Ph.D. Program in Clinical-Community Psychology
A University of Alaska Fairbanks Degree Offered in Partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage
 

Application Procedures

To apply to the Ph.D. Program in Clinical-Community Psychology with an Indigenous and Rural Emphasis, use the materials posted on this website. Before your application is complete, the below-listed materials must be received in two identical packets, one sent to the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator AND one sent to the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator (both addresses are listed below).  Students may prepare one original packet and one photocopied packet (except where otherwise noted).

• Graduate Application for Admission

Payment must accompany each Graduate application for admission form retrieved from http://www.uaf.edu/admissions/pdf/grad_app.pdf. The UAF $60 non-refundable application fee should be paid by check, credit card or money order in U.S. funds to the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the Fairbanks packet.  A $60 non-refundable processing charge should be paid by check, credit card or money order in U.S. funds to the University of Alaska Anchorage and placed in the Anchorage application packet. Please do not send cash. One copy of this application form and one payment are to be included in each packet, one of which will be submitted to the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and the other to the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator.  Total application cost is $120.00 (ONE $60.00 check to UAF and ONE $60.00 check to UAA).
 
 

• Program Application Form
  The program application form must be completed legibly.  Include copies of the completed form in both application packets you submit (i.e., one for the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and one for the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator). 
   

• Official Transcripts
  Official transcripts need to be received under separate cover from all institutions attended and degree-awarding since high school.  Request that official transcripts be sent by your prior universities directly to the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and the UAA Ph.D. Coordinator.  If official transcripts are being sent in your application packet, please make sure the envelopes are sealed and have not been opened; otherwise, they are not considered official.
   

• Letter of Intent (see additional guidelines)

A detailed letter of interest and intent following guidelines provided on the Application Form and below. This letter of intent requests information on clinical and/or community experience; research experience; interest in Rural and Indigenous Psychology; and a personal statement describing your professional goals and interests.  Include copies of the Letter of Intent in both application packets you submit (i.e., one for the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and one for the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator). 

• Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)

GRE scores are not required for admission to the Ph.D. Program. However, candidates who believe their GRE scores are more indicative of their potential in the Ph.D. program than their GPA are encouraged to submit them.  If you opt to send us these scores, please include copies of GRE scores in both application packets you submit (i.e., one for the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and one for the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator). 

• Professional Vita

Professional vita, including documentation regarding academic, research, and professional experiences; special projects and activities; and recognitions or honors.  Include copies of your vita in both application packets you submit (i.e., one for the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and one for the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator). 

• Reference Letters (see additional guidelines)

Minimum of three professional references (preferably curriculum or research advisors, major course instructors with whom the students had contact in more than one course, and/or supervisors). Each reference must have been contacted to provide a signed and completed Reference Rating Form and letter of support.  Letters of Support and Reference Rating Forms must be received in a sealed envelope, signed by the reference across the envelope closure.  Be sure to obtain two copies of each signed and sealed letter of support and reference rating forms from your references so that one may be included in each application packet (i.e., one for the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator and one for the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator). 

• Disclosure Form and Criminal Background Check

Students must complete a criminal background check and a disclosure statement. The first national-level criminal background check must be submitted by students invited to a personal interview at least two weeks prior to the interview.  The required criminal background check must be initiated and completed by the student through the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The Ph.D. Program will not accept a copy of a background check performed by another agency.  As obtaining a criminal background check may take 2 to 3 months, it is recommended that students mail in their first request at the same time as submitting the program application. 

To complete a background check through the FBI, students will need to complete the following steps:

• Obtain a properly completed set of fingerprints (there are several places in Anchorage and Fairbanks that do this; in Anchorage, students can go to CAS Tech Fingerprinting and Independent Fingerprinting Consulting, Inc., in Fairbanks, student can go to the Fairbanks Police Department, the North Pole Police Department, or UAF);

• Obtain a certified check or money order for $18.00 made out to the U.S. Treasury (personal checks will not be accepted);

• Obtain a photocopy of a picture ID (e.g., Driver’s license);

• Use the sample letter format to request the criminal background check.  The letter should be typed or copied onto personal stationery with an original signature. 

Mail all of the materials to the following address:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
CJIS Division
Attn:  SCU Mod D – 2
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306

It is important that students do not alter the wording or format of the sample letter, as such alteration may result in delays in the processing of the request. Students can check on the status of their criminal background report by calling (304) 625-3878 or by sending an email to do@leo.gov.  Students are advised that if they do not receive a report back from the FBI two months after having filed the request, they check on the status of the request.   

In addition to completing the criminal background checks, students must complete a disclosure statement.  The disclosure statement must accompany the student’s application to the Ph.D. program and it must disclose all criminal convictions as well as substance abuse and or other social/emotional problems.  Disclosure of this information does not automatically preclude admission.  However, students must have no recent history of impairment due to alcohol or substance abuse which may hamper their ability to complete the program in a professional and ethical manner.  The PhD Admissions Committee will, in its discretion, deny an applicant admission if it finds that the applicant’s history of felony or misdemeanor convictions make the applicant unsuitable for the practice of psychology.  The committee will consider the type, number and recency of any convictions.  Notwithstanding the above, a person who has been convicted of a felony crime against a person within the ten years before the date of application is unfit for admission to the program and will be denied. 

• Course Equivalency Form
  All applicants with a Master’s degree who are applying must complete this form. Course descriptions can be found at http://psyphd.alaska.edu/coursedescriptions.htm.  The information applicants provide on this form will help the admissions committee determine  eligibility for advanced placement and will allow for an estimate of which courses may need to be taken by the applicant. If a candidate is officially admitted to the program, a more thorough examination of course equivalency will be conducted to determine whether specific course requirements have been met.

All application materials must be sent to both the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator AND to the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator as detailed above.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to mail these TWO separate application packets (all originals must be sent to the UAF Ph.D. Program Coordinator; copies of any originals should be sent to the UAA Ph.D. Program Coordinator). 

Application packets must be received by February 1, 2009. There will be no exceptions – incomplete applications and applications received AFTER February 1, 2009 or applications received in only ONE place will NOT be processed!

Addresses:

Physical Address for Cathy Morgan for FedEx:

UAF Psychology Department
314 Cooper Drive, Suite 706
(7th Floor Gruening Building, Suite 706)

Fairbanks, AK 99775

International students must also take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and provide a statement of financial resources. Additional requirements for international applicants may be found at http://www.uaf.edu/admissions/international/index.html

Admissions Reapplication Process:  Applicants who are reapplying to the program will be required to submit an entirely new application.  If there is a specific item that would be difficult to replicate, applicants may request that the original be retrieved from their initial file.

Minimum Admission Requirements

Guidelines for Reference Rating Form and Letter of Support

Guidelines for Letter of Intent