Information on Applying and Application Materials
Notice regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and GRE requirements:
If you are unable to take the GRE due to COVID-19, you may request a waiver of this requirement by contacting the director of graduate studies at matthew.jacobsmeier@mail.wvu.edu. Applications cannot be reviewed by the department until either GRE scores are received or a waiver is approved.
General Requirements:
- Undergraduate or graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Transcripts from all institutions you have attended or are currently attending
- GRE general test scores (see COVID-19 notice above)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose/personal statement
- CV or Resume
- For international applicants, English proficiency scores when required (see below)
How to Apply:
Thank you for your interest in graduate study in the Department of Political Science
at WVU! The Department welcomes your application and will be happy to answer
any questions that you have. Please direct any questions to Matthew Jacobsmeier, Director of Graduate Studies: matthew.jacobsmeier@mail.wvu.edu
Students applying to the MA or PhD program should apply to start their chosen program in a fall semester. Applications for spring starts are considered only in exceptional circumstances.
The Department considers applications for the PhD and MA programs on a “rolling” basis. However, decisions about which current students and new applicants will receive offers of funding for the next academic year are made during February. Therefore, the Department strongly encourages you to submit your application by January 15th. To be clear, this is the preferred date by which the Department wishes to receive applications. However, the Department still welcomes applications past this date. If funding is freed up because others turn it down, or because funding remains after the Department has considered applications submitted by January 15th, you may still receive funding.
In addition, the Department sometimes nominates outstanding applicants for fellowships provided
by the University. Applicants wishing to be considered for these fellowships should
get their materials in even earlier. All new applicants are considered for funding
automatically.
To apply to the PhD or MA program, you must apply to the University online using the WVU graduate admissions website and
note that you are applying to PhD or MA program in Political Science. All of your materials will be submitted through the University’s online system,
including your GRE scores (if submitted), letters of recommendation, and so on.
You must have three individuals who are well‐positioned
to assess your potential for success in the program submit letters of recommendation on your behalf. You will be asked to provide contact information for your letter writers when you
apply through the University’s online application system. Your letter writers will then be able to submit their letters electronically. The Department
is especially interested in receiving recommendations from professors that you have
had in undergraduate and/or graduate courses who are well‐positioned to assess your
potential for success in graduate school. Of course, if you have a supervisor from
your employment history who is well‐positioned to discuss your intellectual
potential, a recommendation from them is appropriate as well.
Your statement of purpose should be approximately 200-500 words in length. It should describe your intellectual and career goals and how the program that you are applying to will help you achieve those goals.
International applicants who did not receive a bachelor's degree in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand must submit English proficiency scores prior to having their applications reviewed. Formal English proficiency test requirements can be found at the International Graduate Applicant section of the university's "Steps to Apply" page. See How to Apply at the Graduate Admissions webpage for details. The Department of Political Science does not permit conditional admission of applicants who have not submitted required English proficiency scores.