Master of Arts in Education

Application Deadlines

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.  To make sure there is time to review and process your application, all materials should be submitted:

Early December for Spring Semester (classes begin in early January)
Mid-June for Summer Semester c(lasses begin in mid-May)
Early August for Fall Semester (classes begin in late August)

If you are applying for Spring 2025 but are unable to select it as an option in the application, please email us at onlineed@msu.edu.

You can expect to receive an admissions decision within two weeks of completing your application.

Basic Requirements to be Considered for Admission

All application materials are reviewed by a committee of faculty members who look for evidence of preparation for advanced professional study at the master’s level and the likelihood of academic success, as indicated by an applicant’s educational record, work experience, statement of professional goals, and letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic and professional experience and potential. 

• All applicants must possess a U.S. bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 overall grade point average. Exceptions may be made for applicants with GPAs below 3.0 who demonstrate a high likelihood for success in a graduate degree program in their supplemental application materials. Applicants may contact John Olle (ollejohn@msu.edu) with questions.
• The GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is not required for application but may be used as supporting materials if available.
• All international applicants and applicants whose first language is not English must be proficient in English as a condition for regular admission to MSU. Such applicants will be required to demonstrate their proficiency by meeting certain minimum standards. See Multilingual and International Applicants below for more information.
• Students whose resident address is in Kentucky are not eligible to apply to the MAED. 

Required Application Materials

To complete your university application, you will need to provide the following information and materials:

Letters of Recommendation

In the application portal, provide contact information for three persons who are familiar with your academic and professional accomplishments and potential for success. The portal will then send out recommendation requests to the people you listed. The requests come from admissions@admissions.msu.edu. It is strongly recommended that one letter is from a current or past professor, academic advisor, or field instructor. If possible, the other two letters should be from current or past supervisors. Letters from friends or colleagues will not be considered. The letters must be current and specifically for the MAED. Letters previously used for other purposes cannot be accepted.

Vita or Resume

Be sure to submit this as a PDF. You may find this Resume Writing Checklist from MSU’s Career Services Network helpful, along with sample templates for candidates who work in education.

Professional Goal Statement

Be sure to submit this as a PDF. The statement should not exceed 750 words (but no less than 500 words). The professional goal statement should explain the following:

• Your professional goals and how you believe pursuing this master’s degree will help you achieve them.
• Your choice of primary concentration area. Please provide a rationale for your choice.
• Finally, while no prior experience with online learning is required for admission, you should explain how this format fits your goals and characteristics as a learner.
• Note: Be sure to save your professional goals statement electronically for later use in ED 870, the Capstone course for the program.

Have questions about the Professional Goal Statement? In this video (view via MediaSpace), former MAED Program Director Dr. Stephanie Jennings outlines the required application materials, with a specific focus on the Professional Goal Statement. (View the presentation slides via PDF.)

Official Transcripts

Request the registrar of each college or university attended to send one copy of each official transcript. We cannot accept transcripts sent by applicants. Colleges and universities generally require both fees and time to process requests for transcripts. To be considered “official” the transcripts must have a university seal or notarization mark and be sent directly by the institution electronically to onlineed@msu.edu or to the following address:
Master of Arts in Education
Michigan State University
Erickson Hall
620 Farm Lane, Room 145
East Lansing, MI 48824

• MSU will not accept electronic transcripts issued by international universities. If you are applying from an institution outside of the U.S., please have your official transcripts sent via postal mail to the address listed above. Find more details in Information for International Applicants below.
• MSU alumni do not need to formally request official MSU transcripts. Enter your MSU degree information as requested in the application portal and upload unofficial transcripts (which you can access through student.msu.edu). Admissions will later mark the transcript requirement as waived.

Application Fee

The application fee ($65 for domestic applicants of $75 for international applicants) is paid within MSU’s applicant portal. Want to know about tuition? Visit the MAED Tuition & Financial Aid page.

