Instructions

Graduate Admissions Application Instructions

Download Graduate Application

Completing and Returning the Application Form

We are pleased that you are interested in pursuing graduate study at the University of Massachusetts Boston. To apply, please download Graduate Application. Please also use the forms for letters of recommendation that are part of the application form.

Please note that the application form is to be used only by applicants who wish to enter the University as matriculated graduate students. Do not use the form if you wish to enter an undergraduate program, to take courses as a non-degree-seeking studen, or if you seek readmission to the University, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Be sure to read all the following instructions before you fill out the form, including the Additional Instructions for All Applicants and any Special Instructions that may apply to you.

Complete the form fully and accurately. If a particular question does not apply to you, put "NA" in the appropriate space. Please type, or print in black ink and make bold check marks.

As you complete the form: When answering question 1 under Enrollment Plans, please refer to the list of graduate programs and tracks. Under Biographical Information, when responding to question 1, put your legal name in the spaces marked "Last," "First," and "Middle." After "Previous," put any last name you have formerly used (e.g., a maiden or married name). If you are an international student, be sure to use your foreign address when responding to question 10. Please note that question 11 (about ethnic origin) is entirely optional: you are not required to respond. Neither your response nor your failure to respond will be used as a factor in the admission process. The University will use the information obtained through this question only for the compilation of statistics for the U.S. Department of Education and similar agencies or for its own statistical, demographic profile of the student body. The institutional codes needed to answer question 1 are in this downloadable list of graduate application codes (pdf 24 kb).

Be sure to complete the Residency Information section of the application. Before you do this, read the Residency Status section of the Bursar's Web site, which you will find on following pages in this section of the Bulletin.

Be sure to sign and return the signature form to certify that all the information you have given is complete and accurate.

Enclose the application fee. When you mail back the form, send with it a check or money order in the amount of $40.00 (for qualified Massachusetts residents) or $60.00 (for all others) made payable to the University of Massachusetts Boston. Please write your social security number on the check or money order. Do not send cash. Please note that this fee cannot be refunded. If you are a non-citizen permanent resident of the United States, you must also enclose a photocopy -- front and back -- of your alien registration card.

Please use the address below for the signature form, and all statements, transcripts, and correspondence regarding admission.

Office of Graduate Admissions
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd
Boston, MA 02125-3393

Additional Requirements

Be sure to follow the Additional Instructions for All Applicants. These instructions deal with admission tests you may be required to take, and statements, transcripts, and letters of recommendation you must provide.

You must read the Special Instructions and respond appropriately, if:

• you are an international student;
• you wish to enter any of the following programs: American Studies, Biology, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science, Business Administration, Clinical Psychology, Dispute Resolution (MA or Graduate Certificate), Education (EdD), Education (MEd, Teacher Certification), Gerontology, Human Services, Public Affairs, Public Policy, Special Education.

If you have questions about the application process, or about other aspects of graduate study at UMass Boston, write or call the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Additional Instructions for All Applicants

Use plain 8 1/2" x 11" paper, and put your name and social security number on each page. Please type if possible. Be sure to enclose your statement with your application form and submit both to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

Admission Tests
Some of UMass Boston's graduate programs either require or recommend that applicants submit scores from such tests as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), and the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Please see the appropriate section of this publication or contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for the requirements of the program to which you are applying. It is your responsibility to take the appropriate test and to have the official results sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions. You may obtain information about test dates and centers from your college counseling office or from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08540. UMass Boston's CEEB number is 3924.

Transcripts
You must request an official transcript of your academic work from each college or university you have attended as either an undergraduate or a graduate student. Please note: Transcripts issued directly to students are acceptable if they are received in the sending institution's original sealed envelope. .

Letters of Recommendation
Your application must be supported by three letters of recommendation from persons well qualified to judge your preparation for graduate work in the field of your choice. Please choose these persons according to the requirements set forth in the "Admissions" section of this publication. Individual program sections may also list particular requirements for these letters. Three forms for letters of recommendation are to be found on following pages. Each person recommending you should use one of the forms and should mail it directly to you to be submitted in a sealed envelope with your application.

Special Instructions for Applicants to Individual Programs

American Studies

If you wish to enter the American Studies program, you must submit, in addition to your statement of interests and intent, a writing sample as described in the American Studies academic information.

