Education Policy Ph.D.

Applications completed after the December 1 deadline will still be reviewed by the admissions committee at other times during the year. Because the program is small and only a limited number of the most qualified applicants can be admitted each year, late applicants are at a competitive disadvantage.

Eligible Applicants & Application Evaluation (Statement and Criteria)

Persons who hold degrees from a variety of disciplines may apply for admission to the doctoral program. Applicants with limited backgrounds in education or the underlying policy disciplines of political science, sociology, history, and economics, however, might be required to complete collateral work. Applicants must submit a sample of scholarly writing, official transcripts from all institutions attended, all Graduate Record General Examination (GRE) scores and three letters of recommendation.

A committee of faculty members reviews each application. The review committee considers the following factors in assessing applicants:

The committee may recommend acceptance or denial of admission to the program, or it may recommend holding an application and requesting more information. If the decision is to admit the applicant, the program coordinator assigns a temporary faculty advisor. Applicants are notified of the department’s decision by mail and/or e-mail as soon as possible after the review.

NOTE: Some applications may be held in a waiting cue, pending student acceptance of initial admissions offers. Notification to students in the cue will come at a later date.

Required Application Materials

International applicants – please read the International Applicant section below before submitting application materials as described here.

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1. University Application Form and Fee

The first step to applying to Michigan State University and your desired graduate program is to complete the University’s Graduate School application (with payment). For applicants seeking admissions to the Education Policy Ph.D. Program at MSU, you must apply online through the Graduate School. The MSU program code number for the Ph.D. program in Education Policy is 6777. The application fee (payable in U.S. dollars) is $65 for domestic and $75 for international applicants. Applicants must pay the application fee or request a fee waiver, by the application deadline, in order to be considered for admission and funding. The Graduate School’s Admissions webpages also include considerable information about related issues at the university.

Note: Please do not insert your Personal Statement or Academic Statement on the University application before submitting your application. You will be invited to upload your Statement of Professional Goals as explained below under the Graduate Education Application Portal.

2. Graduate Education Application Portal

After you have completed the University Application and paid your Application fee, you will be sent an e-mail inviting you to complete the program’s supplemental application through the Graduate Education Application Portal. The e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address you listed on your University graduate school application. To log-in you will need your Applicant ID number and the password you created during the application process. The Portal will serve as an electronic depository for your student- and recommender-generated application materials.

Logging into your unique portal will allow you to monitor your application materials. Follow the instructions below for content, formatting, and submission protocol for supplemental application documents. Ignore the information about what stage your application is in. Application review begins in late November and continues into the new year. Notification to those being recommended for admission go out as soon as the initial review process is complete.

Current Resume/Vita

Applicants should use the format of the Ed Policy sample resume/vita.

Please name this document with your Last Name and either Resume or CV. If you have a common last name, please include your first initial after your last name.

Statement of Professional Goals (Goal Statement)

From an autobiographical perspective, applicants should discuss their reasons for pursuing a doctoral degree in Education Policy. This statement is a very important part of the file for the review committee. Candidates should present a thoughtful and extended written portrait, approximately two pages long, single-spaced, of their reasons for pursuing advanced graduate study, the match between their goals and the program’s characteristics, and the major issues of scholarly and professional interest that they wish to explore during their graduate career. It is important to mention shared interests with specific MSU Education Policy faculty members. Applicants should respond to the following questions:

  1. How have my experiences and intellectual growth shaped questions that an advanced graduate program might help me to explore?
  2. What sorts of academic and professional leadership roles would the program and degree help me to assume?
  3. What obstacles to educational achievement for professional growth have I overcome?

Please name this document with your Last Name and the words Goal Statement. Your Goal Statement needs to be uploaded in the Graduate Education Portal by selecting “Goal Statement” from the drop-down list.

Writing Sample

Applicants submit one or more examples of academic or professional writing, e.g., something that they have published, a master’s thesis, or a paper they might have submitted to fulfill course requirements. The applicant must have authored at least one sample exclusively. The purpose is to demonstrate the candidate’s ability to write analytical English prose in order to give the review committee a clear idea of how well the candidate will be able to carry out the kind of analytical writing that is a central component of advanced graduate study. It may be a good idea to submit several such papers. International students in particular need to see this sample as a way to demonstrate their command of English. Toward this end, a translated abstract of a master’s thesis is of no help. If a student does not have an appropriate extended piece of analytical prose in English that can be submitted along with the application, the program coordinator will be glad to work out a paper topic with the student so that he or she can write an original piece for this purpose.

