Applications and Admissions

Application deadline: January 15 (but see timeline far below for additional information)

Graduate Program Application Please note, you will need to establish a login with the graduate school to access,  Link for login is also on the page.

Additional application information: Program Application Requirements 

As an additional source of information, the Graduate School Bulletin provides the most current information on graduate degree programs, graduate certificates, degree requirements, graduate school procedures, and general information regarding the Graduate School itself.

Qualifications

A variety of academic backgrounds can qualify you for admission into the family sciences master's or doctoral program. For example, a previous degree in any social science (e.g., family science, psychology, sociology, communications, gender studies) is viewed favorably in the admissions process. Those from more distant disciplines such as education or health sciences are also considered, but some additional preliminary coursework may be required. Relevant professional work experience is taken into consideration too. If in doubt, contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Hyungsoo Kim (859-257-7742 or hkim3@uky.edu) with any questions or to discuss your qualifications for admission.
 

Master's program. Students must have a bachelor's degree prior to admission into the master's program, and particularly outstanding applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree but not a master's degree may be considered for admission into the doctoral program, upon request. Successful applicants to the master's program in recent years have generally had a minimum 3.4 undergraduate GPA, GRE scores at or above the 50th percentile on the verbal and quantitative sections, and a 4.0 or higher on the analytical portion of the GRE.

Doctoral program. Master's level practitioners, educators, and researchers in the social sciences are best suited for the doctoral program. Previous research experience is desirable, but not required. Although students generally must have a master's degree prior to admission into the doctoral program, particularly outstanding applicants who have earned a bachelor's degree but not a master's degree are occasionally considered for admission into the doctoral program. Successful applicants to the doctoral program in recent years have had a minimum 3.5 GPA on previous graduate level work, GRE scores at or above the 50th percentile on the verbal and quantitative sections, and a 4.5 or higher on the analytical portion of the GRE.

Pre-Admission

The Graduate School permits students to take graduate courses under post-baccalaureate status without admission to a program. Up to 9 credit hours (UK courses and graduate work from other institutions) may be transferred into the master's or doctoral program, if approved by the student's Program Advisory Committee once formally admitted into the program. However, neither post-baccalaureate status nor high grades in graduate courses taken post-baccalaureate guarantees admission to the family sciences graduate program. Apply for post-baccalaureate status online through the Graduate School website.

Admission Timeline

Admissions for all Department of Family Sciences graduate programs are conducted one time each year, with all students beginning in the Fall Semester.

January 15: Deadline to submit applications for full consideration for fall semester of the same calendar year. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. This is the hard deadline for applicants to the master’s (M.S.) program with a Couple and Family Therapy emphasis; however, secondary consideration may be given to late applications for the other master’s program emphasis areas and the doctoral (Ph.D.) program if space and funding remain after applications submitted by January 15 are processed. Speaking of funding, to apply for an assistantship please type a single sentence in a document indicating whether you want to be considered for a half-time (10 hours per week) or full-time (20 hours per week) assistantship, then upload it in the appropriate location while completing the online application (recipients will be selected based on funding availability, the needs of the department, your qualifications, and the overall quality of your application).

mid-March: Notification date of admissions decisions (for those who apply by January 15).

April 15: Deadline to notify the Director of Graduate Studies whether you accept admission and intend to enroll.

Graduate Program Application
Additional application information: Program Application Requirements

If you need financial support, funding opportunities are available.