Announcements:
Application deadline is February 1^st

Application Overview

This section provides a brief overview of the admissions process, with links to detailed descriptions of program information, admissions requirements and procedures.

1. Review the requirements for program admissions and application procedures found under either Education, Adult, Professional, and Community Education or Education, School Improvement.

2. All application materials are submitted to the Graduate College through the application submission portal, called Apply Texas. To submit your application materials, click Apply Texas.

3. The Ph.D. selection committee screens applications using the published Ph.D. admissions criteria and selects those to be interviewed. All applicants, including those not selected for an interview, will be notified in writing of their status.

General Admission Policies

Minimum Requirements for Admission

Students will be admitted once each year into a cohort that begins in the fall semester. Students in a given cohort (including full-time and part-time students) will enroll together in each core course, and both beginning research courses. Students in a given cohort (including full-time and part-time students) who choose the same concentration will also typically enroll together in each course in the major. The cohort concept will not apply to elective, intermediate research and dissertation courses. Individuals applying to this program should have current or past experience in educational roles, although this experience may encompass a broad range of settings, including schools, colleges and universities, business and industry, government, health and human service agencies, and community-based organizations. 

The Application Process

The following items are submitted directly to the Graduate College.

• Completed Texas State Graduate College application (available online at Graduate College website).
• Official transcripts from each college or university attended, including evidence of a master’s degree from an accredited university. These must be mailed directly to the Graduate College. Transcripts are not necessary if the master’s degree was earned at Texas State.
• An application fee of $40.
• TOEFL score for students from countries where English is not the first language.
• An essay of approximately 500 words that describes the applicant’s background and professional goals including his or her rationale for pursuing a doctoral degree.
• A current resume.
• Three reference forms sealed in envelopes with the reference signature on the outside seal. It is the applicant’s responsibility to distribute the reference forms and return them as part of the application packet. If this method is used letters should be delivered in a envelope signed over the flap. Alternatively, references may be returned directly by the referee.

The Ph.D. Teaching Faculty Committee will consider the following factors in deciding whether to admit an applicant to the program; strengths in one area may offset shortcomings in another:

Evidence of a completed master's degree from an accredited university in an area related to proposed studies, with a grade point average of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale for courses applied to the master's degree.

Demonstration of interest in a career as an educator and potential to contribute to the advancement of education through professional leadership, as indicated by:

Review of an essay of approximately 500 words in length describing the applicant’s background and professional goals. This should include the rationale for pursuing a doctoral degree.

An interview with program faculty.

Review of three reference forms addressing the applicant’s professional and academic background.