U.S. Applicants
Application Process
Step 1: Meet the Admissions
Requirements
All applicants must meet the admissions requirements for both the
Graduate School and the program to which they are applying:
Graduate School Requirements
You will meet the
admission requirements by holding (1) a bachelor's degree from a
regionally accredited college or university, or from a Maryland
college or university that is approved by the Maryland Higher Education
Commission, with a grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale).
The grade point average will be calculated for the last 60 credits
completed.
Program Requirements
You must meet all additional requirements of the particular graduate
program to which you are seeking admission. Numerous graduate programs
require that applicants submit additional materials, such as letters
of recommendation, graduate test scores, resumes or other supplemental
information. See
Individual Program Listings for specific materials required
by the department.
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Step 2: Submit your application
and other materials
Applications may be submitted for admission throughout the year
and are processed on a rolling admissions basis. See
Individual Program Listings for programs with specific deadlines.
In general, we recommend that students submit applications at least
two months prior to the semester in which they plan to begin graduate
study. You may apply online
or download the application
and mail the completed application to the Graduate School.
Required Materials
In addition to the completed application, all applicants must pay
an application fee of $45 for online applications or $50 for hard
copy applications (make check or money orders payable to Towson University)
and degree applicants must submit one official transcript from each
college or university attended. Non-degree applicants must submit
one official transcript of their highest degree. Official transcripts
must be sealed and stamped by the issuing institution. Pre-degree
students need to make sure their transcript includes all grades through
their first semester of their senior year. (ex. if you are graduating
in May, transcripts should have Fall grades included.)
* Provided is a generic
transcript request form you may download for your convenience.
Other Materials
Depending on the program to which you are seeking admission, you
may be required to submit other materials such as GRE Scores, letters
of recommendation, admission essays, portfolios, and supplemental
applications. See
Individual Program Listings to see if your program requires
any of these additional materials. Send all supplemental materials
to the Graduate School.
Click here for the recommendation
form.
Address for the Graduate School
Graduate School
Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252-0001
Tel: 410-704-2501
Fax: 410-704-4675
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Step
3: Initial Application Review
The Graduate School office staff will review your application to
verify that all of the materials have been received and that you
have met the minimum requirements for admission. The office will
enter the application into the student information system and create
an official file
Incomplete Applications
After the initial review
of the application, the Graduate School office will notify you by
e-mail, fax, or mail if there are any missing items. The office
will continue to monitor the file until transcripts, application,
supplemental materials, and payment have been received.
Complete Applications
The Graduate School will
prepare the file for evaluation by the proposed graduate program.
This involves receiving and entering the above materials into the
University information system for processing. The file will then
be made available to the appropriate graduate program director.
The proposed graduate program director will receive the following:
- the application form
- all transcripts submitted
- all supplemental materials
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Step 4: Departmental Evaluation
The graduate program director receives the file and oversees the
process of making the recommendation whether or not to admit or
deny the applicant. The length of time that departments take to
make a recommendation will vary based upon the particular department's
decision-making process. Many departments review each applicant
as they arrive on a rolling basis, while programs that have deadlines
generally review all of the applicants at once.
At the end of the review process, the graduate program will make
one of three recommendations on the application: Admission, Admission
with Conditions, or Deny Admission.
Admission with Conditions
Graduate programs
may choose to accept students who have a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99.
(Consult the individual program listing to determine whether your
program allows admission with conditions) unless specified otherwise
by program. Students admitted with conditions are required to correct
any deficiencies as determined by the program director.
Completion of the conditional stipulation removes this status from
a student's record.
Deny Admission
A graduate program can recommend
denial of admission on a number of grounds. A few examples are:
- Applicant fails to meet the program and/or Graduate School overall
requirements.
- Applicant has insufficient background in chosen field of study
- Standardized test results do not meet program's admission standards
- Applicant fails to demonstrate the ability to do graduate work
in the chosen field
The graduate program director will make his or her recommendation
along with necessary conditions and comments, and send a letter
to the student. If admitted, the student will be assigned to an
advisor
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Step
5: Admission Decision
The graduate department will make an admission recommendation to
the dean of the Graduate School. The dean will send the applicant
a letter either granting or denying admission
You may check on the status of your application by calling the
Graduate School office at 410-704-2501
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