Admission
About Admission
To be admitted to a graduate program at Miami, you must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. You must be fully admitted to the Graduate School to be eligible to receive graduate credit.
Graduate School admission standards are the minimum standards for all graduate programs. Individual departments may have higher standards and additional requirements. You are expected to be fully cognizant of your department's requirements.
You may apply for admission online, download and print an application, or request a graduate application from:
Graduate School
102 Roudebush Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
Phone: 513-529-3734
Fax: 513-529-3762
E-mail: gradschool@muohio.edu
Web: www.muohio.edu/graduateschool/
Admission information for international students is later in this chapter.
To Apply for Admission
Submit to the Graduate School:
- Your completed application with the required nonrefundable application fee. Your application will not be processed until the application fee is received.
- Two official transcripts from the college or university that awarded you the baccalaureate degree. Transcripts are not required from Miami University graduates.
- Two official transcripts from each college or university in which post-baccalaureate study was undertaken, if any.
Submit to your major department:
- Additional materials required by your department. These may include letters of recommendation, statement of goals, test scores, or a portfolio. Contact your major department for information.
Submit to the Student Health Service:
- Your completed Miami University Medical History form. (The form can be obtained at www.muohio.edu/SAF/SHS/medicalhistoryforms/index.shtml). You will not be allowed to register until your completed form is returned to the Student Health Service.
- Students under 30 years of age are required to provide proof of immunizations. (See medical history form)
Admission Tests
Each department offering a graduate program determines the tests required for admission, if any. The following tests may be required by specific departments.
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
This is required for all applicants for graduate study in the Richard T. Farmer School of Business. Information can be obtained from:
Richard T. Farmer School of Business
107 Laws Hall
Phone: 513-529-6643
or
Educational Testing Service
Box 969
Princeton, NJ 08540
www.ets.org/gmatets.html
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Information and online registration is available at www.gre.org. An information booklet can be obtained from:
Student Counseling Service
Health Services Center
Phone: 513-529-4634
or
Graduate School
102 Roudebush Hall
Phone: 513-529-3734
or
Graduate Record Examination
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, NJ 08541-6000
Phone: 609-771-7670
Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
Most college and university counseling centers have MAT information. Information concerning times and places for the MAT can be obtained from:
Student Counseling Service
Health Services Center
Phone: 513-529-4634
Grade Point Average
For admission purposes, the computation of grade point averages is determined by the institution that awarded the baccalaureate or graduate degree. An exception to this applies to incomplete and failing grades—Miami University will count these as zero points. Plus and minus grades that are clearly explained on transcripts will be counted in the grade point average.
Regular Standing
For admission to the Graduate School as a degree candidate with regular standing, you must have earned a grade point average (g.p.a.) of at least 2.75 (4.0 scale) at the institution awarding your bachelor's degree or a 3.0 g.p.a. for the last four semesters (or equivalent) of study for your bachelor's degree. You must have at least a 3.0 g.p.a. for all graduate work attempted. Undergraduate course work taken after the completion of your bachelor's degree will not be considered in determining your grade point average.
Conditional Standing
Admission to the Graduate School with conditional standing (master's degree programs only) is possible if you do not meet requirements for regular standing but you can provide evidence of promise for success in graduate study. If you must satisfy departmental prerequisites, have academic deficiencies, or have earned a bachelor's degree from a nonaccredited institution, you may be admitted with conditional standing, even if you have met minimum requirements for admission to regular standing.
Requests for admission with conditional standing are considered by the associate dean of the Graduate School. Such requests must have the support of the academic department in which you seek admission. Evidence in support supplied by the applicant and the department may include graduate admission test scores, reference to successful professional experience, statements of academic prowess, etc. A student admitted with conditional standing cannot hold an assistantship.
If you are admitted with conditional standing, you must achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 in the first 12 hours of graduate courses taken for grades. Grades earned in undergraduate courses do not apply to this required grade point average. The probationary period begins on the date of admission with conditional standing. Students who do not satisfy the requirements of conditional standing are denied further registration in the Graduate School. Students who meet these requirements are re-admitted with regular standing.
International Student Admission
Nonimmigrant students from other countries are encouraged to apply for admission to graduate study.
To obtain international graduate student application forms, download them at:
www.miami.muohio.edu/admission/apply/graduate
If you are unable to print these forms, please request them by e-mail at intlapp@muohio.edu or by fax at 513-529-3762.
For additional information, contact:
Graduate School
102 Roudebush Hall
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056 USA
Phone: 513-529-3734
Fax: 513-529-3762
E-mail: intlapp@muohio.edu
Web: www.miami.muohio.edu/graduate/
Required Documents
Submit the following to the Graduate School:
- A completed international graduate student application with the required nonrefundable application fee. Your application will not be processed until the application fee is received.
