Admission Policy

The Department of Communication normally admits applicants to the Master of Arts program once a year. Newly admitted graduate students begin in the fall semester (August/September) of each year. Applicants applying for admission and a department graduate teaching assistantship should have their application file completed by February 1st. Applicants applying for admission only should have their application file completed by May 1st. Students are not typically admitted to begin their studies during the spring semester.

1. All applicants must submit an official copy of their undergraduate transcript(s) from all schools attended (if an applicant has undertaken prior graduate study, transcript from those programs also must be submitted). Both total GPA and major GPA are important. Students who have enrolled in our program have had above a 3.0 in both categories and candidates are expected to meet this level.
2. All applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General (Aptitude) Test. GRE scores should be a minimum combined score of 300 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the exam. Applicants are expected to have a score of 4.5 or higher on the written portion of the exam. Subject (Advanced) Tests offered by the GRE are not required. If the applicant, in the course of completing graduate school applications, takes other relevant national examination, such as the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), or Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), the applicant may forward those scores to us. However, none can be substituted for the GRE.
3. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from academic sources, must be received by the department before the applicant can be considered for acceptance into our program.
4. The applicant must write a short essay (3 to 5 pages in length) addressing goals and objectives, discussing the following questions:
1. ​​What specific area of Communication are you interested in exploring and which of our faculty member(s) do you consider most appropriate to mentor you in your academic work and why?​
2. Are you interested in studying Communication from a quantitative, social-scientific perspective (as opposed to a more critical cultural or interpretive perspective)?​
3. ​Is there any other information, not covered elsewhere in your application, which you would like to share with the department's Graduate Admissions Committee?​
5. Applicants should submit a writing sample. This may be an essay, a research project manuscript or other piece the applicant believes is a good example of their writing. The sample should be no longer than 25 double spaced pages.
   
6. A video essay, not to extend beyond one minute, based on the topic, "Where do you see yourself in 10 years and how do you see this program assisting you in achieving that goal?" ​
7. Applicants for admission whose native language is not English must take, in addition to the Graduate Record Examination, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and receive a score of at least 650 for the paper based exam, 280 for the computer based exam, and 114 for the internet version. If the applicant is unable to take the TOEFL, the department will also accept scores on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). An IELTS score of 8.5 is expected. All scores must be received before an admissions and/or financial aid decision is rendered.
8. Applicants may visit our campus and meet with the faculty and other graduate students. Applicants should contact the Director of Graduate Studies if they wish to arrange such a visit. In cases where assistantships are being sought, the faculty may request the applicant to visit the department for a formal interview.

Submission of the above material results in a diversity of information about a candidate's skills, talents, background, experience, career goals, motivation, commitment, and potential for scholarship. This information enables the department to select a class of entering graduate students who individually and collectively have the potential for making a substantial contribution to the intellectual environment of the department, university, and field.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• The prospective graduate student must complete the University application online.
• After February 1st, the Graduate Committee meets periodically and makes decisions regarding graduate admissions.
• Applicants for assistantships are ranked according to their scholastic ability and the needs of the department. Assistantships are awarded around February 15th.

All applicants must use the University of Delaware online graduate app​lication web form.