Graduate admission requirements

Graduate admission is selective and meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. The number of students admitted to a particular program is limited to the resources and space available in each program. All applicants for a graduate degree or certificate program must meet minimum University admission requirements as well as departmental requirements. 

University requirements include:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Minimum GPA. For Regular admission, applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher. Applicants who have already earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher; this GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA. For University Conditional admission, applicants must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA between 2.50 and 2.74.
• Copies of transcripts from every college or university attended (except PSU), including junior colleges and community colleges
• Proof of English language proficiency as demonstrated by:
  • Completion of a bachelor's degree, master's degree, or doctoral degree in the U.S., Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the U.K., or;
  • Completion of one of the following exams:
    • International Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), minimum overall score of 80; minimum subscores of 18 in reading and writing
    • International English Testing Systems (IELTS) exam, minimum overall score of 6.5; minimum subscores of 6.5 in reading and writing
    • Pearson Test of English-Academic (PTE), minimum score of 60 overall
  • Tests more than two years old are accepted if the score exceeds the minimum requirement and the applicant has maintained continuous residency in the United States since the exam date
• $65 application fee + $2 processing fee
• Recommendation for admission from the appropriate graduate program's department

In cases when a student does not meet University admission requirements, departments may choose to submit a Graduate Admission - Special Approval Request to the Office of Graduate Studies. This process may only be initiated by a department.

International applicants must also submit:

• Copies of official degree certificates/diplomas
• Certified translation of transcripts and degree certificates/diplomas
• Financial documentation demonstrating adequate financial support for at least the first year of study

Depending on the individual graduate program, additional departmental requirements may include:

• Personal essay or statement of purpose
• Letters of recommendation
• Standardized test scores, e.g. GRE or GMAT
• Resume
• Writing samples
• Portfolio