Admission of Master's Applicants

• Requirements and Procedures
  • Admission Classifications
    • Regular Admission
    • Qualified Admission
    • Qualified Admission: TOEFL
    • Prerequisite Courses
  • Special Types of Admission
    • Senior Rule Admission
    • Non-Degree Admission
    • Post-baccalaureate Admission
    • Permit to Register
    • Guest Student Admission
    • MIGS Program
    • Renewal of Admission Application
• Change of Status Admission

Master’s Admission Requirements and Procedures

The Graduate Admissions Office and the program or department participate in the admissions process.

Undergraduate degree requirement

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution is required for admission to Graduate School.
   
•  Degrees from international institutions are evaluated by the Graduate Admissions Office for degree and GPA equivalence.

GPA. An minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 is required for Regular admission. Some departments require a higher GPA for admission.

Documents required by the Admissions Office

• Completed online admission application.
   
• Official transcripts (sent directly from the institution to the Graduate Admissions Office) from the higher education institution from which the baccalaureate degree was earned.  (The Office will obtain WSU transcripts.)
   
• Non-refundable application fee of $50 for all applicants.
   
• For international students, Statement of Financial Support.
   
•  Demonstration of proficiency in English by satisfying one of the following criteria:

1. Completion of a baccalaureate degree at an accredited institution in the U.S. or at an institution at which English is the medium of instruction in a country where English is the native language.
2. Achieving a score of at least 550 (paper)/213 (computer-based)/79 (web-based) on the TOEFL, 85 on the MELAB or 6.5 on the IELTS. Programs requiring a higher score should make that information available to applicants.

Application deadlines

• The Graduate Admissions Office processes applications on a rolling basis, but to ensure consideration for a desired term, students should apply by the following deadlines:
   
• For Fall Semester          July 1
• For Winter                        November 1
• For Spring/'Summer      March 15
   
• These are Graduate Admissions processing deadlines. Departments may have different deadlines and these deadlines superscede processing deadlines.

Department requirements

• The graduate admission application is tailored to each department so that departmental requirements for documents, such as test scores, interviews, recommendation letters, etc., are available to the applicant. These requirements must be satisfied to ensure an application is given full consideration.

Admission procedures

• Prospective students complete the admission application online and have their bachelor's degree transcripts sent to the university. International students also submit a Financial Statement and proof of English proficiency. The Graduate Admissions office images and uploads documents that were not submitted electronically to the online application.
   
• The applicant’s departmental admission officer or committee views all admissions materials.
   
• The department makes the admission decision. It should communicate to the applicant that it has recommended admission of the applicant. The official notification of the decision will be sent by the Graduate Admsisions Office.
   
• As a result of the processing by the Graduate Admissions Office, the student will receive registration information and will be able to register for graduate coursework.

Admission validation. The student must register for the term for which s/he was admitted to validate the admission. If the student wishes to begin in a later term, he/she must submit a new online application.

Application status

• Applicants are notified by the admission system as their required documents are received. The applicant can also  logon to his/her application at any time to see what has been received by going to the Application Status Page.

Master’s Admission Classifications

Regular Admission

• The Graduate School requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75. Some departments require a higher GPA.
   
• Additional departmental requirements, such as test scores, appropriateness of academic background, etc., may affect the decision to offer Regular admission.

Qualified Admission

• Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of 2.50 - 2.74 may be granted Qualified admission.
   
• Departments with a Regular admission requirement higher than 2.6 may have a higher requirement for Qualified admission.

Qualified admission policy: TOEFL

• Departments may elect to grant a Qualified graduate admission to academically talented international students whose TOEFL scores fall in the 537 to 549 range. No exceptions will be granted for students with TOEFL scores below 537.
   
• Such students must enroll in appropriate English language courses, as determined by the English Language Institute (ELI), concurrent with a limited number of departmental courses. They must successfully complete the ELI courses within two semesters or they will be discontinued from the university.
   
• Departments selecting to support students admitted under this policy must also pay the tuition for the required ELI courses.

Prerequisite courses

• Applicants who lack certain prerequisite courses but otherwise meet admission criteria may be required to enroll in such courses as a condition for admission.
   
• These courses should be indicated at the time the admission decision is made.
   
• Such prerequisite courses cannot be counted toward fulfillment of graduate degree requirements.

Special Types of Master’s Admission

Senior Rule Admission

• Senior Rule admission allows students in their last undergraduate semester at Wayne State, with a minimum 3.0 upper division GPA, to take a limited number of graduate credits to be used toward a master’s degree.
   
• Students must register for at least one credit that is required for completion of the undergraduate degree, and only those graduate courses taken in excess of baccalaureate degree requirements will be awarded graduate credit.
   
• Undergraduate and graduate courses combined may not exceed 16 credits for the final semester of baccalaureate degree work.
   
• Senior Rule status is available for one semester only.
   
