Fall 2010 Graduate Student Application Process

Application Deadlines

For admission in the fall 2010 semester, complete applications including GRE scores and recommendations must be received by December 15th. Students must apply directly to the ASU Graduate College.

Application Process and Admission Requirements

The following information pertains to all three SOS graduate degrees.

Graduate College Requirements

All applicants must meet the basic requirements of the Graduate College

1. Application. ASU uses generic application for all graduate admissions
2. $70 application fee for domestic applicants and $90 application fee for international applicants. Applications submitted without the fee will not be processed or reviewed. In addition to the normal application fee, a $50 non-refundable late processing fee will be charged for ALL applications submitted on or after the dates posted on the Graduate College Website.
3. Official copy of transcripts. Unofficial copies will not be accepted. Students should send transcripts from each university or college they have attended (ASU transcripts do not need to be sent). Official transcripts are normally sent from the issuing institutions in sealed envelopes, stamped, and verified by the issuing institutions.
   
   Mail transcripts to:
   Arizona State University
   Graduate College
   Interdisciplinary Building, B-Wing, Room 170
   P.O. Box 871003
   Tempe, AZ 85287-1003
4. US bachelor's degree. Or the equivalent from a regionally accredited institution, or the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree from an international institution officially recognized by the country in which the institution is located. If the student is completing a bachelor's degree, a transcript will need to be sent both at the time of application and upon completion of the degree.
5. Equivalent to a B average. (Applies to the last sixty semester hours or ninety quarter hours of undergraduate coursework.) Students not meeting the minimum GPA requirement may still be considered, although the School may require additional documents that support the case for admission. (See School GPA requirement below.)
6. Proof of measles immunization. Documentation must be submitted to Student Health; see Immunization Verification at http://students.asu.edu/forms/measles-immunization-form. This is not absolutely necessary for applying to the program, but must be on file before enrolling for courses.

All application materials submitted to the Graduate College will be forwarded to the School of Sustainability.

School of Sustainability Requirements

In addition to the Graduate College's requirements, the School of Sustainability requires the following:

1. Official copy of General Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores. Have the official scores sent directly to the Graduate College. Test scores must be received directly from the agency administering the test. For more information on the GREs visit www.gre.org, or if the student lives near ASU, www.asu.edu/uts. ASU's institution code is 4007 and the department code is 5199.
2. Grade Point Average. The School requires the equivalent of a minimum GPA of 3.25 in the last sixty semester hours or ninety quarter hours of undergraduate work. Applicants not meeting the minimum GPA requirement may still be considered, although the School will require additional documents that support the case for admission. For details on the petition process, applicants should send an email to schoolofsustainability@asu.edu.
3. Recommendations. Three recommendations are required. Applicants will be asked to provide contact information for their recommenders through the online application and will be asked whether or not they would like to waive the right to view the recommendations submitted. Upon completion and submission of the application, the recommendation form and instructions will automatically be sent to the recommender and they will be asked to submit their recommendations online. References should be from educators (preferred) or professionals familiar with the applicant's experience and capability for graduate work. It is highly recommended that the recommendations are academic in nature and address the applicant's experience and potential for success in a graduate program; however, we will also accept professional recommendations. If possible, at least one recommendation should be academic in nature. Applicants will be able to check the status of their recommendations online at MyASU.
   
   Applicants will be rated on their writing ability, formal-speaking ability, reasoning and analysis, mathematics and statistics, and overall intellectual ability. Recommenders are asked to describe how they know the applicant and provide their opinion on the quality of the applicant's academic achievements, intellectual ability and capability to complete advanced work in a graduate program; aspects of the applicant's personality and character significant to graduate work; and special skills and experience as demonstrated in a vocation or profession.
4. Statement of intent. All applicants must upload a statement of intent when completing the online application. In no more than six hundred words, students must explain why they are applying to the School of Sustainability, outline their background, describe expected outcomes from the program, identify potential faculty advisors and areas of research and study, and elaborate on how the degree will support their goals.
5. Resume or CV (optional). Applicants may attach their resume or curriculum vita to their application. This is not required but is recommended.
6. Ranking of top three (3) challenge areas. In the online application, all applicants will be asked to rank the applicant's top three challenge areas of interest. Here are descriptions of the six (6) research challenge areas:
• International Development and Sustainability Historical roots of the idea of development; economic theories of growth and their implications for sustainability; interrelationship among population growth, food security, poverty, inequality, urbanization, technological change, international trade, and environmental change at local, regional, and global scales.
• Sustainable Urban Dynamics Human and physical processes shaping urban ecologies and environments; human-environment interactions in the context of an urban region; effect of institutional and regulatory frameworks on the resilience and sustainability of social and urban-ecological systems; urban design, materials, transport, planning, and regulation.
• Sustainable Water Hydrological, legal, political, and ecological implications of alternative water-management strategies; effect of institutional and regulatory frameworks; changes in water demand and supply due to human (population growth, economic changes) and natural (drought, climate change) factors.
• Sustainable Energy and Material Use Sustainable engineering; overall energy needs and impacts; thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanisms; atmospheric energy systems; field investigation; current and future urban energy systems.
• Sustainable Ecosystems How human activities and management practices alter biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the provisioning of ecosystem services; use of economic and other social-science perspectives to estimate the value of ecosystem services; evaluation of options for achieving the sustainable flow of services from ecosystems.
• Food System Sustainability Takes a broad view of food systems and the sustainability of such systems. Students are exposed to concepts, theory, methods and empirical analyses from diverse disciplines, including agro-ecology, agronomy, political science, agricultural economics, geography, anthropology and food and nutrition studies.

Note: Taking courses for graduate credit as an undergraduate or non-degree student does not ensure admission to the program or acceptance of the acquired graduate credits as part of the Plan of Study.