Admissions Requirements
All applicants must meet minimum Graduate School requirements as well as Urban Education Doctoral Program requirements.

Urban Education Doctoral Program Admission Requirements:

1. Grade Point Average (GPA)Undergraduate GPA of 2.85. (Applicants having less than 15 graduate hours must have an undergraduate GPA of 3.50). Masters GPA of 3.5. A combined (Undergraduate and Masters (GPA of 6.5).

2. Applicant Evaluations/RecommendationsThe applicant must have a minimum of three appropriate persons write letters of recommendation and comment meaningfully and knowledgeably on the likelihood that you can successfully complete an advanced scholarly program of studies for the Ph.D. degree. It is helpful if the majority of references are written by college/university faculty. However, at least one reference must be from an academic source. Be sure references are as recent as possible, ordinarily no more than one year old. In any case, select people who can comment with confidence on your academic qualifications. Please use the Applicant Evaluation Form. Recommendations must be forwarded directly by the writers to the Urban Education Doctoral Program.

3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE)Submission of scores on the General Test portion of the Graduate Record Examination is required. Scores that are more than five years old will not be considered valid. The GRE must be taken before completing the graduate school application. Please go to the GRE website for more information.

4. Writing SampleApplicants must submit a writing sample completed within the last five years. The writing sample must be single authored, at least 1500 words, and must be selected from ONE of the following options:

• Master's Thesis
• Undergraduate Senior Thesis
• Technical Reports
• Term Paper
• Publication
• Written Description of Project
• Action Research Project
• A 5-10 page response to the following question:
• How would you go about determining and evaluating ethical issues in urban education?

The response to this question must show evidence of appropriate references to a knowledge base.

5. InterviewAn interview may also be required as part of the admissions process.

Graduate School Requirements:

1. DegreeAt least a Bachelor's degree is required.

2. Grades A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75. This calculation includes both attempts in your repeated coursework.

3. TranscriptsOne official transcript (preferably two), sent directly to the Graduate School from each undergraduate and graduate school attended. If you attended UWM as an undergraduate, the Graduate School will obtain transcripts from the Undergraduate Records Office.

4. English ProficiencyPlease see the Center for International Education's (CIE) website for Graduate Application Requirements.

5. Reasons StatementAn essential part of your application, the Reasons Statement is used to determine the appropriateness of your educational and professional goals and serves as an example of your ability to express yourself in writing. In the statement:

• Explain your reasons for pursuing graduate study.
• Describe specific interests and your background in the field.
• List any relevant skills or training you have acquired.
• List relevant academic awards or honors you have received.
• If your program requires recommendations, list the names of those individuals who will write on your behalf.

6. Fee/sA $56 base application fee is required of all applicants, and an additional evaluation fee is required for applicants with college-level work from non-U.S. colleges.

Note: If you are applying to a doctoral program and already hold a UWM master's degree, you do not need to pay the application fee.

International Applicants
Please see the Center for International Education's (CIE) website for information on International Admission requirements.