General Admission Requirements

Applicants for admission to a master's degree program must meet at least two minimal requirements:

1. Possess a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university or have evidence of equivalency if a degree was awarded at a foreign institution of higher education.
2. Demonstrate potential for graduate work, ordinarily by having maintained a "B" average during undergraduate study or previous graduate study.

Additional prerequisite requirements, standards for admission, and evidence of suitability for advanced study are required by particular programs.

Admission Procedures

Students seeking admission should contact the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies and should review carefully the admissions requirements for their particular academic program. Specific details related to the admission into an area of graduate study are also found in the section of the Course Catalog (Adobe PDF file) which describes the individual graduate program.

Full admission refers to acceptance as a matriculated graduate student. Full admission is a formal process which takes approximately two weeks from the time all necessary admission materials have been submitted. Students who do not complete the admission process cannot gain a full admission status to the program.

Students may enroll in course work as non-matriculated students prior to full admission in most programs. However, students are not fully admitted to graduate studies until they receive a formal letter of full acceptance from the graduate program office. Accumulated credit hours completed during the admission process are evaluated at the time of full admission to determine applicability to the degree program being pursued. No more than ten credit hours of advanced standing will be accepted at the time of full admission.

Upon gaining full admission status, students will be subject to all policy and rule changes affecting their degrees which may differ from those in effect when they commenced course work. Students whose overall grade point average at application is less than 3.0, but have met all other admission criteria including prerequisite course work requirements, may be admitted on a provisional basis. A grade of "B" or better must be obtained in two or more graduate courses completed during the period of provisional acceptance to gain full admission.

The admission criteria for all Accelerated Certification for Teaching (ACT) programs are different. Please consult the ACT Web page or the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies at (973) 290-4600 for further information.

Admission Procedures

Students seeking admission to the graduate program must submit a completed application form, an application fee, official undergraduate (and, if applicable, graduate) transcripts, two letters of reference from persons familiar with the student's educational background and/or work performance, and a personal statement of the student's interest in further study.

Generally, a personal interview will be required of all applicants. For out-of-state students, a telephone interview may be substituted. Admission to the graduate program will be determined by the individual program.

Application Deadlines

Application Information for International Students

International students must meet the same graduate addmission requirements that apply to American citizens. International students must have an equivalent four-year bachelor's degree with at least a "B" average on undergraduate course work, as determined by World Education Services (www.wes.org).

An international student may apply for admission at any time during the year. The deadline for submission of application materials is 10 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.

The following documents must be received before admission will be considered:

1. A completed application form with a non-refundable processing fee.
   
   
2. Two letters of recommendation.
   
   
3. Original, official, or attested university records with certified translations if the records are not in English (notarized copies are not acceptable).
   
   For additional information on certified university record translations, students should contact World Education Services at 800-937-3895 or by email at info@wes.org.
   
   
4. Graduate students whose native language is not English must submit certification of English proficiency. This requirement is waived for students who have received a baccalaureate or master's degree from a regionally accredited American college or university.
   
   An original copy of test score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the past two years, must be submitted. Total TOEFL scores of under 550 for the paper-based test or 210 for the computer-based test (CBT) will not be accepted.
   
   
5. Documented evidence of financial resources to sufficiently support the student through the completion of degree requirements: application for a Form I-20
   
   
6. Documentation of acceptable insurance coverage against illness and accidents. This health and accident coverage must be maintained throughout the student's enrollment at the College.
7. A personal statement indicating the reason for pursuing this academic program at this time.

Admission must be granted and financial documentation and undergraduate degree confirmation must be received prior to issuance of the I-20 form that is needed to obtain a visa.

Admission Decisions