Doctoral Admission Requirements

Admission requirements and procedures are described in this section, including admission of students new to Wayne State as well as those who have been graduate students at WSU previously.

Admission of New Doctoral Students

Applicant eligibility requirements
Applicants from institutions outside the United States
Applicants whose baccalaureate GPA is below 3.0
Applicants from non-accredited US institutions

Change of Graduate Status Admission

Application forms
Deadline
Fees
Student notification
Who should use the Change of Graduate Status
Who should NOT use the Change of Graduate Status

Admission of New Doctoral Students

Doctoral students may be granted only Regular admission; Qualified admission is not available for doctoral students.

Applicant eligibility requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from a college or university accredited by a recognized national or regional accrediting agency in the United States. A Master’s degree is required for admission to some Ph.D. programs.
• A GPA of at least 3.0 in the baccalaureate
• An undergraduate major or substantial work in the proposed doctoral major
• Demonstrated ability for graduate studies

Applicants from institutions outside the United States

• The Office of Graduate Enrollment Services will determine degree and GPA equivalency.
• The degree must be from an international institution of recognized standing.
• Proficiency in English must be demonstrated by satisfying one of the following criteria:
  • Complete a baccalaureate degree at an accredited institution in the United States, or at an institution at which English is the medium of instruction in a country where English is the native language; or,
     
  • Achieve an acceptable score on the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB); or,
     
  • Achieve an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Applicants whose baccalaureate GPA is below 3.0

• May be recommended for admission by the Graduate Director if the applicant has subsequently achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better in substantial graduate coursework in his/her proposed doctoral field at an accredited institution in the United State or at an international institution of recognized standing.
   
• All other admission requirements stated above must be met.

Applicants from non-accredited US institutions

• May be recommended for admission at the discretion of the department. Departments should require applicants to provide course descriptions and syllabi to substantiate baccalaureate degree equivalency to those of accredited institutions.
   
• All other admission requirements stated above must be met.
   

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Change of Graduate 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 Graduate Status is used to request 1) to transfer from one graduate program to another graduate program; or 2) to add a second graduate program to the one in which the student is already enrolled. Graduate School and departmental normal admission criteria apply to Change of Graduate Status applications.

Application forms

• Download Change of Status form (PDF)
   
• 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 school/college Graduate Office prepares and sends the Change of Graduate Status application and documents to the department for decision. If the department approves the Change of Graduate Status, the Graduate Office notifies the Records Office of the change to be made to the student’s record.

Deadline

A department’s regular admission deadlines apply.

Fees

None.

Student notification

The college/school Graduate Office notifies the student of the admission decision. For PhD students, the Graduate Office sends the file to the Graduate School.

Who should use the Change of Graduate Status

Only those students who have previously been admitted and have registered as regular graduate students at WSU.

Who should NOT use the Change of Graduate Status

• Students who have never been admitted through the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services.
• 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.

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