Graduate Admission Information

Baccalaureate graduates of accredited colleges are eligible to apply to the University of Delaware for admission to a graduate program. Entrance requirements are established by the departments and are subject to approval by the University Faculty Senate Committee on Graduate Studies. To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the admission requirements stipulated in the Graduate Program Policy Statement of the academic unit to which the student is applying. Admission to graduate programs at the University of Delaware is selective and competitive based on the number of well qualified applicants and the limits of available faculty and facilities. Those who meet stated minimum academic requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths. Applicants are encouraged to contact the academic department for specific admission requirements. (See the departmental sections of this catalog for more information about specific departmental admission requirements.)

Applicants for Ph.D. degree programs may be required to complete the master's degree first, although the degree is not a prerequisite to admission. Students who have been admitted to a master's program and who receive their master's degree at the University are not necessarily eligible for a doctoral program. Applicants for the Ed.D. degree program are required to hold a master's degree and be currently employed either as educational administrators and supervisors or as school and community college personnel.


MATRICULATION INFORMATION

Admission to the University is granted to a student to begin graduate studies in a specified semester or summer session and is valid for the term in which the applicant has specified intended matriculation. (Some graduate programs permit matriculation in the fall semester only. Graduate students may not matriculate in the winter session.) The offer of admission is automatically cancelled if the Graduate Office is not notified of an applicant's desire to change the matriculation date. Applicants who are unable to begin graduate study in the term or semester specified may request a change by writing the Graduate Office. Such an extension will not be granted beyond a one-year period.

Admission to graduate study does not guarantee admission to a particular course. The graduate student must meet all prerequisites as specified for each course. Courses offered at the graduate level are listed in this bulletin.


APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

Applicants must submit all of the following items to the Office of Graduate Studies before admission can be considered:

1) A completed Admission Application must be submitted no later than July 1 for the fall semester, December 1 for the spring semester, and April 1 for the summer session. Some departments may have earlier deadlines. Applicants should refer to the information given in the academic department segment of this catalog and/or check with the department to which they are applying for these dates and for other specific admission requirements. Admission application forms are available from the Graduate Office, from the departments, and online (http://www.udel.edu/admissions/appinfo.html).

2) A $45 nonrefundable application fee must be submitted with the application. Checks must be made payable to the University of Delaware. Applications received without the application fee will not be processed. Foreign students may utilize either a check or an International Postal Money Order to remit payment in U.S. currency.

3) Two official transcripts of previous college records must be sent directly from the institution to the Office of Graduate Studies. Students who have attended the University of Delaware need not supply a transcript from Delaware. Transcripts issued in a language other than English must be accompanied by an official translation into English. If the rank of the student is not displayed on the transcript or diploma, departments may request an official letter of explanation and ranking from the institution where the degree was earned.

4) Applicants must submit at least three letters of recommendation. All letters of recommendation should be mailed to the academic department to which admission is sought. (Degree applicants are encouraged to seek an interview with the graduate coordinator of the major department.)

5) The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) admission test scores are generally required and some departments require subject test scores. Applicants for the Master of Business Administration or the Master of Science in Accounting program must submit Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores. Applicants should refer to the information given in the academic department segment of this catalog for specific admission test score requirements in each department.

6) Foreign student applicants must demonstrate a satisfactory level of proficiency in the English language if English is not their first language. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is offered by the Educational Testing Service in test centers throughout the world. The TOEFL is required by all departments prior to formal admission. A score of 550 or better is required for consideration of admission and a score of 600 or better is required of those applying for a teaching assistantship. Foreign students who are applying for teaching assistantships are encouraged to provide scores from the Test of Spoken English (TSE) with the application. (Foreign students who are awarded teaching assistantships must attend a special training program given during the month of August.) Foreign student applicants must be admitted to the University of Delaware to be issued a student visa. The University has been authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant alien students. The University has more than 500 foreign graduate students enrolled from more than 96 countries. International students are required to purchase the University-sponsored insurance plan or its equivalent.