- Two official transcripts or certified true copies of complete academic records showing all courses completed and grades received at each postsecondary school attended. All academic records not issued in English by the school must be submitted in the original language with a certified literal (not interpretive) English translation. Academic records must list all courses taken, the grades earned in these courses, and the academic term(s) and year(s) when these courses were taken.
- Certification that an undergraduate degree has been or is about to be awarded. You must submit evidence that you have earned or are about to earn a university degree that is at least equivalent to an American bachelor's degree.
- A completed Miami University Medical Form for International Graduate Students.
- A completed Miami University Confidential Financial Statement with a certified statement (in English) from a financial institution showing the amount of funding (in U.S. dollars) currently available to you. These statements are necessary to verify your ability to finance your cost of attending Miami University for the time required to earn a graduate degree.
- Additional documents may be required by your department. Please correspond directly with your major department to request information about specific admission requirements.
English Language Requirements
If you are from a country where English is not the native language or you will not earn a university degree from an academic institution in a country where English is the native language, the following is also required:
- Official score report of your performance on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum acceptable score of 550 (213 on the computer-based test). Students who have not taken a computer-based TOEFL must also submit an official score from the Test of Written English (TWE). A score of 4 or higher on the TWE or on the essay portion of the computer-based TOEFL will strengthen the student's application.
Register for the TOEFL to be taken in the summer or fall (June through December) of the year preceding the year in which you intend to enroll so that your scores will be on file in the Graduate School no later than March 1 for admission in August (first or fall semester). Additional TOEFL information can be obtained online at www.ets.org/toefl.
Note: A graduate assistant or teaching associate is not assigned significant instructional responsibilities (including laboratory supervision) in the first year of study (i.e., you can assist a faculty member, senior graduate assistant, or teaching associate in managing a class or laboratory section, but you cannot be given lead or principal responsibility for a class, discussion, or laboratory section). Any exception to this policy must have prior approval of the department chair or program director, the divisional dean, and the dean of the Graduate School.
- After you are admitted and on campus (prior to class registration), you must take an examination in the use of English administered by Miami's English department. If this test indicates that you need additional instruction in English, you must register for ENG (English) 108 and/or 109 in your first term of study, which may require that you reduce your academic course load until it is determined that your English proficiency is adequate to pursue a full course of study.
In addition, if you are assigned instructional responsibilities (including laboratory supervision) as a teaching associate or graduate assistant, you are required by Ohio state law to demonstrate English-speaking proficiency. After arrival on campus, you may be required to take a test that assesses your proficiency in spoken English.
Nondegree Status
If you would like to take graduate-level courses, but do not intend to pursue a graduate degree, you can apply for admission with "continuing nondegree graduate status." After you are admitted, you can earn an unlimited number of graduate hours within an indefinite period of time.
To apply for admission, submit to the Graduate School:
- Completed admission application form;
- Nonrefundable application fee;
- Transcript of the highest degree earned from an accredited institution (not required if your highest degree was awarded by Miami University).
If you are admitted as a nondegree student, you will not be able to enroll in certain courses if the department or program has limited enrollment; students who have been admitted to a degree-granting program have first priority. Check with the department about enrollment restrictions. If you have been denied regular or conditional admission to a degree program, you can enroll in courses in that department as a nondegree student only if the department grants permission. If you take courses as a nondegree student after you have been denied admission as a degree student, these courses cannot be applied to a future degree program.
If you are a nondegree student (and have not previously applied for degree admission) and desire admission to a degree program, you must apply for admission and meet Graduate School and departmental standards for admission. No more than eight of the most recent graduate hours earned with nondegree status can be applied toward a graduate degree and then only with the approval of the department. All eight hours are subject to normal time limitations for credit toward a degree.
Transient Status
If you are pursuing a graduate degree at another institution and intend to complete your program there, you can apply for admission with "transient status." Transient status is valid for one semester only, but may be renewed with reapplication.
To apply for admission: (1) obtain a transient status application from the Graduate School, and (2) complete your part, then forward the entire form to the dean of your graduate school with a request for the dean to complete it and send it directly to the Graduate School of Miami University.
After you are admitted with transient status, you can enroll in courses if you have fulfilled departmental and divisional requirements for the program and prerequisites for the courses. Admission does not make you a candidate for a graduate degree.
Minority Student Assistance
The Diversity Enhancement Program (DEP) is designed to encourage diverse students to gain advanced degrees at Miami University. This program provides financial, cultural, and social support to graduate students of color and underrepresented populations. Financial support is in the form of graduate assistantships. Graduate assistantships carry stipends that vary in amount by department, remission of instructional fee and out-of-state tuition, half of the general fees and summer scholarships.
The DEP program can also help a prospective student visit campus to meet with faculty and students. Lodging can be arranged. For more information, contact the associate dean for admission and minority student affairs in the Graduate School, 513-529-3734.
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