Become a fellow of Division 5

Each year Division 5 nominates members of the division for fellow status in the Division. 

Fellow status is an honor for members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in (a) assessment; (b) evaluation, measurement, statistics; or (c) qualitative inquiry. It requires a record of work that has had a national or international impact on the field of psychology beyond a local, state, or regional level.

To be eligible for fellow status, applicants must:

• Have a record of work that has had a national or international impact beyond a local, state, or regional level.
• Hold a doctoral degree from an accredited institution, acquired at least five years previously. 
• Have completed a dissertation that, at least in part, contributed to the field of psychology. 
• Be a member of APA for at least one year.
• Be a member of Division 5 for at least one year.

There are two routes for becoming a fellow of Division 5, depending on whether the applicant is already a fellow of APA.

• An initial fellow is someone who is not yet an APA fellow.
• A current fellow is someone who is already an APA fellow and is now applying for to become a fellow of Division 5.

Applications for initial fellow status must include:

• A current curriculum vitae (CV)
• Letters of recommendation from three endorsers who are fellows of Division 5
• A self-statement (see below)

All materials for initial fellows must submitted online through APA’s Fellows Portal. The Division 5 Fellows Committee will review the documentation from the completed applications and submit those meeting the qualifications to APA’s Fellows Committee for consideration.

Current fellows seeking to become Division 5 fellows should submit 

• a current curriculum vitae (CV); and
• a self-statement (see below).

All materials for current fellows must submitted directly to the chair of the Fellows Committee.

In the self-statements, applicants should indicate their section of interest within Division 5 and describe how their scholarship, service, and practice have contributed to the field represented by that section. Additionally, applications for the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (SQIP) section, the self-statement should demonstrate how one's work contributed significantly to the development or refinement of qualitative methods and/or methodology in psychology.

APA determines the timeline for initial fellows. In the past, the Fellows Portal has typically opened in September and the materials have been due in January.

The materials for current fellows are due by June 1.

All decisions about fellow status will be announced after the APA Council of Representatives meets in mid-summer or fall. Approved fellows will begin their new status on January 1 of the following year.