Admission

Information about our degree programs can be found on the Graduate School home page at http://www.siu.edu/gradschl. For basic information about each program click on "Degree Program Information". This chart will list areas of specialization within each major, departmental application deadlines, degrees offered within each program, applcation fees, and tests required by that department. To access a department's home page, click on the name of the program. For the name of the main secretary for that graduate program, click on "Departmental Contact Information". This is the person you may contact for more information regarding the program and is also the person to whom you must send all application materials.

From the Graduate School home page you can also access the Graduate School catalog. In Chapter Two you will find program and course descriptions. Should you wish to contact a faculty member for more detailed information, please contact llyons@siu.edu or call 618-453-4512 for the name of the Director of Graduate Studies in a particular program.

At SIUC, you may be admitted to the Graduate School by either applying directly to a particular degree program or by applying as a Nondeclared Graduate Student. For either category of enrollment, you may apply online on at https://www.gradapp.siu.edu .

If you are applying to a degree program, please choose your major carefully from the list of programs, as some departments offer more than one degree at the master's level. A copy of the application you submit electronically will be sent to the general admissions office in Woody Hall, and another copy will be sent to the department you are applying to. All other application materials must be submitted to the department - please address them specifically to the person listed under "Departmental Contact Information" at https://www.gradapp.siu.edu/online/complete_listing.htm

You must meet minimum general Graduate School requirements to be eligible to be considered for admission by a department. To be eligible to be considered for admission to a graduate program, the following minimum GPA's are normatlly required:

For admissions to a Master's program:

• 2.7 (on a 4.0 grading scale) on the last two years of your Bachelor's degree
  • If you have completed your Bachelor's degree, we will go back from the degree date 60 graded semester hours, and include the entire term where the 60 hours fall.
  • If you have not yet completed your Bachelor's degree and are missing one semester, (for example a spring semester and possibly and summer term), we will go back 45 graded semester hours and include the entire term where the 45 hours fall.
• 3.0 on all previous graduate work

For admission to a Ph.D. program:

• 3.25 on all previous graduate level course work

Minimum TOEFL score of 550 / 213 / 80 for International Students and some citizens / PR's; some departments require a higher score. English requirement may also be met in some cases with U.S. course work and/or various additional English testing. Contact Lu Lyons in the Graduate School (Woody Hall B103) for details.

When you have met the above minimum general Graduate School requirements, you are eligible to apply to a department. Departments may have additional requirements of their own, which may include a higher minimum GPA.

It is up to the individual department whether or not they require any of the graduate tests, such as the GRE, GMAT or MAT. Free informational booklets on these tests are available in Woody Hall B103.

While the Graduate School in general does not have an application deadline, many departments do. Check with the program you wish to apply to early in the application process to find out what deadlines may exist.

Some departments only admit students for certain semesters; most departments require 3 letters of recommendation.

Some programs require a "Statement of Purpose", a one or two page statement explaining why the student wishes to pursue graduate studies, why they are particularly interested in that major, what they wish to do with their degree, etc..

As of July 1st, 2008, all departments will require a $50 nonrefundable applicaton fee.

Once all of the required materials are submitted, it is up to the individual department to decide whether or not they wish to admit the student. The decision may be made by the Director of Graduate Studies, the Chair, or by committee. They may admit or reject a student for whatever reasons they see fit. You may apply to multiple programs, but must submit separate applications and sets of required paperwork to each program.

If admission is recommended by the department, the paperwork is then sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office for final evaluation and approval, and the formal paperwork is then done. The official admission letter is sent from our office, and will be signed by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

We also have a list of the departments which are approved to admit students via the Direct Entry option and the Accelerated Entry option.

• Direct entry
  If the department wishes, they can choose to admit a student directly from a Bachelor's degree into a Ph.D. program. The student must usually have the GPA on the last two year's of his Bachelor's which is normally required on all graduate work, that is a 3.25.
• Accelerated Entry
  If the department wishes, they may first admit the student as a Master's student, and after one or more semesters they may request that the student be then admitted to the Ph.D. program. The student must have the 3.25 on the course work they have taken at the Master's level.

Also available are several concurrent degree programs. Those established at this time are:

Master of Business Admin/Mass Comm & Media Arts (Telecommunications)
Master of Business Admin/Agribusiness Economics
LAW/Master of Accountancy
LAW/Master of Business Administration
LAW/Master of Public Administration
LAW/Political Science (PhD only - must be Direct Entry)
LAW/Master of Social Work

Application processes vary greatly according to department. For some programs, you may need to apply 8-10 months in advance, while others may admit you in 1-2 months. To be safe, students should apply as early as possible.

Any student not meeting the above minimum GPA requirements may apply initially as a Nondeclared Graduate Student through the Graduate School Admissions Office (Woody B103). Once you have earned at least 12 semester hours of graded graduate course work with a "B" average, you are then eligible to be considered for admission into a department. Admission into this category of enrollment requires only an application, a $40 application fee and proof of a Bachelor's degree. There is no minimum GPA requirement. For more information on this option, see http://www.siu.edu/gradschl/nondeclared.htm

Please note that once you are enrolled as a graduate student, you are required to maintain an overall B average (3.0) in your graduate credit course work to remain in good academic standing.

Graduate Catalogues are available online at http://www.siu.edu/gradschl/catalog.htm

Schedules of Classes are available on the internet at http://registrar.siu.edu/records/schedclass.htm. Copies are available in the Graduate School Registration Office for you to view.

For more information, call 618-536-7791 or email gradschl@siu.edu. The Graduate School Admissions Office is located in Woody Hall B103 on the Carbondale campus.

If you are unable to obtain the information you need, please contact the Supervisor of Graduate Admissions, Ms. Lu Lyons at llyons@siu.edu or 618-453-4512. Thanks for your interest in SIUC!

Questions regarding the Graduate Assistantship\Fellowship Office: Contact gaoffice@siu.edu