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/howtoapply.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/deadlines.php. Degree-seeking applicants may be admitted as regular or provisional graduate students. 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, quantitative, and analytical sections of the GRE. Applicants must request ETS to send GRE scores directly to the department/program to which they are applying. In addition, some departments/programs require prospective students to include scores on the subject portion of the test. There must be no more than five years between the William & Mary term that the test was taken and the William and Mary term in which the application is submitted. GRE information bulletins with test registration forms may be obtained by visiting the web site, http://www.gre.org or calling 609-771-7670.
The TOEFL is required for all students for whom English is not a first language. Applicants must request ETS to send TOEFL scores directly to the department/program to which they are applying. Information for the TOEFL can be found at http://www.ets.org/toefl. Inquiries about specific admissions requirements may be addressed to the department/program of interest.
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.
Regular Graduate Students: For admission as a regular graduate student an applicant must have completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution, must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or more on a 4.0 scale, and must have the recommendation of the department/program committee in which he or she intends to study for a degree. Note: Students may apply to W&M prior to receiving their bachelor’s degree. However, admission to the A&S graduate program is conditional upon submission to the Office of Graduate Studies and Research of final official transcript(s) or Marks statement/transcript and degree/graduation certificate (where relevant for international students) in the institution’s sealed envelope, confirming that a bachelor’s degree has been conferred. If students have indicated on their application to W&M that a Master’s degree from another institution has been conferred or is pending, admission to W&M is also conditional upon submission of the above official documents confirming that a Master’s degree has been conferred.
Provisional Graduate Students: Applicants with less than a 2.5 cumulative grade point average may be admitted as provisional graduate students upon the recommendation of the department/program committee.
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.
Non-Degree Seeking (Post-Baccalaureate) Students: In special circumstances, individuals who wish to take graduate courses in Arts and Sciences (courses numbered 500 or above) but are not considered degree-seeking students may be allowed to apply to the College as a non-degree seeking (post-baccalaureate) student. For application information, see the University Registrar web page. Prospective non-degree seeking students must present evidence to the Office of the University Registrar that they have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. 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. Generally, nondegree 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. |