Copies of the writing sample(s) should be uploaded through the Portal and named with Last Name then the words Writing Sample. If applicant submits more than one writing sample, they each should be numbered (i.e. Smith_Writing Sample 1 and Smith_Writing Sample 2). Select Writing Sample from the drop-down menu for each sample uploaded.

Letters of Recommendation

By clicking on the “Letters of Recommendation” tab in the Graduate Education Application Portal, you can add your recommenders’ information. You will be asked to waive or not waive access to the letters of recommendation you solicit. If you do not waive your access, it is likely that your letter of recommendation will have little impact on your evaluation for the program.

Applicants must solicit three recommenders, who will each submit a recommendation letter and answer some program specific questions attesting to the applicant’s academic ability or their professional qualifications — e.g., professors with whom courses were taken, a master’s degree advisor, or a professional supervisor. When an applicant adds the required information about each recommender, the system will automatically send a link through e-mail (from the admis@msu.edu e-mail address) where the recommender can evaluate the candidate and submit a letter of recommendation. As a result, it is most helpful to solicit recommendations from individuals who best know the applicant’s academic and professional skills. Letters from instructors who taught the candidate at the master’s or undergraduate level are particularly effective for this purpose, while letters from workplace supervisors may be less so.

The purpose of these letters is to show the review committee the qualities the applicant could bring to the program that are likely to make him or her successful in advanced graduate study. In addition to the letter of recommendation, the recommender will be asked to assess the probability of your success in meeting the programs standards in a variety of areas, including for example, oral and written expression, likelihood of scholarly and professional achievement, through supplemental questions asked when the recommender follows the link they are sent.

Applicants need to be prepared to enter the following information into the Portal for each of their three recommendation writers:

First Name
Last Name
E-mail address

Please be certain that you have a mutual agreement and understanding with your Recommenders prior to submitting their information into the system. You are responsible for ensuring that three recommendation letters are submitted on your behalf. The Graduate Education Application Portal will keep you apprised of the status of your requests for letters of recommendation. You may need to follow up with your recommenders regarding missing letters to complete your application. If they do not recall receiving an e-mail, have them search for a message from admis@msu.edu. Request the letters early in the application process.

Unique Materials

Any additional materials that you deem relevant to your application need to be uploaded to the Portal by clicking the “Upload File” text link and selecting “Supplemental Application” from the “Select Document Type” drop-down menu. If you have a question about whether to include a document not listed, contact edpolicy@msu.edu.

3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Applicants need to submit their official results of the GRE General Test (taken within the past five years). Official test results need to be sent to institution code 1465. It is best to select MSU at the time you take the exam; otherwise there may be a fee to have your scores sent. GRE scheduling is quite convenient and results are immediate, when taken on the computer. You can explore the GRE website for testing and scheduling information. To expedite the application process, particularly if the application deadline is drawing near, upload a copy of your student issued results (must include raw scores and percentiles for all 3 tests) to the Portal as a supplemental item.

NOTE: The Graduate Education Application Portal will display a date when MSU receives your official scores.

3. Transcripts

Applicants must have one copy of their official transcripts sent directly from all universities attended, except MSU. Transcripts can arrive in two official ways: 1) as a sealed envelope directly from your institution or 2) as an e-mail from the institutions registrar’s office (for domestic applicants only). If you request electronic transcripts, they need to be sent to edpolicy@msu.edu. Hard copies need to be mailed to the Education Policy Ph.D. Program Secretary, 620 Farm Lane, Room 205 Erickson Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. If obtaining an official copy will delay review of your application materials beyond December 1, an unofficial copy of your transcript(s) may be uploaded into the Portal to be used for consideration only. Official copies must also be received by the Office of Admissions, if you are recommended for admission.

If you are currently working on a degree at an institution other than MSU, and you are selected for admission to our program, once your degree has conferred, you must provide the Office of Admissions an official transcript showing that your degree was conferred. Please have your official transcript, showing your conferred degree, mailed directly to the Office of Admissions, Michigan State University, Hannah Administration Building, 426 Auditorium Road, Room 250, East Lansing, Michigan 48824.

NOTE: All applicants pursuing or who have earned degrees from universities in China must follow the procedure listed below for International applicants, when submitting transcripts.

