and career-focused learning, the graduate program takes advantage of its downtown Toronto location that includes a proximity to major sites for practicum training and clinical research, and offers students access to world-class training opportunities. The department has developed a new facility that includes more than 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art research labs. The Psychology Research and Training Centre (PRTC) was built from the ground up, and was designed to meet the specialized research needs of the department. The PRTC is within walking distance of leading research hospitals including St. Michael's Hospital, the Hospital for Sick Children, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto Rehab Institute, and the University Health Network--therefore, it is ideally situated for linking research and practice.

In addition to wide-ranging opportunities for clinical placements in the Greater Toronto Area, in 2010 we partnered with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at St. Michael's Hospital to establish a Clinical Psychology Training Clinic, which provides clinical psychology students with opportunities for clinical research and training in a primary care setting just a few doors down from the PRTC on Bond Street.

Program Highlights

The graduate program in Psychology offers the following:

1. Advanced training in psychological science designed to foster excellence in basic, applied, and translational research.
2. Scientist-practitioner training in clinical psychology designed to meet the rigorous standards for national accreditation set by the Canadian Psychological Association (pending application and approval).
3. Opportunities to contribute to the advancement of knowledge by conducting and publishing independent and collaborative research aimed both at advancing theory and solving real-world problems.
4. Excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary research training.
5. Innovative practica in both the Psychological Science and Clinical Psychology fields, which foster relationships among the community, university, health-care field and in business/industry.
6. Preparation for careers as experimental and clinical scientists (in university, hospital, industry and other settings), consultants, and a variety of other professional roles.
7. Preparation for postdoctoral fellowships and careers in academia, health care, and industry.

The MA and PhD Psychology programs are offered full time only. The School of Graduate Studies minimum residency requirement for the MA and PhD programs in psychology is six academic terms (for each program); note that each academic year is three terms. Continuous enrollment throughout the residency period is required.

For more details about admission to our program, please see our Graduate Admissions information webpages. Please see the Ryerson University Yeates School of Graduate Studies website for official policies and procedures governing graduate programs, and for official Graduate Calendars.