Admissions

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• Prerequisites and Getting Started
• Technical Requirements
• Applying

Prerequisites and Getting Started

If you have questions throughout the admissions process, please contact our admissions counselors.

For admission to the Graduate School, U.S. applicants must have received, from a regionally accredited institution, a bachelor's degree with requirements substantially equivalent to those at Penn State. (Penn State is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.) International applicants must have a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree to apply for admission.

This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates. To assure a smooth transition to our program, applicants should have Microsoft Office Excel skills, knowledge of business statistics, and an understanding of accounting and microeconomic principles.

Technical Requirements

Our courses are designed to use technology in a way that enriches the learning experience and helps students communicate and collaborate with faculty and classmates in a productive and convenient way. Technology is an important cornerstone of this program; therefore, we provide "live" support from HelpDesk support staff through real-time chat. Please view the technical requirements for this program.

Applying

Note: All 12 credits from the graduate certificate in supply chain management may be applied toward the master of professional studies in supply chain management degree. To assure that all students are well qualified for graduate work, admission standards for the certificate program are the same as for the master's degree program. These graduate supply chain programs also share the same admissions review process and tuition rates.

1. After reading through the admissions requirements, start the application process.
2. Applicants must submit the following materials via surface mail to the address below:
   1. A one-page résumé
   2. A statement describing your professional goals, experience, and responsibilities (2 pages maximum)
   3. One letter of recommendation
   4. Two official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate programs previously attended.
   5. Official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) test scores
      Applicants to our program represent diverse educational and employment backgrounds, and the GMAT provides a common assessment standard. Requiring applicants to submit an official GMAT score for the Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management and the Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management programs helps assure that all graduate supply chain management students are well qualified.
      1. Applicants must take the Official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and have scores reported directly from the testing center to Penn State. The GMAT must be taken no more than 5 years prior to the application. To learn about test centers and schedules, or to request that a previously taken GMAT score be reported to Penn State, please visit http://www.mba.com/. The GMAT program code for the Smeal College of Business online supply chain programs is ZZ8-HD-64. Applicants who wish to submit previously taken GMAT scores should consult www.mba.com for instructions on how to submit those scores to this program.
   6. International Students — Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score The language of instruction at Penn State is English. International applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, 213 for the computer-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 20 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT). The minimum composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. Specific graduate programs may have more stringent requirements.
      1. International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement if they have received a baccalaureate or a master's degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Wales.

Please mail all application materials to:

MPS/SCM Program Director
Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems
Smeal College of Business
426A Business Building
University Park PA 16802

If you have questions about your application, contact: Tami Barnes at 814-865-0073 or tlh3@psu.edu.