Application Fee
A non-refundable processing fee of $45 is required for application for admission to graduate study in Arts and Sciences. This fee is not credited to the student’s account. There is not an application fee for admission as a non-degree seeking (post-baccalaureate) student.
Procedure
The online application procedure can be found by visiting http://www.wm.edu/as/graduate/admission/index.php.
Additional information about admission to graduate study should be requested from the director of graduate studies in the department/program to which the applicant intends to apply. Beginning graduate students may enter in the fall, spring, or summer session of each year at the discretion of the department/program committee. Applicants should be aware that deadlines for submitting the application package vary with the individual departments/programs. Students should consult the department/program of his or her interest for its application deadline or refer to the website, http://www.wm.edu/as/graduate/about/contactprograms/index.php. Applications submitted after the program’s deadline may be evaluated if space is available. Non-degree seeking applicants should apply as non-degree seeking (post-baccalaureate) students through the Office of the University Registrar.
Each student applying for admission must submit scores on the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytical Writing sections of the GRE, which is administered by ETS. In addition, some graduate programs require prospective students to include scores on the subject portion of the GRE test. Applicants must request ETS to send GRE scores directly to the graduate program to which they are applying. In conformance with the availability of GRE Scores from ETS, test scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which an applicant tested (July 1-June 30); only scores sent directly by ETS are accepted.
Applicants whose native language is not English must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), which is administered by ETS, or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Applicants must request ETS/IELTS to send TOEFL/IELTS scores directly to the graduate program to which they are applying. In conformance with the availability of both TOEFL Test Scores from ETS and Test Report Forms from IELTS, scores are no longer valid after two years; only scores sent directly by either ETS or IELTS are accepted.
The TOEFL/IELTS requirement can be waived for applicants who will have received a baccalaureate or master’s degree, or its international equivalent, from a college or university in which English is the primary language of instruction. A transcript will be required as evidence of successful interaction in English as a primary language. The petition for such a waiver is handled by the Arts & Sciences graduate program to which the candidate is seeking admission, with approval for the waiver at the discretion of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, College of Arts & Sciences.
A student can be enrolled in only one graduate program in A&S, unless the programs are listed at the front of this catalog as joint or concurrent degree programs. Exceptions require written approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and the Directors of Graduate Studies for both degree programs. In general, exceptions will only be approved for students who have completed all of the coursework required for one of the A&S degree programs. A student cannot receive stipend or tuition funding simultaneously from more than one W&M degree program, unless the degree programs are listed as joint or concurrent at the front of this catalog.
Degree Seeking Students: For admission an applicant must have completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution, must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or more on a 4.0 scale, and must have the recommendation of the graduate committee in the program in which he or she intends to study for a degree. The requirement of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 can be waived. The petition for such a waiver is handled by the Arts & Sciences graduate program to which the candidate is seeking admission, with approval for the waiver at the discretion of the Committee on Graduate Studies and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, College of Arts & Sciences.
All recommendations for admission, except for non-degree seeking students, must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Arts and Sciences. No student will be admitted later than one month before the start of the semester. Because of the time required to process visa applicants, no foreign student may be admitted later than three months before the start of the semester.
All requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within six years from the first term of enrollment in the master’s program, excluding periods of approved leave and military service.
All Requirements for the Ph.D. must be completed within seven years from the first term of enrollment in the Ph.D. program, excluding periods of approved leave and military service. For a student enrolled in a master’s program in the College of Arts and Sciences who subsequently advances to candidacy in the doctoral program in the same field, the terms of enrollment in the master’s program will count towards the seven-year limit for the doctoral degree unless otherwise stated in the letter of admission.
Non-Degree Seeking (Post-Baccalaureate) Students: Graduate courses in Arts and Sciences (courses numbered 500 and above) are restricted to degree-seeking students. In special circumstances, individuals who wish to take graduate courses but are not considered degree-seeking students may be allowed to apply to the College as a non-degree seeking (post-baccalaureate) student through the Office of the University Registrar. You will need to obtain permission from the instructor and the department’s director of graduate studies prior to admission. Prospective students should also contact the department/program of interest for consideration. Only individuals who have been approved by the department/program will be allowed to register. The Non-Graduate Credit Permission Form is available through the Office of Graduate Studies and Research (757-221-2467), from the department where you intend to take classes and on the website of the University Registrar. Complete the form and have it signed by the instructor and the department’s director of graduate studies and return it to the Office of the University Registrar with your application for admission. Students must present evidence to the Office of the University Registrar that they have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Generally, non-degree seeking students must present academic or other credentials comparable to those of regularly admitted students. Non-degree seeking students must reapply each semester.
Transfer of Graduate Credit
On the recommendation of the student’s major department/program committee and with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, a regular student may transfer up to six hours of graduate credit earned at another accredited institution of higher learning and apply these six credits toward the credits needed for an advanced degree at William and Mary. The credits must have been earned in courses appropriate to the student’s program at William and Mary, must fall within the time specified by the general College requirements for degrees, and cannot have been used by the student to satisfy any undergraduate or graduate degree requirements. An official transcript must be provided to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research. Credit may be transferred only for courses in which the student received a grade of B or higher and will not be counted in compiling his or her cumulative grade point average at William and Mary.
Granting Graduate Credit for W&M Graduate-Level Courses Taken by Non-Degree Seeking or Undergraduate Students
No graduate-level credits earned as an undergraduate or non-degree seeking student at the College of William and Mary can be used to meet the requirements for a W&M graduate degree without written approval from the department’s/program’s graduate committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research after the student has been admitted to the graduate program.
With written approval from the department’s/program’s graduate committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, an admitted graduate student may apply toward an advanced degree at William and Mary part or all of the graduate-level credit earned at William and Mary as an undergraduate or non-degree seeking student. The credits must have been earned in courses appropriate to the student’s graduate program at William and Mary and cannot have been used by the student to satisfy any undergraduate degree requirements unless the student has been admitted to an approved accelerated degree path (see Public Policy ). Credit can be considered for acceptance only for courses in which the student received a grade of C or higher. If the course was repeated as a non-degree seeking or undergraduate student at W&M, the department’s/program’s graduate committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research may choose to accept either the most recent grade or to calculate the graduate student’s quality point average and cumulative grade point average at W&M using both the original grade and the grade earned in the repeated course. For the purposes of the College’s time limits for meeting degree requirements, the semester of matriculation in the W&M graduate program will serve as the starting date for non-degree seeking or undergraduate credit that has been converted to graduate credit.
Campus Safety - Clery Act
The College of William and Mary complies with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act. Crime statistics and the annual Campus Safety Report are available from the Office of Institutional Research.
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