How to Apply

Complete your application on MSU’s application management system. Follow the steps listed below:

• Create account and login.
• Start New Application: Select Graduate from dropdown menu and Create Application.
• Provide Personal Background information.
• Under Other Information, select the first semester you wish to enroll in classes. To select Major Preference, scroll to the College of Education and select Education (Online Program) (Masters). Provide additional details about Enrollment Information, Communications preferences, and Financial Aid. It is not necessary to include the Personal or Academic Statement as requested in Other Information. Providing information on your experiences in the COVID-19 section is optional. Provide responses to Conduct Questions and Other from the dropdown menus and in text boxes where appropriate.
• Include all Academic History information. To begin, click on Add Institution.
• Test Scores: The GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is not required. All international applicants and applicants whose first language is not English must be able to be proficient in English as a condition for regular admission to MSU. Such applicants will be required to demonstrate their proficiency by meeting certain minimum standards. See Multilingual and International Applicants below for more information.
• Employment/Activities Page: Leave blank.
• References: Using Add Recommender, provide contact information for three people who are familiar with your academic and professional accomplishments and potential for success. The portal will then send out recommendation requests to the people you listed. The requests come from admissions@admissions.msu.edu. It is strongly recommended that one letter is from a current or past professor, academic advisor, or field instructor. If possible, the other two letters should be from current or past supervisors. Letters from friends or colleagues will not be considered. The letters must be current and specifically for the MAED. Letters previously used for other purposes cannot be accepted.
• Provide your Signature electronically by typing in your full legal name, then select Confirm.
• The Review section will provide you with a list of potential errors if a section has not been completed. Please return to those sections and make the appropriate corrections before finalizing the application and submitting your payment.
• Once you have finalized your application, you will complete the payment ($65 for domestic applicants of $75 for international applicants). Want to know about MAED tuition? Visit the Tuition & Financial Aid page.

Once you have finalized your application, you will receive a confirmation email. You can then login to the application portal to upload and track your application materials. If you cannot submit the required materials in PDF format or have any questions, please contact the MAED Admissions Coordinator at onlineed@msu.edu and (517) 355-1825.

1. Add the following documents in the application portal (see Required Application Material above for more information):
   • Resume or Vita
   • Professional Goal Statement
2. Request the registrar of each college or university attended to send one copy of each official transcript. We cannot accept transcripts sent by applicants. Transcripts of work taken at MSU need not be requested. Colleges and universities generally require both fees and time to process requests for transcripts. To be considered “official” the transcripts must have a university seal or notarization mark and be sent directly by the institution electronically to onlineed@msu.edu or to the following address:

Master of Arts in Education
Michigan State University
Erickson Hall
620 Farm Lane, Room 145
East Lansing, MI 48824

Optional Supporting Materials

You should know that we expect to learn much about you from the required application materials. However, if you wish, you may submit up to two additional pieces of evidence that you believe will help the admissions committee understand your unique strengths or promise as a graduate student in this program. Official test scores must be requested and sent directly from the testing agency to the Admissions Coordinator. Examples of additional materials include:

• Recent Graduate Record Examination scores
• Sample of expository or creative writing, or visual artifact which conveys something important about you
• Example of your prior work in educational technology (e.g., website)

Information for Multilingual and International Applicants

MAED courses are offered in a fully online format. Therefore residency in the US is not required to complete this program. If you are an international applicant interested in the program, please note that the MAED program does not fulfill the academic requirements to apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa.

All international applicants and applicants whose first language is not English must be proficient in English as a condition for regular admission to MSU. Such applicants will be required to demonstrate their proficiency by meeting certain minimum standards. Find the most up-to-date information on accepted English language tests for international students on The Graduate School’s website.

English language tests must have been taken within two years of a student’s application. Achieving an acceptable score on one of the tests does not, by itself, guarantee an applicant’s admission to the program.

Applicants should have all test scores sent directly from the testing agency electronically or to:

Office of Admissions
Michigan State University
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
East Lansing, MI 48824

International transcripts must be submitted as official documents directly from each post-secondary institution. In most cases, these documents will need to be sent in official, sealed, issuing institution envelopes. Records must show courses taken, grades earned, and must be translated into English if the original records are in another language. Translations must be done by the issuing institution, a certified translator in the country of study, or by an American Translator’s Association certified translator in the US. The original record should be also included. See information on the Academic Programs website.