Biology and Biotechnology & Biomedical Science

If you wish to enter the Biology program or the Biotechnology & Biomedical Science program, you must provide, in your statement of interests and intent, the name of the faculty member you wish to have as your thesis director.

MBA

If you wish to enter the Business Administration (MBA) program, you must provide in your statement of interests and intent a description of your preparation for graduate study in business administration. You must also submit a copy of your résumé.

Clinical Psychology

If you wish to enter the Clinical Psychology program, you must submit additional material as described below. Please note that the biographical sketch and statement of interests and goals described here are to be submitted in place of the statement of interests and intent referred to in the Additional Instructions for All Applicants section. Please type or word-process all material on plain white letter-size paper, together with your application form. Be sure that your name and social security number appear on each page you submit.

Supplemental information about your academic record:

1. Please visit psych.umb.edu for an updated list of faculty mentors, please
   • list up to three faculty members you would like to work with
   • indicate which of the broad areas (developmental, cultural, or biopsychosocial) describes your own research interests, and
   • summarize these interests in no more than two sentences.
2. Please compute a grade point average for the last 60 semester hours (i.e., the last half, or last two full-time equivalent years) of your undergraduate work. Include grades for all courses you took during this period.
3. Please list all the college-level psychology courses you have taken at any time, the institutions at which you took them, and the grades you received. Please also compute a grade point average for these psychology courses (and only these courses).
4. Please list all special honors or awards you have received for academic achievement and explain why they were awarded.

Biographical sketch and statement of interests and goals:

Please provide an essay of about 1,000 words. It should include a brief autobiographical sketch, and should also address the following:

1. What are your career objectives? How will a PhD in clinical psychology advance those objectives? In what ways does the UMass Boston Clinical Psychology Program address your particular academic, career, and personal goals? What do you foresee as your primary activity five years after receiving your PhD degree?
2. What professional and academic experiences, and what experiences in the rest of your life have especially prepared you for the challenges of graduate school and for a career in clinical psychology?
3. What personal strengths do you bring to your graduate level studies? What personal limitations or hurdles must you address in order to complete graduate school?
4. What research relevant to the Clinical Psychology Program are you interested in pursuing at UMass Boston? What research experiences of yours have prepared you for research work in the Clinical Psychology Program? Please describe a published work (e.g., an empirical study, a theoretical paper, a book) in psychology or a related field that has had a significant impact on your thinking. Explain why you found this work so meaningful.
5. Are there any aspects of your application that you would like to expand on or explain?

A résumé or curriculum vitae.

About test scores: The Clinical Psychology Program requires applicants to submit scores on the general aptitude (verbal, quantitative, and analytic) and advanced psychology sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

About deadlines: All applications for admission to the Clinical Psychology Program must be received by December 1st of the year in which the applicant wishes to enroll. The program admits students only for the fall semester of each year.

Dispute Resolution

If you wish to enter the Graduate Certificate Program in Dispute Resolution, please write essays answering the following two questions, in place of the statement of interests and intent:

1. Have you found yourself in the role of negotiator or mediator in your present or recent employment? (100-200 words.)
2. How will the Dispute Resolution Program fit into and help you with your employment? (250-500 words).

Under Activities and Work Experience on the application form, please include your job title, the name of your employer, and a one-sentence description of your duties.

In place of letters of recommendation, please provide the names, working titles, and phone numbers of three people familiar with your recent work who could provide a reference on your behalf.

Please submit a copy of your résumé, if you have one.

If you wish to enter the MA Program in Dispute Resolution, in place of the statement of interests and intent, please write three essays, on separate sheets of paper, addressing the following topics:

1. Outline the development of your interest in dispute resolution, leading to your decision to apply to the program. (500-1000 words.)
2. Describe one or more specific experiences you have had with conflict. What was your role? What were your rewards and frustrations? (500-1000 words.)
3. How will you apply the skills, knowledge, and perspective acquired through the program in your current and/or future employment? (500-1000 words.)

Please submit a copy of your résumé, if you have one.

