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Master's Degree and Certificate Requirements

For admission to either the master's degree or certificate program, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent from an accredited university or college. While students may have completed a major in any field, it is recommended that students have taken basic courses in economics, political science, and statistics. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.0 scale) is preferred.

To apply for either a master's degree or the certificate program, applicants are required to submit the following credentials. It is strongly preferred that all materials be sent together in one package. All credentials must be received in order for an application to be reviewed:

Graduate application and fee

A 750-1,000 word written statement of your goals and interest in the program

A current resume

Two official transcripts from all college and university work completed. Students presenting international credentials are required to provide official transcripts, degree certificates or diplomas, and certified translations of the documents in English (if applicable). Please see the following document for further guidelines on submitting international credentials:
http://admissions.gmu.edu/global/TranscriptGuidelines.pdf

Two letters of recommendation. At least one recommendation should be from an individual who is qualified to attest to the candidate's academic potential.

Additional Requirements for International Students

Please Note:
Students seeking funding consideration from the School of Public Policy are required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) scores.

Please note, scholarship decisions are made at the same time as admissions decisions. All application materials must be submitted by February 1 for fall consideration and November 1 for spring consideration.

No separate financial application is necessary.
Those seeking Federal Financial Aid only are not required to submit GRE scores.

Application Deadlines for Master's Degrees and Certificate Programs

Please submit application materials to the following address:

School of Public Policy – Graduate Admissions
3351 Fairfax Drive, MS 3B1
Arlington, VA 22201

Reflecting Mason's diversity, the School of Public Policy's student body comes from numerous countries including Argentina, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Thailand, and Venezuela.

Students are taught by a world-renowned faculty who are leading researchers in their field as well as top-notch practitioners in the world of public policy.

Each year, the Graduate Admissions Office recruits students from a wide geographic pool, traveling to at least 15 different states and multiple countries to attract the best and brightest applicants.

SPP students experience a first-class education at a very competitive cost.