Graduate Program Admissions Procedures

The Women's Studies Graduate Program at OSU accepts new students for Autumn quarter only.

Applications for Autumn 2008 should be submitted by December 30, 2007. International applications should be sent by November 30, 2007 to allow for the longer processing time.

Summary of the Application Process

1. File on-line application and pay fee
2. Send transcripts and test scores to the Office of Graduate Admissions
3. Send statement of purpose, transcripts, writing sample, CV, and letters of recommendation to the Department of Women's Studies

Step One

The application process begins on-line at the Graduate Applications Web site, http://gradapply.osu.edu/. This link connects to a secure, password protected application site. Applications can be saved on-line and submitted when complete. In the application, prospective students will be asked to provide:

• contact, demographic and citizenship information;
• education history;
• degree(s) desired;
• GRE and/or TOEFL information;
• payment by credit card of the $40 application fee ($50 for international students).

The Graduate Applications Web site also provides links to downloadable forms for requesting letters of recommendations and transcripts and to additional information about the application process.

Once the application is completed, students are encouraged to view their application status at http://appstatus.osu.edu.

Applicants who cannot use the on-line process should contact Graduate Admissions by e-mail (domestic) or (international) or phone 614-292-9444.

Step Two

Next, applicants must send the following documents to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

• one original academic transcript from all previous and currently-attending colleges (include English translation of each of any foreign documents);
• official copies of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores of the General Exam, especially if the student wishes to be considered for fellowships

Step Three

Finally, the applicant must send the following directly to the Graduate Studies Chair, Department of Women’s Studies, 286 University Hall, 230 North Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210-1311:

• A brief statement of purpose (up to 5 pages double spaced or up to 3 pages single spaced) that explains why the applicant wants to pursue a graduate degree in Women’s Studies. This statement should emphasize your scholarly interests, future career plans, and explain how a graduate degree in the Women’s Studies Department is the logical next step in your professional and intellectual development. You may include insightful information on our background (i.e., where you come from and how far you have come on your intellectual journey, life changing experiences, how research/teaching opportunities or other employment experiences contributed to your development and scholarly interests, etc.). If there is something about your record that requires explanation (for example, you held full-time employment while a student, an illness or event adversely affected your GPA or led you to drop out temporarily), this also is the place to address this briefly and in a matter-of-fact way. Be sure to explain how this department and program fit into your plans for future development and career building. You want your statement to be a compelling argument for why you should be admitted to the program—one that represents just how interesting and well-prepared you are.
• Three letters of recommendation from faculty acquainted with the applicant’s scholastic ability and potential to serve as a teaching or research associate in the Department. These letters must be accompanied by the appropriate form, downloadable from the Graduate Applications website.
• The curriculum vitae/resume is where you should provide information on your educational achievements; relevant employment or internship experiences (teaching, research, administrative); relevant volunteer and public service experiences; publications; presentations at professional or university-sponsored conferences; awards and honors (including grants and scholarships); relevant travel experience such as study abroad; involvement in student organizations and/or athletic and extracurricular activities, etc. If you have received awards for scholarship or academic leadership or service, be sure to explain them for reviewers for whom they will be unfamiliar.
• The writing sample must be in English. It should be on a subject matter relevant to Women's Studies scholarship. It can be a paper prepared for a class, a publication (article, chapter) or a paper presented at a meeting, a chapter or section of a longer work such as a book or thesis, etc. The idea is to show the level of intellectual work that you have achieved. It is recommended that your sample be between 10 and 20 pages in length. If you send a chapter or section form a longer work, include the cover page and an outline of the longer document, indicating where this chapter or section fits in. Do NOT send an entire thesis or a book.
• If the applicant is a not a native speaker of English, official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE), or an equivalent substitute are required. Test scores MUST be received by the Graduate School and the Women’s Studies Department by the application deadline. The applicant should check possible requirements for language testing by international applicants from both English and non-English language countries. Even when English may be a national language, a TOEFL exam may be required where citizens are likely to have grown up speaking another language first. Such is the case for many countries of Europe, Africa and Asia. Exceptions include Australia, Canada and the U.K.

Deadlines

The Department of Women's Studies admits students only for the Autumn Quarter. All domestic application materials must be received by our office by December 30, 2007, for possible admission in Autumn 2008. Application dossiers for international students should be completed by November 30, 2007, to allow for longer processing times.

Prerequisites to Application

The Department of Women's Studies expects applicants to meet or exceed all Ohio State University Graduate School admissions requirements. While the official minimum GPA is 3.0 (on a 4.0) scale, successful applicants to the Women's Studies graduate programs have generally had GPAs of 3.4 or higher.

Masters applicants should have completed at least four courses in Women's Studies (or the equivalent); a major, minor, or certificate in Women's Studies is preferred. Doctoral applicants should have a master's degree in Women's Studies or a closely related field. We also recommend that PhD applicants have a course grounding in feminist theory.

Please note that admission to the Women's Studies Graduate Programs at OSU is very competitive. We admit approximately 15% of the applications received: 8-10 new M.A. students each year and 3-4 new PhD students.