Purdue Logo Left
Brian Lamb Logo Right
Four People in Crowd

FAQs

All Applicants

International Applicants

All Applicants 

What criteria are used to evaluate graduate applications?

Our school evaluates each application to the graduate program using multiple criteria, including undergraduate/master’s grades,  letters of recommendation, fit with our faculty, and prior work/life experience. Median undergraduate GPA for admitted students is 3.7 (4-point scale). If you feel your overall application is a good fit for our program, we encourage you to apply. 

What kind of financial assistance is available?

Students rarely can afford to attend graduate school without financial assistance. We try to offer every student whom we admit to our graduate program a teaching assistantship, provided oral English proficiency has been demonstrated. The teaching assistantship waives tuition as well as most student fees and pays a monthly salary. We also nominate especially talented students for school and university fellowships. For more information about teaching assistantships and fellowship opportunities, look here.

Do I have to have a master’s degree to apply for the doctoral program?

A master’s degree in Communication or related field is required for admission into our PhD program. Some schools admit students with only an undergraduate degree into their PhD program. These students, however, often must overcome additional hurdles that end up slowing their degree completion. Students admitted into our doctoral program at Purdue can complete their coursework, preliminary exams, and dissertation research in four years. Students admitted straight into other doctoral programs that do not require a master’s degree often take at least five to six years to complete their PhD degree.

If I am accepted, can I transfer credit hours from another school to Purdue?

Students can transfer up to six hours from another school towards their MA or PhD degree with approval, but only if these hours were not used to obtain an earlier degree.

If I start out in non-degree seeking status, can I transfer the hours earned in that status to a regular degree-seeking program?

Twelve credit hours with a grade of B or better may transfer towards their MA or PhD degree with approval, presuming that they are admitted into our program and that the courses fit coherently into their eventual plan of study.

What is the deadline for applying to the graduate program?

We begin considering applications for each fall on December 1 of the previous year. Applications will not be considered until they are complete. We will continue to review applications recieved after December 1 until all new graduate student positions are filled. March 15 is the application deadline. We encourage you to apply early!

If I apply to the graduate program in the spring and am not admitted, do I have to pay the application fee again to apply for the following fall?

Yes, the application fee is only good for one academic year. The academic year runs fall, spring, and summer.

Return to top.

International Applicants

What standardized tests do international applicants submit from Educational Testing Services (ETS)?

TOEFL and GRE. To be considered for admission into the graduate program, non-native English-speaking applicants must achieve a TOEFL score of 80 overall; 27 Speaking; 19 Reading; 14 Listening; and 18 Writing. The score must be documented by an official report from ETS and must be no more than two years old at the time the application credentials are reviewed in the Graduate School.

IELTS with a score of 8 or higher will be accepted by the school. Only official TOEFL scores received directly from ETS are acceptable.

All TOEFL scores should be sent to us from ETS as follows: Institution Code 1631, Department Code 83.

Note: The Lamb School does NOT waive English language requirments based on prior attendance at English-based educational institutions.

How old can my TOEFL be?

No more than two years old. The Purdue Graduate School policy regarding the TOEFL is as follows: The score must be documented by an official report from ETS and must be no more than two years old at the time that application credentials are reviewed in the Graduate School. Report of TOEFL scores is valid only if received directly from ETS. Have scores sent to Institution Code 1631; Department Code 83.

If the TOEFL score is more than two years old, the Graduate School may require that you retake the TOEFL.

Can international students apply for teaching assistantships?

Yes. However, in order to be considered for financial support as a teaching assistant, non-native, English-speaking applicants must also achieve a score of 50 or higher on the Test of Spoken English (TSE), 27 (TOEFL) or 8 (IELTS). The score must be documented by an official report from ETS and must be no more than two years old at the time application credentials are reviewed in the Graduate School. For more information, contact gradcom@purdue.edu.

Return to top.