Program
Advance your understanding of the human brain and behaviour through graduate studies in psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. The program spans clinical psychology, applied social psychology, culture, human and health development, and cognition and neuroscience, with strong emphasis on research and applied experience. Through research training, practicum opportunities, and interdisciplinary study in select areas, you will develop expertise in research design and real-world applications.
Why study Psychology at USask?
- Accredited Clinical Psychology stream integrates research with professional training for diverse careers.
- Large, collaborative department with extensive faculty expertise and interdisciplinary connections strengthens study opportunities.
- Strong emphasis on research in a wide spectrum of topics, including laboratory and applied projects.
Quick facts
-
Expected length Thesis-based Course-based M.A. 2 years Ph.D. 4 years - Degree requirements
- Class delivery in-person
- Supervisor approval not required to apply
- Deadlines and admission details below
Illuminating understanding of human behaviour
Through impactful research, explore how people think, develop, and interact. Build knowledge that informs communities and contributes to the advancement of psychological research and practice.
Psychology master's and PhD streams
The Department of Psychology and Health Studies offers programs across four streams: a PhD in Clinical Psychology, and MA and PhD programs in Applied Social Psychology, Culture, Health and Human Development, and Cognition and Neuroscience.
Clinical Psychology
The clinical psychology program follows a balanced scientist–practitioner model and is fully accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association. Typically, students begin in the master’s program for one year before transferring into the PhD program.
Students gain practical experience through diverse practicum placements across child, adolescent, adult and family services, as well as community, university, hospital and forensic settings, while benefiting from close working relationships with research supervisors—support that helps most secure their preferred pre-doctoral internships.
International students: due to barriers in securing required clinical pre-doctoral residencies within Canada, the Department of Psychology and Health Studies does not recommend the clinical psychology stream to international students.
Applied Social Psychology
The Applied Social Psychology stream is an innovative area of concentration that integrates theory, research and practice to understand social issues and improve social conditions through program and policy development. Programs are offered at both the master’s and PhD levels.
Students develop skills in basic and applied (field) research, preparing them to work as research and evaluation consultants in a variety of community and organizational settings. In addition to coursework and independent research, students complete supervised practica and internship placements in areas such as health, mental health, education and criminal justice.
Culture, Health and Human Development
The culture and human development stream explores how development unfolds across the lifespan within diverse cultural contexts. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, the program draws on strengths in developmental, social and clinical psychology, as well as cultural and medical anthropology, while offering training in both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Students gain opportunities to conduct research in local and global contexts, preparing them to address complex, real-world issues and pursue careers in research, policy, health and community settings.
Cognition and Neuroscience
The cognition and neuroscience stream is designed for students interested in basic experimental research and theoretical inquiry. Students work closely with research-active faculty, many with national grant funding, across a wide range of topics, including cognitive processes, psycholinguistics, neuropsychology, fMRI, and behavioural and systems neuroscience. With access to state-of-the-art facilities for human research, students gain hands-on experience that prepares them for advanced research and academic careers.
Research supervisors
It is not necessary to find a potential supervisor before you begin an application. The list below though may be helpful to learn about the research interests of our faculty.
| Name | Research areas |
|---|---|
| Brain; Cognition & Neurosciences; Diffusion Tensor Imaging; Mind; attention; cognitive neuroscience; computational modelling; functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; language processing; neuroimaging; perception; reading; semantics | |
| Adolescence; adulthood; development; transition | |
| Applied sociocultural psychology; Cultural and cross-cultural research; Human autonomy; Psychology of immigration and acculturation; Realist research in psychology; Self-determination; Theory of sociocultural models | |
| Language, culture, identity | |
| Child and Adolescent Development; Sports Psychology; adolescent; adulthood; children; eating disorders; expert witness; parenting; sleep disorders; stress | |
| Qualitative research; Illness experience; Disability ; Acquired brain injury ; Academia and mental illness; Parent and young adult coresidence | |
| Child and youth mental health; Indigenous youth; Social determinants of health; Transdiagnostic interventions; Cultural interventions; Substance use and addictions; | |
| Cognition & Neurosciences; EEG; cognitive neuroscience of action and interaction; ensemble music performance; interpersonal coordination; joint action | |
| Motor Processes, Memory & Attention; cognitive; development; education; health; memory; psychology | |
| Child and Adolescent Development; adolescence; childhood; development; friendship; peer acceptance; reading | |
| Antidepressants; depression; discourse analysis; discursive psychology; distress; evidence-based practice; qualitative research; shared decision making; teaching qualitative research in psychology | |
| Attachment theory, health psychology (primarily chronic pain and sleep disturbances), and psychopathology | |
| Cognitive neuroscience; fMRI; migraine; neuroimaging; visual spatial attention | |
| Big Data; Discrimination/Bias; Diversities; Food Security; Genders; Inclusions; Indigenous; Inequalities; Prejudice; Privilege; Psychometrics; Sexual Orientation; Sexuality; Social Class; Social Class Identity; Social Justice; Stereotyping; Technology; Women | |
| Aging; Alzheimer Disease; Dementia; Frontotemporal Dementia; Health; Memory; Neuropsychology; Psychometrics; Rural; Technology; Telemedicine | |
| Adult Forensics; Forensic Psychology; Psychopathology; Sex offender risk assessment and treatment; criminal attitudes; psychopathy; recidivism prediction; risk; sexual deviance; young offenders | |
| Attention; cognition; cognitive neuroscience; eye tracking; multisensory processing; perception; transcranial magnetic stimulation; vision; working memory | |
| Interpersonal violence, Risk assessment, Violence prevention, Missing persons, Community safety technology | |
Tuition and funding
Funding
Apply early to be considered for the maximum number of scholarship opportunities.
