We welcome your interest in the M.A. programs and we hope you will explore our website to learn more about our Program’s goals and curriculum. We encourage you to learn more about our current students and our faculty, or come to East Lansing to tour the MSU campus.
We also invite you to reach out to a student or contact a faculty member with any questions about the M.A. Programs or the admissions process.
Domestic Applicants must complete Steps 1-4. International Applicants must complete Steps 1-6.
Admissions Deadline
Applications for the M.A. programs should be submitted by February 1st. Applications are reviewed only once each year, and students are admitted to the program for the following Fall semester.
Application Process
Consideration is given to the applicant’s previous academic and professional experience. There should be in each applicant’s background a pattern of experience that supports his or her expressed desire to pursue advanced graduate studies in their respective programs. Appropriate evidence of such experience should be reflected in the applicant’s letters of recommendation.
Complete the University Application, providing contact information for three recommenders, uploading your CV/resume (list professional experience, awards, honors, publications, presentations, professional affiliations, and professional development activities), requesting your official transcripts, and submitting the application with payment. After this step, you will be able to add any additional student-generated application materials.
- These transcripts must be sent directly from the institution; please contact the Registrar’s Office at the institutions you attended for the appropriate procedures and fee information. Have the transcripts sent directly to the corresponding Graduate Admissions Representative.
- International Applicants: Submit original or attested copies of all transcripts, diplomas, mark sheets, and certificates from all secondary schools and colleges attended and official English translations if original or attested documents are not in English.
- Applicants who attended Chinese Universities: Transcripts from any postsecondary program(s) attended, in Chinese and English, or just English (as issued). One official copy of each degree diploma earned. Alternatively, applicants may send electronic CSSD/CHESICC verification reports of 1) their postsecondary transcripts and 2) degree certificate(s). The CSSD/CHESICC reports may be sent directly to MSU’s Office of Admission electronically via Parchment through the CSSD/CHESICC website: https://www.chsi.com.cn/.
- The graduate program application allows you to add required materials, supplemental documents, check the status of your application, and receive messages. Create a Log In with an email and password to begin the application process and monitor your application status.
- Upload your Professional & Scholarly Goal Statement. (Please see the description of content and formatting of this statement).
- Optional Writing Sample: You may submit an example of academic or professional writing, e.g., something that you have published, a master’s thesis, or a paper you might have submitted to fulfill graduate course requirements. You must have authored the sample exclusively. The purpose is to demonstrate your ability to write analytical English prose in order to give the review committee a clear idea of how well you will be able to carry out the kind of analytical writing that is such a central component of advanced graduate study. Samples whose content is close to the applicant’s stated interest are most useful.
Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit proof of proficiency in the English language as a condition for regular admission to MSU. Review details regarding proficiency testing and minimum scores required by the University.
The verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the GRE can be submitted with official test results reported to institution code 1465.
If an offer of admission is received, international applicants are required to submit an Affidavit of Support and financial proof and a copy of their passport. This statement, which is found on the Grad School’s website, must originate from your source of support and must be a certified, original statement with stamp and original signature.
Have questions? Check out the FAQ’s listed on each CEPSE graduate program’s website. Also, the Program Admission Representative for each graduate program can answer questions related to the submission of your materials. Note that all admissions decisions are made by the CEPSE faculty.