7) Application procedures for senior citizens are the same as for other applicants. The admission application fee and tuition fees will be waived for senior citizen students 60 years of age and older who meet the Delaware residency requirement when admitted to a graduate program. Senior citizens who desire to enroll in graduate courses but who do not seek a degree should contact the Academy of Lifelong Learning for registration information.

8) It is a Delaware State Board of Health Regulation and a University of Delaware mandate that all entering graduate students born after January 1, 1957 give proof of proper immunization for measles, mumps, and rubella. If immunization requirements are not met, the student will not be eligible to register. Specific information may be obtained from the Student Health Service (302) 831-2226.


APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR FELLOWSHIPS AND ASSISTANTSHIPS

Of the approximately 1,700 full-time graduate students, nearly 1,200 receive financial aid awards. Fellowships, tuition scholarships, assistantships, and internships are awarded on the basis of merit and do not normally require an analysis of financial need. Application for fellowship or assistantship financial aid is a part of the admission application form. In some fields, funding from the University may be fully committed by March 15. Awarded financial aid is granted to full-time degree students with regular status who are in good academic standing. The award is valid for the term designated. Information on fellowships and assistantships may be obtained from the department to which the student is applying.

The application deadline for need-based financial assistance is March 1. Refer to the "Financial Aid" section in this catalog for details about the various kinds of financial assistance available through various lending agencies.


CATEGORIES OF ADMISSION STATUS
Regular 
Provisional 
Nondegree Limited
 
Nondegree Unlimited 
Visiting Student Scholars
 
 Applicants admitted to graduate studies at the University of Delaware will be granted an admission status in one of the following categories:

Regular. Regular status is offered to students who meet all of the established entrance requirements, who have a record of high scholarship in their fields of specialization, and who have the ability, interest, and maturity necessary for successful study at the graduate level in a degree program.

Provisional. Provisional status is offered to students who are seeking admission to a degree program but lack specific prerequisites needed in the major department. All provisional requirements must be met within the deadline given before regular status can be granted. Students admitted with provisional status to a degree program are generally not eligible for assistantships or fellowships.

Students who file an application during the final year of undergraduate or current graduate work and are unable to supply complete official transcripts showing the conferral of the degree will be admitted pending conferral of the degree if their records are otherwise satisfactory and complete.


Nondegree Limited. Applicants who apply too late to submit standardized admission test scores may be admitted as limited nondegree students for one semester. An official transcript showing conferral of a bachelor's degree must be submitted before nondegree limited status can be considered. Admission with nondegree status implies no commitment by the University or the department about later admission as a regular student. Termination from graduate studies following the completion of one semester will be automatic if the student has not submitted satisfactory test scores and received approval from the department for a change of status from nondegree limited status to regular status. The student is normally allowed to enroll in appropriate graduate courses for one semester if the prerequisites have been met. It is imperative that the student check a course plan of study with a graduate adviser in the department.

Nondegree Unlimited. Applicants who are unable to achieve regular status because of the lack of openings in a given department or applicants who wish to earn graduate credit but do not intend to work for a degree may be admitted as unlimited nondegree graduate students. Such applicants must submit GRE scores and official college transcripts. Such students are not required to follow course sequences, but they are held to the same work standards as are other graduate students. This status is valid for five years. Students in this category are not eligible to apply for advancement to candidacy for any graduate degree. Admission with unlimited nondegree status implies no commitment by the University or the department about later admission as a regular student. If a student desires to change from unlimited nondegree status to regular status, the student must be recommended for a change of status by the major department and seek approval by the Office of Graduate Studies. Earned graduate credit may or may not be accepted if the student's classification is changed. In general, graduate credit must fit into an approved program of study and all credits must have been completed within the appropriate time limit. 

Visiting Student Scholars. Visiting scholar admission is offered to students who wish to transfer graduate credits to another institution. Visiting students must submit a letter from their graduate dean or registrar certifying that they are graduate students in good standing at another institution. Such letters will be accepted in lieu of the transcripts and GRE scores which are required of all other applicants. Visiting scholar status is gradually limited to a period of two years and is a non-degree status. If visiting students desire to transfer to regular status at the University of Delaware, they must meet the stated admissions standards. Admission as a visiting student implies no commitment about later admission as a regular student or about transferability of courses from the student's original institution.
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