International Applicants

The application process for international students is slightly different. International applicants must apply online and use the International application found on the MSU Graduate School website. Your application fee of $75 (U.S. Dollars) should be paid by credit card. If you must submit payment in the form of a check or money order please make it payable to Michigan State University and mail it to the Office of Admission, Michigan State University, Hannah Administration Building, 426 Auditorium Road, Room 250, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-2604, U.S.A. Be sure to reference your application ID number on the check or money order. Checks drawn outside the U.S. must be payable in U.S. funds through a U.S. bank. Checks drawn on foreign banks that do not have a correspondent U.S. bank may be returned. Do not send cash or international coupons. Paying by check may delay access to the Portal.

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Statement of Financial Proof/Affidavit of Support and Bank Statements

As part of the International application process, applicants need to fill out a Statement of Financial Proof/Affidavit of Support form and upload a bank statement(s) showing adequate funds (refer to the Statement of Financial Proof for current requirements). The statement, which is found on the Grad School’s Application page under Financial Proof, must originate from your source of support and must be an original statement with stamp and original signature. You will need to upload both your bank statement(s) and Affidavit of Support into the Graduate Education Application Portal.

English Proficiency Proof

Applicants for whom English is not their primary language are required to submit English language competency scores. The test date must be taken within two years of the first day of classes for the semester the applicant wishes to start. You can check the University calendar to see what date classes begin. The university’s minimum required scores can be found on the Graduate School’s English Language Competency page. Our program expects applicant scores to be higher than the university’s minimum requirements. Our program will assess all section scores when reviewing applicants for admission. No international candidates will be considered for admission review until they have taken an University accepted test and achieved the required scores or higher. Some international candidates ask to be admitted provisionally, with the idea that they will take courses in English after arriving on campus. The program will not accept students on this basis. We require that international candidates demonstrate adequate skill in English before being admitted to the program. Results must be sent electronically directly from the testing agency (i.e. ETS). Michigan State’s school code is 1465. To expedite application review, unofficial scores can be uploaded into the Graduate Education Application Portal. Unofficial scores cannot be used for admission, only application review.

If the applicant has completed a degree program in an English speaking country, they must check to see if the country is listed as approved using the link above. Applicants who attend an U.S. institution for their bachelor’s degree or who attended an AAU institution in the U.S. for their master’s degree, are granted an automatic waiver of the test. Applicants who do not meet automatic waiver criteria, can request a waiver of the English Language test requirement. Information on how to request a waiver is available on that same page. If the program admissions committee is convinced of the student’s English language skills based on past program completion and other evidence, it can ask the university to waive the requirement. Contact the program to arrange a conversation with the Education Policy Program Coordinator, so they may assess you language skills by emailing edpolicy@msu.edu. This waiver is usually granted, but the university may require the student take the English proficiency test upon arrival at MSU.

Transcript Requirements

International graduate applicants must request official copies of all academic records (transcripts and diplomas/degree certificates) obtained for all postsecondary educational experiences. Transcripts must indicate the degree awarded/conferred, as well as the date of the award.

Transcripts from Chinese Institutions

All applicants who are pursuing or have conferred undergraduate or graduate degrees from universities in China may submit transcripts (in sealed envelopes directly from the university) to be used for admission consideration. Please have them mailed to the address listed in the summary section below. If the program recommends the applicant for admission, the applicant will be required to send all official transcripts and certificates, pursuant to University policy (found here), following arrival at Michigan State University.

Special Information

Sources of Information for International Students

If you have questions about how to fill out the international application, you can reference the MSU Office of Admissions – Graduate Admission website or contact them in one of the ways available on their website’s Contact Information page.

The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) is able to assist with the following items:

International students now go back up to the Required Application Materials section above and submit their remaining application materials in accordance with the instructions listed.

Summary of Application Process

  1. Apply Online (with payment)
  2. Submit the following items into the Graduate Education Applicant Portal (supplemental application system):
    1. Resume/Vita
    2. Statement of Professional Goals (uploaded as “Goal Statement”)
    3. Writing Sample(s) – minimum 1
    4. 3 Letters of Reference (submitted directly from the recommender through the portal)
    5. Unique materials (submitted as “Supplemental Application” through the portal)
    6. For International Applicants Only:
      1. Statement of Financial Proof/Affidavit of Support
      2. Official Bank Statement
      1. Domestic and International Official Transcript(s), directly from the institution(s).
      1. GRE results
      2. English Language Proficiency test results (International applicants only)
      1. GRE scores
      2. English Language Proficiency test scores (international applicants only)
      3. Unofficial transcripts