How to apply

How to apply:

To apply for the Global Higher Education (GHE) MS program, you will need to complete the online application form through the Graduate School website. Click here to start your online application
​Please create your own account and then follow the instruction on the website.

  • In the section of “​Program Select”, you must enroll for Fall semester and select“Ed Leadership & Policy Analysis MS– Global Higher Ed” as your “Intended Field of Study”.
  • Attention: “Ed Leadership & Policy Analysis MS– Global Higher Ed” and “Ed Leadership & Policy Analysis MS“ are ​separate graduate programs. Only applications ​that identify “Ed Leadership & Policy Analysis MS– Global Higher Ed” as the intended field of study will be considered for admission to the Global Higher Education Master’s program.
  • Upload all required documents to the online application system. Please see below for a list of required documents.
  • The GHE Program may honor application fee waivers to promising applicants (both domestic and international). Please contact the program director Dr. Weijia Li for more details.

Required document:

The ​following documents must be uploaded to your online application. None of those can be accepted via mail or email.

  • Unofficial transcripts. Transcripts are analyzed to determine undergraduate grade point averages (GPA). In addition, transcripts are examined to determine past academic concentrations, the pattern of courses taken, and the trend of grades received. No GPA renders an applicant automatically admissible or inadmissible. Attention: You will need to send official transcripts should you be recommended for admission to our program. International academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation.
  • Resume/CV.
  • Three letters of recommendation. We require recommendations from three (3) people who are qualified to evaluate the academic and professional competence of the applicant.  When completing your online application to the Graduate School, you will submit the names and emails of those you wish to submit letters of recommendation for you. The recommendations will then be submitted electronically.
  • Application Essay (Reason for Study). Each applicant must submit a “Reasons for Study” essay. The GHE program has its own special instructions and outline for the application essay. Please read below the instructions for writing GHE application essay.
  • Supplemental Document (optional, not required). An applicant whose undergraduate GPA is below 3.0 may submit a statement (no more than two pages) explaining why their undergraduate GPA does not reflect their capabilities and competence of completing a master’s degree program.

Instructions for writing the GHE Application Essay (updated on August 10, 2023)

Attention: Application essay (Purpose of Study) that does not follow the instructions and the outline below will not be considered during the application review.

We know that different cultures and different education systems may have different ​standards and expectations about the content, the scope, and the style of an application essay for a graduate program​. So, you don’t need to imitate the American style of a “Statement of Purpose” if this is not a common genre in your culture. (For example, you don’t need to describe how your childhood experience inspired your interest in international higher education, which happened rarely to most of us.) We respect and celebrate the cultural diversities brought by applicants and students from around the world. To treat every applicant with fairness and the mind of globalized society, we ​ask you to ​use the following instructions and outline when writing your “​Reason for Study” essay for the GHE program.

1. Please write “Global Higher Education (GHE) MS program” on the top of your essay.
2. Please clearly indicate that the Global Higher Education (GHE) MS Program is the graduate program you are applying for in the first paragraph of your essay.
3. Explain why you are applying for the GHE program. (Please note that the GHE program is not a teacher training program.) Please tell us how your background and life experiences, including cultural, geographical, social, educational background and personal experiences, or other opportunities or challenges have motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the GHE program.
4. What are your expectations from the GHE Program? What aspects or characteristics of the GHE program attract you most? Why? (Hint: Please read our program website carefully.)
5. How can your cultural, educational, and personal experiences contribute to the GHE cohort, a learning community of inclusion, belonging, and respect? How can you help enhance other GHE students’ mental health, wellbeing, and sense of belonging?

We believe that every applicant’s experience is unique, and they may choose their best way to illustrate who they are and why they are applying for the GHE program. Hence, we don’t set word limit, nor specify the length of your application essay.

Are you ready? Click here to start your online application