Program: Application Process
updated 1/8/2008

The Department of Communication normally admits applicants to the graduate program once a year for the semester beginning in September. Applicants applying for admission and a department graduate assistantship/fellowship should have their application file completed by FEBRUARY 10. Applicants applying for admission only should have their application file completed by July 1.

All applicants must submit an official copy of his/her undergraduate transcript(s) from all schools attended (if an applicant has undertaken prior graduate study, transcripts from those programs also must be submitted). Both total GPA and major GPA are important. Students who have enrolled in our program have had close to or above a 3.0 in both categories and candidates are expected to meet this level.

All applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General (Aptitude) Test. Applicants are expected to achieve a score between 500 and 600 on both the verbal and quantitative sections of the test. Subject (Advanced) Tests offered by the GRE are not required. If the applicant, in the course of completing graduate school applications, takes other relevant national examinations, such as the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), the applicant may forward those scores to us. However, none can be substituted for the GRE. The GRE normally is offered in October, December, February, April, and June. It is also offered by computer throughout the year. In order to meet the deadline for consideration for a graduate assistantship or scholarship from the department, applicants applying for such aid should take the GRE on the October or December test date or take the computer version of the exam. Because the department does not receive the score report until approximately six weeks after the test date, applicants who take the GRE later than December run the risk of not having their application files completed in time for consideration for departmental aid. The applicant should note that other aid programs offered on a competitive basis by the university may have other deadlines. Candidates should check with the Office of Graduate Studies concerning these programs. Applicants who are applying for admission without aid should not take the GRE later than the April test date. Applicants may contact the Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey 08541 for further information concerning the GRE.

Three letters of recommendation must be received by the department before the applicant can be considered for acceptance to the program.

In addition to the statement which must accompany the graduate application the applicant must write a short essay addressing the following issues: (a) Upon what past experiences and interests do you base your present decision to apply for admission to the graduate program in communication? (b) What is your definition of communication in the context of your interest area? (c) How does study for the M.A. in communication in our department fit into your short- and long-term goals and career aspirations? (d) Is there any other information, not covered elsewhere in your application, which you would like to share with the department's Graduate Admissions Committee? This essay, which should be typed, usually is three to five pages in length.

Applicants for admission whose native language is not English must take, in addition to the Graduate Record Examination, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and receive one of the following minimum scores:
650(paper-based test)
280 (computer-based test)
114 (Internet-based test)

Any such applicant who also is applying for a graduate assistantship from the department, also must take the Test of Spoken English (TSE). All scores must be received before an admissions and/or aid decision is rendered.

Submission of the above material results in a diversity of information about a candidate's skills, talents, background, experiences, career goals, motivation, commitment, and potential for scholarship. This information enables the department to select a class of entering graduate students who individually and collectively have the potential for making a substantial contribution to the intellectual environment of the department, university, and field.

All applicants must use the University of Delaware online graduate application web form (click here).