Graduate Education Office

Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy

Applying for Admission

Recommendations on admission are made to the Graduate Dean by a faculty admissions committee in the applicant’s anticipated area of study. Faculty admissions committees consider applicants on the basis of the application packet and a personal interview.

Admission to the doctoral programs is competitive. Consequently, not all applicants will be admitted, due to factors such as a lack of space, faculty resources, or program offerings. Applicants should focus on making the strongest application possible, rather than meeting the minimum requirement.

As an applicant, you should submit the following:

1. An application for admission to the Graduate School.
2. Transcripts of all previous college work. Admission committees will give strong consideration to applicants with above average academic records, especially a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or a 3.5 graduate GPA.
3. Graduate Record Examination General Test scores. Admission committees will give strong consideration to applicants who score at or above the mean for the applicant’s major field, gender, and ethnicity.
4. Three letters of support (forms are supplied with the application form), with at least two letters from individuals with earned doctorates, especially previous instructors. Admission committees look for recommendations of your leadership potential, your research potential, and the likelihood of achieving success in your doctoral studies. You should make your writers aware of the purpose of this recommendation and the type of information needed, that is, that they should speak to your ability to complete a doctoral program.
5. A professional resume. Admissions committees look for a minimum of two years of teaching or service experience for those applying to the Ed.D. program. A supervised internship during the first year of the degree program may be substituted.
6. An original, personal statement of at least 300 words describing your anticipated area of study, your reasons for undertaking doctoral work (including career goals), and the strengths and weaknesses in your preparation for doctoral study.

Admission Interview

If the admissions committee judges your written application materials favorably, you will be invited for an interview with the committee. This committee will ascertain your leadership potential, research potential, communication skills, knowledge of the field of interest (literature, authors, theories), educational goals, and commitment to pursue the degree. You may bring a professional portfolio to the interview. You will have an opportunity to ask questions about the program.

The faculty admissions committees make a recommendation to the Graduate Dean regarding admission to the program and the University then informs applicants of the decision. This process takes approximately 3 weeks from the interview. Successful applicants then have the opportunity to accept or reject admission to the program.

Application Deadlines

Once your transcripts and GRE scores arrive at the Graduate Admissions Office, your application packet is assembled and forwarded to the College of Education. On the first of each month, the College will forward completed applications to the appropriate division admissions committee. Completed applications include the resume, statement, and letters of recommendation. Committees are expected to make their recommendation within 6 weeks. Applicants with a preferred starting date should keep this timeline in mind and request their transcripts and letters of support promptly. Admissions committees might not meet regularly over the summer months; applicants wishing to being study in the fall should allow extra time for the admissions process.

{Exception: Applications for the doctoral programs in Counseling are reviewed once per year and must be received by January 15th to be considered in a given year}

• Choosing Between the Ed.D. and Ph.D.
• Choosing a Doctoral Advisor