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, expectations are that a student has taken basic courses in at least micro-economics, political science (U.S., national, state, and local government), and college-level mathematics 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:
All students seeking funding consideration from the School of Public Policy in the form of Merit-Based Scholarships are required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. 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
3401 Fairfax Drive, MS 3B1
Arlington, VA 22201