Admissions

Application Requirements

To apply for admission into a graduate program, applicants are required to submit the following to the Admissions Office:

• Graduate application for admission.
• Non-refundable application fee: $25 for U.S. citizens or permanent residents, $50 for international applicants. Do not send cash. Please print applicant’s first and last name on the check or money order.
• Official transcript from your baccalaureate degree granting college/university. The transcript must indicate degree received and date of graduation. The transcript must be sent directly from the institution to the Admissions Office. (Applicants to CAGS programs are not required to submit a transcript from the baccalaureate degree granting college/university but must submit a transcript from the master’s degree granting institution. See below.)
• Official transcripts from all graduate programs from which you are requesting transfer credit and, if applicable, all institutions from which you have received graduate degrees. Transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to the Admissions Office. If you are applying to a CAGS program, you must submit an official transcript from your master’s degree granting institution listing degree received and date of graduation.
• Standardized test scores. All master’s degree programs require the official results from one of the three following tests: the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Test scores more than 5 years old are not valid. Please refer to the list below for the appropriate test. Test scores are not required for applicants to certificate or CAGS programs or for those seeking a second master’s degree.
• GMAT or GRE is required for all applicants to the MBA program.
• GRE is required for all applicants to the MA or MAT in Biology, MEd in Science Education, and MS in Computer Science.
• GRE or MAT is required for all applicants to MA or MAT in English or history, all MEd programs (except science education), and the MS in applied communication, counseling, and nursing.
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals under whom the applicant has studied or under whose supervision they have worked in a professional capacity. Please use the Letter of Recommendation forms provided in the Graduate Application. All letters of recommendation must be mailed by the author directly to the Admissions Office.
• A professional resume.
• A personal statement. Required only for applicants to certificate programs in behavior analyst, forensic nursing (see specifics in program section), MS in counseling and nursing and all MEd programs with the exception of occupational education, science education, and secondary education.
• A writing sample. Required only for applicants to the MA in history.
• A copy of current U.S. RN license for applicants to the MS or certificate. (Applicants who reside and work outside the U.S. are not required to hold a U.S. RN Licence but instead must possess a current licence from the country they reside in and/or for which they will complete clinical coursework hours.)
• IMPORTANT: The following additional items are required for applicants to teacher preparation, MAT, MEd, and CAGS in education programs, as well as the MS in school guidance counseling programs. (If you are applying to a degree program that does not lead to a Massachusetts teaching license, such as the MEd in curriculum and teaching or secondary education, you are not required to submit the two items listed below.)
  • Passing scores for the Communications and Literacy subtests of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) are required for all applicants to graduate and certificate programs leading to initial licensure to teach in the state of Massachusetts. MTEL Communications and Literacy results are also required of all applicants to the CAGS Educational Leadership and Management: School Principal or Supervisor/Director. Note: Subject area MTEL test(s) must be completed prior to student teaching.
  • Copy of initial teaching license for applicants to programs leading to professional licensure. (If you have a valid initial teaching license from Massachusetts, you do not need to submit the Communications and Literacy subtest scores referred to above.)

The application, fee and other requested materials should be sent to:

Office of Admissions
Fitchburg State University
160 Pearl Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420-2697

Admissions Office Hours

Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Contact Us

If you have questions and would like to speak to an admissions representative, please contact (978) 665-3144 or e-mail admissions@fitchburgstate.edu.

Additional Application Requirements for International Students

Non U.S. citizens who do not possess a permanent visa with an alien registration number must submit the paperwork listed below in order to be considered for admission to Fitchburg State University. Students on F-1 or J-1 visas must study on a full-time basis and are not eligible for state or federal financial aid.

International Applicants

In addition to requirements listed above, applicants with international credentials must submit the following:

• International Application Supplement
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This test is required of all international applicants with the exception of those who have earned a high school, associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree from an institution in the United States or applicants from Great Britain, Ireland, Australia or Canada. The minimum passing test score is 550 (paper-based test), 213 (computer-based test), and 79 (internet-based test). Official score results must be sent from the testing agency to the Admissions Office and must be dated within the past five years. For more information about the TOEFL test please visit www.toefl.org.
• Transcripts:
  • The school accepts only official transcripts that are signed and stamped. (If the seal on the envelope is not intact, the transcript will not be accepted)
  • All international students must have their foreign transcripts evaluated. (For evaluation of your transcripts, go to the Center for Educational Documentation Web site: www.cedevaluations.com)
  • If your transcripts are not in English, they must be translated. (If you need to translate your transcripts to English, please go to the International Documentation Center Web site: www.eurasiacom.com)
• F-1 and J-1 applicants only. If you plan to study at Fitchburg State University under an F-1 or J-1 visa status you must submit the appropriate financial documentation with your application for admission.
• Financial Verification Forms
• Photocopies of all previous I-20s (front and back).
• Photocopies of your passport and visa, if you are currently in the United States.
• Photocopy of I-94 form (front and back), if you are currently in the United States.

Deadlines

Completed applications are reviewed on a rolling admission basis. On average, admission decisions are mailed four to six weeks after an application file is complete. Applicants who are accepted to a program after the add/drop period (traditionally, two weeks after the start of the semester) will be accepted for the subsequent semester.

Exception: International applicants must complete their applications by the deadlines listed below. The admissions office cannot guarantee that students completing applications after the published deadline will receive an admission decision in time to process visa requests. Accordingly, late applications may be deferred a semester at the discretion of the Admissions Office.

• Fall semester deadline: July 15
• Spring semester deadline: December 1

Admissions Procedures

Once all application materials have been received by the Admissions Office, the appropriate departmental committee reviews an applicant’s qualifications and makes a recommendation. The admission process is completed when the director of admissions concurs with the program’s decision and approves or denies the applicant’s admission. While admission decisions are prompted by a completed application, the admissions process and its outcome are based on academic department criteria.

Admissions Standards and Criteria

Applicants who meet the following minimum criteria are eligible for consideration for admission:

• A 2.8 average or better on a 4.0 scale from an accredited four-year institution
• A score greater than 50th percentile on either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Some programs have additional requirements. Please refer to the relevant program descriptions in this publication.

Applicants who meet just one of the two admissions criteria but exceed in the other and who have additional evidence of academic promise are considered upon recommendation from the appropriate program chair. Students lacking prerequisites but meeting certain other admissions requirements may be admitted to certain programs under a plan of study that includes the necessary prerequisites upon written approval of program chairs.

Transfer of Credit

The university accepts a maximum of six semester hours in transfer credits from regionally accredited graduate schools. Transfer credit requests are acted upon as part of the admission process when a student submits the Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit Form, official transcripts from the appropriate institution and has been accepted into the graduate program. Transferred courses are not included in the cumulative GPA. No requests for transfer credits are accepted during the semester prior to a student’s anticipated graduation.

The transfer of credits must be approved by the program chairperson and by the dean and meet the following criteria:

• A grade of B (3.0) or better; pass/fail grades are not transferrable
• Courses accepted in transfer must carry graduate level credit above the professional development level
• Courses must be relevant to degree specialization
• Transferred courses are only valid if taken within six years of the date of graduation from a matriculant’s graduate program
• Courses previously counted toward a graduate degree or CAGS from Fitchburg State University or another accredited institution do not qualify for transfer towards a Fitchburg State University master’s or CAGS program

Courses Taken at Fitchburg State Prior To Admission

Twelve semester hours of Fitchburg State University credit taken within a year prior to the student’s admission may be applied to the degree program with the approval of the program chairperson. No more than six semester hours of course work at the 6000 level may be applied toward a degree program.