Graduate students at USask can receive funding from a variety of sources to support their graduate education.
Student loan forgiveness
Psychologists working in rural areas and populations centres with fewer than 30,000 residents can apply for loan forgiveness—up to $60,000 over five years—toward their federal student loan balance.
Tuition and fees
Thesis or project-based master's program
Graduate students in a thesis or project-based program pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program.
| Term | Canadian students | International students |
|---|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2025 | ||
| January 1 - April 30, 2026 | ||
| May 1 - August 31, 2026 | ||
| Total per academic year |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2025 | Winter 2026 | Spring 2026 | Summer 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $578.45 CAD | $804.73 CAD | $36.75 CAD | $36.75 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
Doctoral program
Doctoral students pay tuition three times a year for as long as they are enrolled in their program. Both international and domestic Ph.D. students pay the same rate.
| Term | |
|---|---|
| September 1 - December 31, 2025 | $1,812.00 CAD |
| January 1 - April 30, 2026 | $1,812.00 CAD |
| May 1 - August 31, 2026 | $1,812.00 CAD |
| Total per academic year | $5,436.00 CAD |
Student fees
In addition to tuition above, students also pay fees for programs like health and dental insurance, a bus pass, and other campus services. The amount you need to pay depends on if you are taking classes full time or part time, and if you are on campus or not. The table below assumes you are on campus full-time.
| Fall 2025 | Winter 2026 | Spring 2026 | Summer 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student fees | $578.45 CAD | $804.73 CAD | $36.75 CAD | $36.75 CAD |
Tuition information is accurate for the current academic year and does not include student fees. For detailed tuition and fees information, visit the official tuition website.
View 2026-2027 tuition and fees rates through the financial planning estimator tool. By June, tuition information on this website will be updated with 2026-2027 tuition and fee information.
Admission requirements
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. 60 credit units)
- A four-year honours degree, or equivalent, from a recognized college or university in an academic discipline relevant to the proposed field of study
- Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English
- Master’s degree, or equivalent, from a recognized university in a relevant academic discipline
- A cumulative weighted average of at least a 70% (USask grade system equivalent) in the last two years of study (i.e. coursework required in master’s program)
Application process and deadlines
Deadlines and important dates
| Stream | Start Term | Application Deadline |
|
Clinical Psychology |
Fall |
December 1 |
|
Applied Social Psychology |
Fall |
January 15 |
|
Culture, Human, and Health Development |
Fall |
January 15 |
| Cognition and Neuroscience |
Fall |
January 15 |
ALL application requirements must be complete by the deadline, including ALL letters of recommendation, English Language Proficiency Test (if required), etc. No exceptions.
Submit an online application
International students - Master's and doctoral students applying for a study permit do not need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL). Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma students, as well as Visiting Research students studying over six months, still need a PAL. Review federal international study permit policies before you apply.
Before beginning your online application, be sure that you have carefully reviewed all program information and admission requirements on this page.
During the application, you'll be asked for:
- Personal information such as your name, address, etc.
- Contact information of your three referees
- For your letters of recommendation, two of your referees must be academic contacts, and the third may be academic or professional
- Your complete academic history from all previous post-secondary institutions
The application takes about 30 minutes to complete. You may save your application and return to it later.
At the end of the application, you will need to pay a non-refundable application fee: $125 for domestic students and $145 for international students. Your application will not be processed until payment is received.
Submit required documents
Once you've submitted your online application, you will have access to upload your required documents, and provide the contact information for your references. To do this, go to the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab in your application.
Preliminary Statement of Marks
- Once you have submitted your application for admission and paid the application fee, you will be required to upload unofficial PDF copies of your academic transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended. This requirement will appear as Preliminary Statement of Marks or Additional Prelim. Statement under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- The uploaded transcript can be an unofficial copy of the transcript issued by the university or college and must include a grading key/legend.
- All pages of a transcript must be uploaded as a single PDF document.
- Uploaded transcripts will be considered unofficial or preliminary. Official copies of your transcripts will be required only for applicants offered admission. This requirement will appear as Post-secondary Transcript under admission requirements on your Application Summary when you check your application status.
- Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified translation.
For students who are required to provide proof of English proficiency:
- Completing a relevant test with the appropriate score is required before the application deadline.
- Tests are valid for 24 months after the testing date and must be valid at the beginning of the student's first term of registration in the graduate program.
- Applicants will be required to upload a PDF copy of any required language test score. Uploaded test scores will be considered unofficial or preliminary.
You may be required to submit the following documents:
-
A statement/letter of intent: a two-to-three page document stating your research and academic interests, related experience, program you are interested in and particular faculty member(s) as your potential supervisor(s).
Contact
Department of Psychology
9 Campus Drive
University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A5
Graduate Chair
Dr. Marla Mickleborough
Email: marla.mick@usask.ca
Graduate Administrator
Joni Morman
Email: psyhlthst.gradprogram@usask.ca
- Department of Psychology
Learn more about the academic unit offering this program - Program and Course Catalogue
To view official admission and program requirements