Application and Admissions Information
Application
Applications are due January 1. Applications received by January 15 will be considered for the Doctoral Merit Fellowship. The Online Application system opens August 1 each year to accept applications for the following year.
Admissions Procedures
Admissions Assessment Center
The Ph.D. admissions committee screens applications using the Ph.D. Admissions Criteria and thereafter selects those to be invited to participate in an Admissions Assessment Center. All applicants, including those not selected to participate in the Assessment Center, will be notified in writing of their status. The Ph.D. Assessment Center will occur in February or March in person or online and will take place over the course of a half-day, generally on a Friday. Applicants selected to participate in the assessment center will be notified via email at least two weeks prior to the Assessment Center date, to make necessary arrangements to attend. Additional details regarding the format and expectations related to the Assessment Center are sent out to those students who have been invited and confirm their attendance.
General Admission Policies
The requirements set forth on the following pages are the minimum for admission to the Graduate College at the doctoral level. Meeting these requirements does not necessarily ensure acceptance into a doctoral program. Applicants must receive departmental recommendation for admission after the application files are completed in The Graduate College. The Dean of the Graduate College grants final admission approval. The university reserves the right to deny admission to any prospective or former students who have criminal records, including any conviction of a felony, offenses involving moral turpitude, or other offenses of a serious nature.
Minimum Requirements for Admission
Students will be admitted once each year into a cohort that begins in the fall semester. Students in a given cohort (including full-time and part-time students) will enroll together in each core course, and both beginning research courses. Students in a given cohort (including full-time and part-time students) who choose the same concentration will also typically enroll together in each course in the major. The cohort concept will not apply to elective, intermediate research, and dissertation courses. Individuals applying to this program should have current or past experience in educational roles, although this experience may encompass a broad range of settings, including schools, colleges and universities, business and industry, government, health and human service agencies, and community-based organizations.
The Ph.D. in Education & Community Leadership Admissions Committee will consider the following factors in deciding whether to admit an applicant to the program; strengths in one area may offset shortcomings in another:
1. Evidence of a completed master's degree from an accredited university in an area related to proposed studies, with a grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale for courses applied to the master's degree.
2. Demonstration of interest in a career as an educator and potential to contribute to the advancement of education through professional leadership, as indicated by:
- Review of a statement of purpose of approximately 500 words in length describing the applicant’s background and professional goals. This should include the rationale for pursuing a doctoral degree in education and community leadership.
- The Assessment Center process with program faculty.
3. Review of three reference forms, addressing the applicant’s professional and academic background.