Prospective Students
Admission Information
A student who has earned a Bachelor's degree or a graduate degree from an accredited college or university is eligible to apply for admissions to the Division of Graduate Studies. All decisions on admission are made without regard to race, sex, creed or ethnic origin. The University is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from females and minority groups. The Division of Graduate Studies should receive the application and application fee.
Regular Admission: Applicants are ordinarily granted regular admission to the Division of Graduate Studies if they have achieved a grade point average of 3.0/4.0 (80% or first class for international students) in the last two years leading to the Bachelor's degree and in the major. The Department may elect to utilize a more stringent GPA requirement for some or all of its degree programs. The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is required for all applicants. A minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based exam) or 237 (computer-based exam) is required of all international students.
Provisional Status: Applicants may be admitted to the Division of Graduate Studies with Provisional status if they do not meet the requirements for Regular admission. The Department may require additional evidence of their qualifications in this case.
International Student Admission: In addition to the Application for Admission to the Division of Graduate Studies, the following must be provided: official transcripts from colleges and universities attended; results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL score); and a statement of financial responsibility (costs to attend ASU exceed $21,000/year).
Departmental financial assistance is not ordinarily offered to international students. International students should not make plans to leave their country until they receive notice of admissions.
Transfer Credit: A maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate credit taken at other institutions may be transferred for credit towards a Master's degree provided the courses are approved by the student's committee. Only courses with an "A" or "B" grade are accepted for transfer credit.
- The Master of Science degree with thesis option requires 30 semester hours of graduate study plus 3 semesters of seminar enrollment.
- The Master of Science degree with non-thesis option requires 33 semester hours of graduate study plus 3 semesters of seminar enrollment.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree: Candidacy to the Ph.D. program is earned by passing the comprehensive examination and presenting a prospectus after obtaining regular or provisional admission. The Master of Science degree may be bypassed. The degree requires 84 semester hours beyond the Bachelor's degree including research and dissertation. An oral defense of the dissertation is required following the completion of the student's research.
Transition Student: A transition program is available for students without undergraduate degrees in the major fields offered by the Department. These students, however, must have a Bachelor of Science degree and will be required to take a suitable number of undergraduate courses to remedy deficiencies in their undergraduate program of study. Graduate degree requirements are the same as above.