Admission Requirements

Applicants are considered on an individual basis. Transcripts of all undergraduate and any graduate work must be submitted. In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• Baccalaureate Field No restrictions.
• Grade Point Average At least 2.75/4.00 for the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study, and a 3.00/4.00 on all postbaccalaureate or graduate course work combined.
• Tests Required GRE General optional but preferred. Students not submitting the GRE General should submit other evidence to support their application showing their readiness for the MEd in MESA. This evidence includes but is not limited to published research article(s), master’s thesis, and academic transcripts showing successful completion of methodology course work, e.g., UIC MESA certificate or equivalent methodology course work from other institutions. If possible, applicants submitting transcripts as evidence may also submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member with whom applicant has taken a methodology course as additional evidence. Prospective students may contact the program coordinator with any questions about admission.
• Minimum English Competency Test Score
  • TOEFL 80, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Speaking 20, and Writing 21 (iBT Test), or equivalent. Note: Total score is higher than the sum of the subscores; 60, with subscores of Reading 19, Listening 17, Writing 21 (revised Paper-Delivered Test), OR,
  • IELTS 6.5, with subscores of 6.0 for all four subscores, or equivalent, OR,
  • PTE-Academic 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.
• Letters of Recommendation Three letters of recommendation are required.
• Personal Statement This required statement must address the applicant’s professional and scholarly goals.
• Interview If being considered for admission, the applicant may be required to participate in a face-to-face or phone interview with faculty.
• Application Deadlines Application deadlines for this program are listed on the Graduate College website.

Degree Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:

• Minimum Semester Hours Required 32 hours beyond the baccalaureate, at least 9 hours must be at the 500-level, excluding independent study and thesis courses. At least 24 hours, or one-half the minimum number of semester hours of graduate work required for the degree, whichever is greater, must be earned as a degree candidate at UIC.
• Only 400- and 500-level courses can be applied to the degree. Credit toward the degree is only given for courses in which a student received a grade of A, B, C, CR, or S.
• Course Work

Program Course Work

• Comprehensive Examination None.
• Optional Thesis or Research Project  Students electing to complete an optional thesis or research project should earn a minimum of 5 hours in thesis research (EPSY 598). For a thesis involving 5 hours, two types of research are appropriate. The first would emphasize the ability to conduct and write up a secondary data analysis. The second would require the student to write a literature review of publishable quality on a chosen topic. This would include a thesis rationale and review of predominant methods used to investigate the phenomena of interest. For those students wanting to conduct original research, 8 hours will be required.

Interdepartmental Concentrations

Students earning a graduate degree in this department may complement their courses by enrolling in select concentrations after consulting with their graduate advisor. Interdepartmental concentrations available for this degree include:

• Black Studies
• Survey Research Methodology