Educational Foundations: Admissions Information
Are you interested in applying to our program? If so, you've come to the right place. Just follow the steps below:
1. When reviewing an application for admission, our faculty begins with two questions. First, does the applicant show sufficient academic competence to successfully engage in the scholarly study of education? We use undergraduate studies, grade point average, G.R.E. scores, and letters of recommendation to answer this question. Second, are the expressed interests of the applicant a good fit with the interests and expertise of our faculty? We use the applicant’s statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and other information on the application form to answer this question. We encourage applicants to craft their statements of purpose with care.
Admission to the master’s degree: Unlike admission to the doctorate, we generally do not cap the number of admissions to the master’s degree program. Applicants with high levels of academic success and interests appropriate to our program are viewed with favor by the admitting faculty. Applications to the master’s degree in Educational Foundations and Policy are welcome for either the fall or winter terms (see application deadlines below). Students may enroll for either full or part-time study. Master’s degree applicants should be aware that while there is some limited fellowship money to defray costs of tuition, master’s degree students nearly always bear the majority of costs for their education. Many master’s degree students have been able to obtain additional funding by working on research projects or assisting in the teaching of undergraduate classes.
Admission to the doctoral degree: At the
doctoral level, we are primarily interested in applicants with a
deep scholarly
interest in education. Once matriculated, students are expected to
become fully engaged in educational research and scholarship, as
that is the
hallmark of doctoral work at the University of Michigan. Hence part-time
study is not available for this degree. Doctoral applicants are very
carefully screened, since offers of admission can be made to only
a select few. Every effort is made to ensure a minimum of three years
of full
funding for those admitted to the doctoral specialization in Foundations
and Policy (for additional information on funding, go to Educational
Studies Funding Guide
). Applications to the doctoral program
are accepted only for matriculation in the
fall term (see deadline information below).
Students considering application to the doctoral program should be aware that while K-12 teaching experience is not required, it is strongly preferred if the student anticipates seeking a faculty position at all but the most research-oriented universities. Recipients of the doctorate who lack K-12 experience typically seek employment in government agencies, research centers and institutes, foundations, and community organizations. Recent recipients of the baccalaureate degree are encouraged to gain experience in K-12 school settings before seeking a doctoral degree.
Do you have any other questions you would like answered before you apply?
If so, view the School
of Education Frequently Asked Questions or contact
the program.
If not, continue on to item 2.
2. Fill out a Rackham program inquiry form to get you into our
system, so we can inform you of the latest recruiting events and other admissions
updates. You can fill
out a program
inquiry form by clicking here (be sure to close the new window to return
to this page).
3. Application Process: You will need to complete an application
to the Horace H. Rackham Graduate School,
which is the overall administrative unit for graduate programs. It is mandatory
that you use the Rackham Web application to apply to our programs.
You also need to send us a statement of purpose, official transcripts from every institution you have attended, three letters of recommendation, and your GRE scores. International students should also send in their TOEFL scores.
We created an application checklist for your use in keeping track of where and when you sent application materials. We recommend that you download and print up an application checklist.
Application Checklist
Fee waivers are available through the Rackham Graduate School for prospective students who qualify for Specialized Fee Waiver Groups. Please check Rackham's fee waiver Web page to see if you are eligible for one of these groups.
Note: The Office of Student Services matches documents to an application using the name appearing on the Rackham application. If the name on your documents, i.e., transcript, letter of recommendation, etc., is different from the name appearing on your application, please be sure to indicate all former last names or other first names on the Rackham application. Contact the Office of Student Services if you have information about your name that you did not include on the Rackham application.
For the latest deadline, please see our deadlines page
5. We hope you will get acquainted with us through our web materials,
e-mail correspondence, and when possible, a personal
visit. Be sure to
check out the University of
Michigan Web site, the Rackham
Graduate School Web site, and the rest of the resources in this program
site along with the School of Education Web site. In addition, you may want
to view the SOE
Bulletin.
There are opportunities through both the School of Education and the Rackham
Graduate School for merit and need based fellowships. To find out more, we
encourage you to review the
Graduate Financial Aid Resource Guide.
The Office
of Fellowships and Recruitment
is the contact for the Rackham Graduate School (734-764-8119).
We are delighted to learn of your interest in the University
of Michigan and this program. We encourage you to visit the campus to
discuss your interests with faculty and students. Visits are most helpful if
made prior to or during the application process. In addition to arranging individual
campus visits, you are encouraged to attend the annual Graduate Information Day. This is a great opportunity
for you to meet with School of Education faculty and staff, some of our current
students, and other prospective students. We wish you the best of luck in pursuing your
graduate studies and encourage you to contact us (above) if you have any questions
about the University of Michigan or your program.
Still have questions? If so, please visit the School
of Education Frequently Asked Questions, or contact the Office
of Student Services.
Questions about the status of your application? Check your application data and status online, via Wolverine Access. Please allow 7 days after submitting your application before checking your web application status on Wolverine Access. To do this you will need to use a login ID and password, and confirm some personal data before viewing your application:
For applicants who are current students or employees
1. Log into Wolverine Access using your existing UMICH uniqname login and click "New and Prospective Student Business."
"For applicants who are new to the University you will
need to create a secure login using a UM Friend Account and then log into Wolverine
Access at https://friend.weblogin.umich.edu/
1. Create a Friend Account by clicking on the following link: Create a Friend Account.
NOTE: If you have questions about creating a UM Friend Account you may go to http://www.itd.umich.edu/itcsdocs/s4316
2. Log into Wolverine Access at https://wolverineaccess.umich.edu/ and click "New and Prospective Student Business."
If you have any further questions, contact the Office
of Student Services at
(734) 764-7563 or
ed.grad.appl@umich.edu.
If you are interested in other School of Education programs, return to the "Academic Programs" home by clicking on the tab above or by clicking here.