Higher Education Administration or Leadership in Urban Schools

If you wish to enter the Higher Education Administration Track or the Leadership in Urban Schools Track of the EdD Program in Education, you must submit an admission portfolio consisting of the material described below. Please type or word-process all material on plain white 8 1/2" x 11" paper, together with your application form. Be sure that your name and social security number appear on each page you submit.

A résumé or curriculum vitae indicating, in part, that you have substantial experience in a higher education institution, an elementary or secondary school, or the equivalent.

Transcripts: An official transcript of all previous academic work, graduate and undergraduate, demonstrating particularly that the applicant has earned a master's degree or equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing.

A statement of about 1,500 words describing your background and career aspirations, with an emphasis on the kinds of changes in education you are interested in bringing about.

Your statement should specifically focus either on higher education, if you are applying to the Higher Education Administration track; or on elementary and secondary education, if you are applying to the Leadership in Urban Schools track. A critical situation in which you were involved, as well as your role in that situation, should be described. This statement is to be submitted in place of the statement of interests and intent referred to in the Additional Instructions for All Applicants section.

Letters of recommendation: Three letters, including one from an employer and at least one from a colleague, describing and giving evidence of your potential as an initiator and implementer of educational reform.

Employer Agreement Form (for applicants to the Higher Education track only):

A completed Employer Agreement Form, showing year by year how you and your employer will arrange your work life to permit you to meet the program's requirements (including a full weekday on campus each week during the semesters leading up to the qualifying exam).

Please Note: All applications for admission to the Higher Education Administration Track must be received by March 1 of the year in which the applicant wishes to enroll.

All applications for admission to the Leadership in Urban Schools Track must be received by March 15 of the year in which the applicant wishes to enroll.

Education

If you wish to enter the MEd and Certification Program in Education, you should submit in place of the statement of interests and intent a written statement as described in the "Education" section of this publication.

Gerontology

If you wish to enter the PhD Program in Gerontology, please write, in place of the statement of interests and intent, an essay of no more than 1,500 words, addressing the following:

1. What is the basis for your interest in a PhD in gerontology?
2. How have your previous academic, occupational, or volunteer experiences prepared you for doctoral studies in gerontology?
3. What are your current major research and policy interests in gerontology?
4. In what ways do you expect that a PhD in gerontology will be useful to you?

Please also submit a copy of your résumé.

Human Services

If you wish to enter the Human Services Program, your statement of interests and intent may be as few as 800 words, but it must include a description of your expectations of the program in terms of increased skills and career advancement. Your statement must also include a realistic assessment of your plans for combining intensive graduate study with job and family responsibilities, as well as a description of any support you may receive from your employer while pursuing graduate study. You must also submit a copy of your résumé.

Public Affairs

If you wish to enter the Public Affairs Program, you must submit a copy of your résumé along with your statement of interests and intent.

Public Policy

If you wish to enter the Public Policy Program, you should submit the essays described below, as well as a completed application form and the credentials and letters of recommendation described in the general application instructions. Please note: These essays are to be submitted in place of the statement of interests and intent referred to in the Additional Instructions for All Applicants section above.

Please type or word-process all responses to the requests below and submit them on plain white 8 1/2" x 11" paper, together with your application form. Be sure your name and social security number appear on each page you submit.

Biographical Sketch: Please provide a biographical sketch of yourself. This statement should be no longer than 1,200 words.

Statement of Interests and Goals: Please provide a statement about your interests in public policy. This statement should be no longer than 1,200 words. It must include, in essay form, responses to the following questions.

1. What are your career objectives? How will a PhD in public policy advance those objectives? In what ways does the UMass Boston Public Policy Program address your particular academic, career, and personal goals? What do you see as your primary activity five years after receiving your PhD degree?
2. What professional, personal, and academic experiences have especially equipped you for the challenges of graduate school? What personal strengths will you bring to your graduate-level studies? What personal limitations or hurdles do you anticipate you must address in order to complete graduate school?
3. What research and public policy issues are you interested in pursuing at UMass Boston? What research and public policy experiences of yours have prepared you for research in the Public Policy Program and a career in public policy?

Please feel free to include any other information about yourself that might be helpful to the admissions committee.

Special Education

If you wish to enter the Special Education Program, you must submit, in addition to your statement of interests and intent, a writing sample, as described in the "Special Education" section of the UMass Boston Web site.

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