Graduate Program: Admissions

Why Graduate School and MU?

Why should you attend graduate school, and why is MU a great choice for your graduate degree? See a brief video.
Graduate School Admissions Process >>
Big Twelve Reasons to Choose the Department of Communication at Mizzou (pdf).

Admission to the Program

Admission to the program is highly competitive. To be considered for admission, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in their last 60 hours of course work. Applicants are considered once a year for Fall admission (although summer enrollment is possible). All applicants must fulfill the admissions requirements of the Graduate School and show likelihood of successfully completing the departmental program. The Program's Admissions Committee evaluates each application based on the following evidence:

Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative, analytical), taken within the past five years.
Résumé or Curriculum vitae.
Three letters of recommendation, which should come from qualified people (former or present instructors) who can attest to your ability to complete graduate study.
A sample of scholarly writing (e.g., course paper)
A statement of purpose (no more than 500 words) clearly explaining your interest in pursuing a graduate degree, your intended field of study, your professional goals, and your background.

Application Materials

The following items may be uploaded directly to the MU online application system, or they may be forwarded directly to the Department of Communication for review:

department application (pdf)
statement of purpose
3 letters of recommendation
writing sample. The writing sample should be scholarly, but can be on a topic of your choice.
résumé or curriculum vitae
GRE Scores - Must be official. These scores expire after 5 years. We must have current scores. Although there is no set minimum for this test, we do look for a total of 1000 in the verbal and quantitative sections combined, at at least 4.5 on analytical writing.
Three letters of recommendation - Must be sealed and sent directly from the recommender or can be uploaded through the Graduate School's Apply Yourself system.
Official Transcripts - Should be sealed and sent directly from the institution. To speed the process you many also upload an unofficial copy to the Graduate School Apply Yourself system.

Department of Communication
University of Missouri-Columbia
115 Switzler Hall
Columbia, MO 65211-2310
USA

To request an application or additional information about either the MA or the PhD Program in Communication, email the Graduate Program Assistant, Martha Crump.

International Student Admission

Because of the nature of the literature and research within our field, admission to the graduate program by international students requires a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). This is a requirement unless you have been enrolled in regular courses at a US college during the last two years. The minimum requirement for this test is 600 paper based, 250 computer based, 100 internet based. Regardless of the TOEFL score, every international student is required to complete the English Proficiency Exam upon arrival to campus. The score on this diagnostic multiple-choice and essay exam will be used to determine if necessary course work is needed in either English grammar and composition or reading and vocabulary. If your score on this exam indicates that you need more course work, then you will be required to take the English language instruction before taking graduate level courses in the department.

Graduate Program: Admissions

Why Graduate School and MU?

Admission to the Program

Application Materials

International Student Admission

Department

MU Graduate School

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