Graduate Admissions and Aid

•    Complete the online graduate application.
•    A non-refundable application fee.
•    The application will require you to upload unofficial transcripts. Official copies of transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended will be required if admitted to the program.
•    Résumé/CV.
•    A Goals Statement. The goals statement should answer the question: "How has your past experienced prepared you to engage in conflict, and how will this program equip you for your future?" There is no length requirement.
•    Two Letters of Recommendation. These letters can be from faculty, colleagues, or supervisors who can attest to your ability to perform well in this professional program.

•    Complete the online graduate application. Graduate Certificate options can be found under the Degree Programs tab.
•    A non-refundable application fee.
•    The application will require you to upload unofficial transcripts. Official copies of transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended will be required if admitted to the program.
•    Résumé/CV.
•    A Goals Statement. The goals statement should answer the question: "How has your past experienced prepared you to engage in conflict, and how will this program equip you for your future?" There is no length requirement.
•    One Letter of Recommendation. This letter can be from a faculty, colleague, or supervisor who can attest to your ability to perform well in this professional program.

You will submit all items required for the application through your application portal. If you want to pursue a PhD from the Carter School, you will need:

• A completed Online Application for Graduate Study.
• A baccalaureate degree AND a graduate level degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or international equivalent, which must be verified from official transcripts. (MA, MS, JD, etc.)
• Transcripts:The application will require you to submit unofficial transcripts. In addition, an official copy of transcripts from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended are also required upon admission. Transcripts must be in sealed, unopened envelopes to be considered official.
• A goals statement, which answers these questions:
  
  • How has your past experience prepared you to engage in doctoral study at the Carter School?
  • What areas of study and questions are driving your interest in doctoral studies at the Carter School? In other words, what do you want to research?  (This is not intended to be a full dissertation proposal, but rather about five pages explaining your area of interest for your inquiry throughout your doctoral journey.)
  • How will this program equip you for your future?
• Please limit your goals statement to about 9-12 pages double spaced, and be sure to address each of the three questions.
• Three letters of recommendation, which can be from faculty, colleagues, or supervisors who can attest to your ability to perform well in a doctoral program. Letters should be submitted electronically. When you include the name and contact information of your references, a link will be emailed to them to submit their letters online.
• A writing sample, submitted electronically, which must be authored only by you and demonstrate your potential to complete dissertation research. Examples include a master's-level thesis or a graduate-level research paper. There is no length requirement, however please provide a full paper, or a full chapter or at least a full section of a longer work, as generally we need to read at least ten pages of writing to get a sense of your academic writing.
• A current résumé or curriculum vitae.
• A GRE score is NOT required, but may be submitted. Those who submit GRE scores are not favored over those who don't.
• Interview: Interviews are conducted by invitation only for selected applicants.

International Transcript Evaluation

All transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be translated into English, if applicable, and submitted for evaluation to the Mason Office of Admissions. Mason will provide evaluation service free of charge for all international transcripts. However, during peak application times, more time may be needed to process applications requiring a Mason evaluation. If you are concerned that Mason will take too long with your evaluation, you can use an outside agency to conduct your evaluation.  Any outside agency must be a NACES recognized U.S. evaluation service at their own expense.  For more information, please visit https://www.naces.org/members.  If you decide to use an external evaluation service, GPA and Degree equivalences must be included with your course-by-course evaluation. The Office of Admissions has final authority on all evaluations. Evaluations are used for internal purposes and are not released to applicants.  

English Language Proficiency

George Mason University requires all applicants to provide proof of English proficiency through a standardized test. It is required of all applicants unless they have earned a bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited university in the United States, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada (excluding Quebec), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom, Zambia, Zimbabwe. If you have earned your degree from outside of this list of countries, you will be required to submit scores from an English proficiency test. This requirement is a George Mason University-wide policy, and we are not able to waive it. Students have four options for submitting scores: a TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson, or Duolingo.  For additional information, please visit https://www2.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/apply-now/how-apply/international/english-proficiency-requirements

Minimum scores required for each exam:
•    TOEFL: 88 points, minimum of 20 points in each section
•    IELTS: 6.5 total band score
•    Pearson: minimum score of 59
•    Duolingo: 120 minimum score
*Applications without English proficiency scores will not be reviewed.

For all other international application questions, please visit the Catalog.