Admissions

Master's Degree Programs

Applications are accepted for the fall and spring semesters. Admission is granted to those students with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university who demonstrate evidence of commitment to public service and the ability to perform graduate studies successfully.

Applications are submitted to the USM Office of Graduate Studies. Applications should be received by February 1 (for fall matriculation) and December 1 (for spring matriculation).

Applications received after the deadline will be considered on a space available basis.

The master's degree program application includes:

An official USM graduate application, including a written statement of interest in a public affairs career.
Official scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and other graduate education.
Three letters of recommendation.

Credit toward completion of degree requirements owing to previously completed graduate study may be granted in certain cases.

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Certificate Programs

Applications to the certificate programs are accepted at any time and do not require official matriculation into the University. The application form is available on the Muskie School website under the individual certificate programs or from the Office of Student Affairs at the Muskie School.

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Doctoral Program

The PhD Program in Public Policy admits students to study every other year, beginning in 2003. Students begin study in the fall and are expected to complete the policy core in three semesters.

Admission to the program is highly selective. A small number of applicants will be chosen for admission based on evidence of their capability to undertake studies at the doctoral level, their demonstrated readiness for doctoral studies, the match between the applicant's proposed field of advanced study and faculty research interests, and programmatic capacity. The following sections describe the admission criteria and the application review process. Persons interested in applying to the program are strongly encouraged to talk with the PhD program chair and Muskie School faculty prior to submitting their applications.

Criteria for Admission

The program has the following admission criteria:

The applicant's capability to undertake doctoral studies
The applicant's demonstrated readiness for doctoral studies
Programmatic capacity and the match between applicant and faculty research interests

To be admitted, applicants must demonstrate outstanding potential to be successful in the course work required for doctoral studies and to conduct high-quality doctoral-level research appropriate to their policy field of study. Applicants are expected to be outstanding in academic qualifications, standardized examinations, and professional experience. Applicants must also submit a statement of research interests outlining their professional goals and areas of doctoral study. Each applicant's record is reviewed as a whole; performance which is not outstanding on a single criterion may be compensated for by superior performance on the remaining criteria.

1. The applicant's capability to undertake doctoral studies

Capability to undertake doctoral studies is assessed by review of the applicant's previous academic record, scores on the Graduate Record Examination, recommendations, and professional experience.

Previous academic record: Applicants must have either a master's degree or a minimum of 30 graduate credits. Masters degrees and/or graduate study in public policy, or related fields such as public administration, planning, political science, or economics are preferred, but degrees in other fields may be presented for evaluation of the extent to which the master's degree program or graduate study prepares the students for doctoral studies in public policy. The applicant's overall academic record should demonstrate a superior level of accomplishment. Successful applicants will have maintained a grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent in post-baccalaureate studies. An applicant's previous academic record is assessed based on grade point averages, fields of study, analysis of transcripts, and recommendations.

Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE): Applicants must submit official scores for the GRE. Scores must be for tests taken within five years of application deadlines. (The Educational Testing Service, which administers the GRE, does not retain scores after five (5) years from date of testing.) Applicants who present scores of less than 550 on the Quantitative portion, less than 550 on the Verbal portion, and/or less than 4 on the Analytic Writing portion of the post-October 2002 GRE, or who present scores of less than 550 on each portion of the pre-October 2002 GRE, should present records of exceptional academic accomplishment.

Recommendations: Three letters of recommendation are required. Applicants must submit at least one recommendation from a person familiar with their academic, scholarly, and/or research interests and performance.

2. The applicant's readiness for doctoral studies

Professional experience in the proposed field of study: Applicants must have a minimum of two years of professional-level work experience prior to commencing doctoral study, preferably in the proposed field of study. Normally, professional experience does not include university-sponsored work experience while an undergraduate or graduate student.

Applicants are asked to submit a "Statement of Research Interests" with their University application materials. This statement should address the applicant's motivation and preparedness for doctoral study in public policy and how doctoral studies at the Muskie School of Public Service fit with the student's previous academic record, previous professional experience, and professional goals in light of the mission of the PhD program. The Statement will play an important role in assisting the Admissions Committee to determine the applicant's readiness for doctoral studies and the potential match between the applicant's areas of interests and the expertise of the faculty.

In their statement, applicants are asked to respond to the following points:

Describe your professional goals and how doctoral study in public policy at the Muskie School will help you achieve them.
Describe your professional and/or research experience and how they help prepare you for doctoral study in public policy.
In light of your professional goals and the mission of the PhD program, please describe your current research interests and/or the research you would like to pursue as part of doctoral studies in public policy at the Muskie School. This portion of the statement may take a number of forms, including identifying specific questions of public policy that you wish to assess or previous works in a field that have inspired your interests in doctoral studies in public policy. Be as clear and specific as possible about your research interests.

The suggested length for the statement is a maximum of 5-7 pages double spaced, minimum 10 point font.

3. Programmatic capacity and the match between applicant and faculty research interests

There must be a clear match between an applicant's research interests and the capacity of the program to make available faculty who share such interests and who can mentor the doctoral student through his or her research. Applicants with the potential to undertake doctoral study may not be accepted into the program if the match between the applicant's interests and those of program faculty cannot be assured.

The Muskie School faculty has a broad range of expertise for guiding doctoral studies, which is defined generally by the fields in which the School offers masters degrees. In addition, the School can draw on faculty resources from other schools and colleges of the University of Southern Maine. Applicants who seek to undertake doctoral studies involving fields outside of the Muskie School are strongly encouraged to contact the chair of the doctoral program and faculty in other units of the University prior to submitting applications.

Program capacity also includes the number of students in the program in relation to the number of faculty who can serve as Doctoral Research Committee Chairs.

Application Process

To be considered complete, an application must include:

A completed application form.
Three letters of recommendation. Applicants must submit at least one recommendation from a person familiar with their academic, scholarly, and/or research interests and performance.
Official transcript(s) of all previous undergraduate and graduate work.
Official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); scores must be for tests taken within five years of the application deadline.
If the applicant's native language is not English and has not completed a degree program in an accredited North American institution, a score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL) must be submitted. The TOEFL score must be 550 or higher on the paper-based test or 213 or higher on the computer-based test.
If financial aid is requested, a statement requesting financial aid and describing the need for aid.
A nonrefundable application fee, the amount of which is determined by the University.

Applications are submitted to the USM Office of Graduate Admissions.

On-line applications are available via College NET.

Applications can also be downloaded from the USM Graduate Admissions office.

The graduate catalog can be downloaded in its entirety or by individual section at the USM web site.

Admissions Cycle

Applications are accepted for study beginning in the fall semester only and are reviewed every two years, beginning in 2003.

The deadline for completed application to the program and to be considered for university-funded fellowships and scholarships is February 1. Students may submit materials up to March 15; however, applications received after February 1 will not be given priority for university-funded fellowships and scholarships. The committee will not review applications that remain incomplete after April 15.

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