Graduate Admissions

General Information

An applicant must apply either as a degree candidate (M.A. or Ph.D.) or as a non-degree student. The admissions standards for non-degree students are not substantially different from those for degree students; non-degree students ordinarily are not eligible for financial aid; and non-degree students are admitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Those applying as degree candidates must apply to either the M.A. program or the Ph.D. program. The M.A. degree may be taken either as a terminal degree or as preparation for doctoral work; those applying to the M.A. program should have (or be completing) a bachelor's degree in communication or a related field. Applicants to the Ph.D. program should have (or be completing) a master's degree in communication or a related field. Persons who have earned (or are completing) a bachelor's degree who plan to eventually pursue doctoral work should apply to the M.A. program; when they are near completion of the master's degree, they may apply to enter the Ph.D. program.

Requirements and Deadlines

Ordinarily, applications are considered only for admission for the Fall semester (i.e., mid-year entry is discouraged and approved only in unusual circumstances). The preferred deadline for completion of application files is January 15 . Applications completed after the preferred deadline will be considered, but chances of admission and financial aid diminish as time passes. The Admissions Committee begins formal review of applications in February.

The Admissions Committee considers the complete record of the candidate in reaching a decision. The required minimum academic grade point average (for the final 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of undergraduate work) is 3.0 on a four-point scale; normally, those admitted have a grade point average above this minimum. GRE scores must be submitted, but there is no required minimum. Ideally, applicants to the M.A. program will have at least sixteen semester hours of undergraduate credit in speech communication, but this is not a prerequisite to admission; applicants to the Ph.D. program should have strong academic records in their masters' programs. The Committee on Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid considers all candidates in the applicant pool, then makes offers of admission beginning with the most highly qualified candidates and working down until all available spaces in the following year's graduate class have been filled. That is, admission is based not on meeting minimum requirements but rather by ranking high in comparison to other candidates in the applicant pool.

What to Submit

Applications should be completed online at the Graduate College Web Site (www.grad.uiuc.edu/admissions). All applications must be accompanied by payment. Applicants can use the online form to provide a personal statement and recommenders' contact information.

Send transcripts, a writing sample, recommendations (if not submitted online by recommenders) and any additional materials to:

Director of Graduate Study
Department of Speech Communication
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
702 S. Wright Street, Rm. 244
Urbana, IL 61801 USA

A complete application file (for admission and financial aid) must include the following:

A submitted application. Important: In completing the application, the Department Name and Program Name is Speech Communication and the Department Code is 1489. The Program Codes are 10KS0313MA for the masters degree and 10KS0313PHD for the doctoral degree.

Transcripts from all previous college- and university-level work. An official transcript is required from each institution the applicant has attended.

Scores on the General Aptitude portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants must request that scores be sent to us. The code for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is 1836, and the code for the Department of Speech Communication is 4506. Applicants must specify the department, or scores will be delayed in reaching us.

Confidential letters of recommendation from at least three persons who are in a position to evaluate the applicant's academic ability and prospects for success in graduate study (preferably submitted on-line).

A personal statement describing the applicant's relevant education and experience, as well as an expression of interests, goals and career intentions.

A major paper or essay. This need not be a paper written specifically for the application; typically, applicants submit work developed for another purpose (e.g., a term paper for a class). The paper should enable the Admissions Committee to judge the quality of the applicant's best academic work. Applicants should provide whatever information is needed to understand the paper (e.g., the nature of the assignment for which it was written).