Admission to the educational psychology—special education
Ph.D., M.A., and licensure/M.Ed. programs
Ph.D. and M.A. admission (non-licensure)
Application forms are needed from two sources—the Graduate School
and the Department of Educational Psychology. Once materials are
submitted to the University, they are not returned to applicants
(with the exception of copies of Master’s theses, publications,
etc., for which you have included a stamped, self-addressed return
envelope). This means that should you not be accepted for admission,
transcripts, letters of recommendation, test profiles, and other
materials will not be returned to you. Neither can we favorably act
on requests to copy materials and send them to other institutions or
other programs at the University of Minnesota.
The final application deadline is December 1st to begin the
following fall.
The
Graduate School application
consists of the following items: application for admission (which includes a
short essay), official transcripts from all colleges attended, and an
application fee. The procedure for completing your application to the Graduate
School is described on its application. Please note all of these materials are
to be submitted directly to the Graduate School, not to the department. When the
Graduate School file is complete, it will be forwarded to your particular
program. Since your total application is not complete until the program has
received both the departmental application materials and Graduate School file,
it is very important to allow sufficient time before the deadline for materials
to be processed by the Graduate School. Do not assume that the Graduate School
file is complete until you have received notification from the Graduate School.
Graduate School online
application for admission
Graduate School diversity statement
The procedure for completing the
departmental application to a specific program
is outlined below:
Section I. Personal data
Fill this portion in as completely as possible. Please provide us
with a telephone number where you can be reached during the day as
well as a current e-mail address.
Section II. Graduate major
Check the specific box indicating to which program and for which
degree(s) you are applying. (Also, list educational psychology—(SpEd)
as the major on your Graduate School application form on question
14). If you wish to apply for more than one major program (e.g.,
educational psychology, psychology, education) or for more than one
program within the Department of Educational Psychology, a SEPARATE
Graduate School application must be submitted for EACH field or
program in which you request consideration.
Section III. Education
This section includes information relevant to prior education,
other graduate school applications, and written work. List ALL
post-secondary institutions attended. The departmental application
process requires an OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT from all institutions
listed. (Official transcripts that are stamped with the
institutional seal, signed by the registrar, and sent in a sealed
envelope to the applicant or to the Program and to the Graduate
School are acceptable. Unofficial copies issued to students or
copies of official transcripts are not acceptable.) Programs will
not be responsible for forwarding copies of your transcript(s) to
the Graduate School, nor will the Graduate School notify us if they
have received additional copies of your materials.
Section IV. Related experience and employment history
This section is used to evaluate your work experience and
background.
Section V. Grade point average
Please calculate as semester credits. If your school did not
assign grades, be sure to have evaluations of your work completed
and sent to the Graduate School as well as to the program. This
section MUST be completed by the applicant.
Section VI. Test scores
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (General)
The GRE is
required of ALL applicants for admission and must have been taken within five years of date of application. If a specific test item is viewed as inappropriate due to your background, please contact the program. To make arrangements to take the GRE, contact your nearest college or university counseling/testing center or write the Educational Testing
Service (ETS), Graduate Record Examinations, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton NJ 08541-6000. ETS also may be contacted at (800) 473-2255 or
http://www.gre.org. Have ETS send your scores to BOTH the Graduate School (using institution code 6874) and the appropriate
department/program code
(SpEd-3705). We ask that you send the program a copy of your own score report as soon as you receive it.
The University Counseling and
Consulting Service Testing Center provides test administration, scoring, and
score reporting services to the University and surrounding community. The Computer-Based
Testing Center administers the GRE
General and Writing Tests, the GMAT, PPST, and TOEFL.
GRE security breach
Applicants taking the GRE in China,
(including Hong Kong), Korea, or Taiwan will be required to take the paper-based
GRE General Test due to a security breach in the computer-based test in these
areas.
Applicants who have already taken the computer-based test in these countries
will need to re-take the paper-based test.
The ETS press release and frequently asked questions regarding the security
breach and the paper-based test may be viewed at
www.gre.org.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all
international applicants whose native language is not English, except those who
will have completed 24 quarter credits/16 semester credits (within the past 24
months) in residence as a full-time student at a recognized institution of
higher learning in the United States before entering the University of
Minnesota. The TOEFL must have been taken less than two years from date of
application. This requirement will not be waived. For information about the
TOEFL, write to TOEFL, Box 899, Princeton NJ 08541 USA or http://www.toefl.org. Again, have ETS send your scores to BOTH the Graduate School (using institution code 6874) and the Department of Educational Psychology (code number 09).
Section VII. Course abstract
List courses as indicated in the two sections on the application. Please list
ALL courses requested.
Section VIII. Applicant statement
Your applicant statement must be typed, double spaced, up to three pages in
length, stapled together, and enclosed with your application. The statement is a
very important source of information about who you are and what your goals and
motivations are. It also is an example of your communication skills and
organizational abilities. Take care to answer the questions posed on the
application, but write the statement like an essay. Be sure that your name is on
each page and that you sign your statement.
Section IX. Letters of recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required. Fill in the names of three
endorsers of your choice. On the letter of recommendation forms you received,
fill in the information requested and distribute them to the three people to
write recommendations for you. Be sure that your endorsers are aware of
application deadlines. Make certain to ask that their letters be attached to the
waiver forms and sent to you in sealed envelopes with their signatures across
the seal. Enclose the three sealed envelopes with your program application.
Please note: Education psychology (special education) is not using online
letters of recommendation through Apply Yourself. Please print and fill out this
letter of recommendation form [pdf].
Section X. Full/part-time
Special education admits students for full-time status, but occasionally allows
students to be part-time.
Section XI. Financial aid information
Provide financial aid information as indicated.
Don’t forget to fill out and sign the back of the application!
Please note: Applicants may be asked to present themselves for a personal
interview at the University of Minnesota campus with a faculty member of the
program OR be interviewed on the telephone by a program faculty member at the
applicant’s expense OR be interviewed by an individual designated by the program
in the applicant’s geographical location.
Incomplete files WILL NOT be reviewed. It is the applicant’s
responsibility to check with the program periodically, preferably by e-mail, to
see whether the application is complete and ready for review.
Request department application materials from
sped-adm@umn.edu.
Graduate School diversity statement
Readmission policy for Ph.D. and M.A.
special education programs
Applications for admission
Revised July 2007
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