Application Process

**Please note that there is an online application procedure for Cohort 2008 (admission in Fall of 2008) applicants. The details of this procedure along with complete instructions appear below.

All supporting materials (i.e. GRE scores, 3 letters of recommendation and professional resume) must be RECEIVED by the URI School of Education by January 31, 2008 to be considered for admission.**

Application for the URI/RIC PhD in Education

Interested parties apply via the URI online Graduate Application that is accessed from the URI Graduate School page of the URI website (http://www.uri.edu/gsadmis/)

The online application process offers a secure and convenient way to apply for admission to our program. You will have the ability to cut and paste your personal statement from any word processing program into the application. You may also have the three letters of recommendation submitted electronically by following the directions in the electronic application. You may pay the $50 application fee on-line by credit card as well or by sending a check via regular mail.

When your application is complete and ready to submit, just click on the "Submit Your Application" button.

*NOTE: GRE Scores must be taken in the last five years and received by the URI Graduate School by the January 31st deadline. Please use the URI institutional code 3919 when submitting scores.

Once an online application has been submitted, all other supporting documents must be mailed directly to:

URI/RIC PhD in Education Program
Attention: URI Co-Director
University of Rhode Island
School of Education, Chafee Building
Kingston, RI 02881

Other Required Evidence:

Personal Statement - Please state your reasons for deciding to pursue a graduate degree in the field you have chosen. Include references to your past study and research in your chosen field, your plans for study in the URI/RIC PhD in Education program, including problems and issues you want to address, and your personal goals.

Three recommendation letters - Two should come from college/university faculty who has direct, detailed knowledge of your academic ability and performance. The other letter should come from a professional in the field - in some sort of formal, supervisory relationship to you - who has direct, detailed knowledge of your ability and performance in teaching (or other form of "clinical" work related to your professional role, such as guidance counselor, speech-language pathologist, etc.).
*NOTE: Any letter of recommendation that a referee prefers to submit in paper form (must be accompanied by the URI Letter Request form and sealed in an envelope).

Resume - 2 copies of your resume are required indicating education, certifications, history of employment, and any awards or publications

Official GRE scores - These should be sent directly from the Testing Agency. GRE scores earned more than five years prior to the term of application will not be accepted. If test results exceed the five-year limit, applicants must retake the examination. Information on the test may be found at www.gre.org or by calling
1-800-GRE-CALL. GRE's are loaded into our system electronically, but you must designate the proper institutional code in order for them to be uploaded properly. The URI Institutional Code is 3919. Please use this code when sending scores.
**Note: It takes approximately 3 weeks (sometimes longer) for scores to be sent to URI and processed by our graduate school. Please take this into account when applying to meet the January 31st deadline.

Transcripts: - Two official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, whether or not you completed a degree program. Transcripts should be in sealed envelopes, signed by the registrar at the issuing institution.

Certificate of Residence - If you think you qualify for Rhode Island in-state tuition and fees or for the Metropolitan Tuition Policy as a regional resident, you must submit the completed affidavit and be approved for resident or regional student status before the beginning of the semester in which you matriculate.

The 10 members of the Ph.D. Program Committee review applications. Selected applicants are invited for an interview in March with recommendations to the Graduate School immediately following. Final decision on admission rests with the graduate dean at URI (in consultation with the graduate dean at RIC), who, after considering the recommendation of the URI/RIC PhD Program Committee, will notify the applicant of the decision. Admissions decisions are made by mid-April. An Orientation Program for new students takes place on the first Saturday morning in May.

The completed application form and all supporting documents must be received by Tuesday, January 31, 2008 at 4:00 pm. This application date allows applicants to be considered for URI and RIC financial aid (including graduate assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships) for the following year. The PhD in Education admits students only for Fall semester and has a different deadline than other graduate programs. Admission is valid only for the term offered and must be reconsidered if a postponement is subsequently requested.

Note: Facsimile (FAX) copies of applications or supporting documents are not accepted. Applications and supporting documents cannot be returned or copies of documents supplied.

International Applicants - Applicants from foreign countries must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 550. Self-administered international application forms can be obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office. The completed application package must be returned directly to the URI/RIC PhD program in the URI School of Education. Inquiries from international students concerning nonimmigrant visas, transfers, funding, etc., should be sent to the URI Office of International Students and Scholars. On- and off-campus housing inquiries should be sent to the URI Office of Housing and Residential Life.

Transfer Credit - Transfer credit can be requested for graduate work taken at other accredited institutions of higher learning. Such credits may not exceed 20 percent of the total credits required for the plan. Doctoral candidates holding a master's degree in the same or a closely related area can request up to 30 of the 86 required credits. The transfer work must have been taken at the graduate level (equivalent to the 500 level or higher in the University of Rhode Island course-numbering system) and a passing grade earned at that institution. It must have been completed not more than ten years for the doctoral plan and must have a clear and unquestioned relevance to the student's plan of study. The request for transfer credit should be accompanied by a proposed plan of study and must have the approval of the student's major professor and the associate graduate deans at URI and RIC. If transfer credit is desired for work taken elsewhere after a graduate student is enrolled at the University, prior approval must be obtained from the associate graduate dean at URI.

Degree Candidates - Applicants must forward directly to the URI PhD Co-Director in the School of Education the completed supporting documents. The Program Co-directors will automatically be notified when the electronic application is submitted. GRE scores should be sent directly to the URI Graduate School (Use institutional code 3919 when submitting scores).

To be accepted as graduate degree candidates, applicants must have maintained an undergraduate grade point average of approximately B (3.00 on a 4.00 scale. Students must also have satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Exam. Applicants with undergraduate averages below the B level may possibly be admitted with submission of other evidence of academic potential; i.e., satisfactory performance in post baccalaureate work, professional experience as evidenced by publications or letters of recommendation, and/or high scores in the standardized tests referred to above.

All students are expected to maintain a cumulative average of B (3.00) or better. Students who do not maintain a cumulative B average will have their status reviewed and may be placed on provisional status or be dismissed. A student placed on provisional status must achieve a cumulative B average within one semester (or nine credits, if part time) or be subject to dismissal.

Advanced Standing - A maximum of 12 credit hours of work taken at the University of Rhode Island or Rhode Island College in non-matriculating status may be applied toward degree requirements if the student is later admitted to a degree plan, but only with the recommendation of the student's plan committee and the approval of the associate graduate deans at URI and RIC. Advanced standing for work taken at another institution must also be included within this limit. The request should be accompanied by a proposed plan of study and satisfy the time constraints listed for transfer credit.

In certain cases, applicants who have been denied admission may be advised to take several courses in non-matriculating status to provide a basis for later reconsideration of their applications. In such cases, these courses are usually regarded as though they were entrance deficiencies and are not accepted for advanced standing within minimum-credit plans of study.