• Students who have completed all required registrations for the baccalaureate are not eligible for Senior Rule Admission.
   
• An Application for Graduate Admission must be approved before registration under Senior Rule. After the baccalaureate is conferred, the student must notify the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services in order to convert the Senior Rule admission to a Regular admission to the master’s program.
   
• Students pay undergraduate fees for all courses elected in this status.

Non-Degree Admission

• Pre-Master’s and Post-Master’s admission is available in this graduate status. For Pre-Master’s Non-Degree admission applicants must submit a Graduate Admission application. For Post-Master’s admission, those applicants who previously have not been regular graduate students at Wayne State must submit a Graduate Admission application; those applicants who have been Wayne State graduate students previously must submit a Graduate Change of Status application. Up to nine graduate credits may be earned in this status.
   
• Applicants must meet Graduate School admission requirements and must hold a baccalaureate degree for a Pre-Master’s admission or hold a master’s degree for Post-Master’s admission.
   
• Admission is to a college or school as a non-degree student. No major can be declared.
   
• Students who later obtain admission to a graduate degree program may apply toward that degree up to nine graduate credits earned in this status.
   
• This status is typically used by students to fulfill prerequisites, make up deficiencies, demonstrate to a department that they are capable of graduate-level work, or by those who wish to enroll for only a few credits.

Post-baccalaureate admission

• This is an undergraduate status.
   
• Applicants should note that credits earned in this status cannot be applied toward a graduate degree.

Permit to register

• A Permit to Register is not an official admission, but it allows a student to enroll for up to nine graduate credits for one semester only.
   
• Requires a completed Graduate Application for Admission and a $50 application fee.
   
• Applicants must request this status from their department; the authorized departmental signatory verifies the applicant has a baccalaureate degree and makes an admission recommendation. If recommended for Permit to Register admission, the Graduate Admissions Office enters the Permit to Register status, which allows the applicant to register for courses for the semester.
   
• This status is most commonly used by students whose regular admission application has not been processed in time for registration. It also can be used by students who plan to take only a course or two.

Guest Student Admission

• Admission as a Graduate Guest Student is not an official admission to a WSU graduate program, but it allows a graduate student from another institution to enroll at WSU for up to 12 credits for ONE semester only. The student must be a degree seeking graduate student in good standing at another accredited institution.
   
• Guest admission requires a completed Graduate Guest Application with verification of student’s status in the home institution and $50 application fee.
   
• The applicant obtains a Graduate Guest Application from the Office of Graduate Admissions and secures certification from his/her home institution that s/he is a graduate student in good standing there. The home institution returns the Guest Application to WSU. The Office of Graduate Admissions approves and notifies the student of the Guest admission.
   
• Guest admission allows students to enroll in courses not available at their home institution or to attend during an off term from the home institution. The credits then may be transferred to the home institution transcript.

WSU students as Guests. WSU students should obtain a Guest application from the desired institution and request the WSU Registrar’s Office to provide certification that they are graduate students in good standing at WSU.

MIGS programs. Michigan Intercollegiate Graduate Study is a special type of Graduate Guest Admission arrangement among several Michigan universities that allows students to earn up to six credits at another institution. All credit earned under a MIGS enrollment will be accepted by the student’s home institution as if offered by that institution. MIGS applications are available from the Graduate Admissions Office.

Renewal of admission application

• An admission offer is made for a specific term, and the student must register for that term, or his/her admission will be cancelled.
   
• If a student wants to begin in a later term than the one for which s/he was admitted, s/he must file a new online application.
   
• If a new application is submitted within one year of the original admission, the student does not have to pay a new application fee or submit new transcripts. After this period, the student must submit a new application, an application fee, and new transcripts.

Change of Status Admission

A Change of Graduate Status is a type of admission only for those students who have previously been admitted to and registered as regular graduate students at WSU. For such students, a Change of Status is used to request 1) to transfer to a different graduate program; or 2) to add a second graduate program.  A department’s normal admission criteria apply to Change of Status applications.

Application forms are  available on the Graduate School website.

• Students should submit the form and transcripts, if needed, to the Graduate Office of the school/college of the new program. Other admission documents required by the department should be submitted directly to the department.
   
• The Graduate Office prepares and sends the Change of Status application and documents to the department for decision. If the department approves the Change of Status, the Graduate Office notifies the Records Office of the change to be made to the student’s record.

Deadline. A department’s normal admission deadlines apply. It may take several weeks to process the Change of Status.

Fees.  None.

Student notification. The college/school Graduate Office notifies the student of the admission decision.

Who should use the Change of Status. Only those students who previously have been admitted and have registered as regular graduate students at WSU.

Who should NOT use the Change of Status

• Students who have never been admitted to a WSU graduate program.
   
• Those who were admitted but did not register.
   
• Those who were admitted on a Permit to Register or as Guest students.
   
• Those who have been registered in graduate classes only as Non Matriculated students through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.