For admission to the Graduate School, an applicant must hold either (1) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or (2) a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates.

All applicants are expected to have earned a junior/senior grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Transfer Credit
 

You may transfer up to 10 graduate credits from another accredited program into the degree program, with approval.

Application Materials

A nonrefundable application fee

Statement of purpose

Three letters of recommendation

Résumé or vitae

English Proficiency — The language of instruction at Penn State is English. All international applicants must take and submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS), with some exceptions. Minimum test scores and exceptions are found in the English Proficiency section on the Graduate School "How to Apply" page.

Two official transcripts from each institution in which a degree was conferred. Please submit all official documents to:

Administrative Coordinator
Community and Economic Development Graduate Program
305 Armsby Building
University Park PA 16802
Phone: 814-863-5884
Email: CEDEVinfo@psu.edu

When all materials have been received, we will notify you about your status and provide guidance about the next steps in becoming a Penn State student.

How to Apply
 

To apply to this program as a degree student, you must complete the graduate school application.

Applying to the Master's Degree
 

1. Read the admissions requirements.
2. Begin the graduate school application.
   1. On the "Admissions and Program Information Portal" page, choose "Apply Now."
   2. When you get to the "Campus, Major, Degree & Semester" page:
      1. Choose "WORLD CAMPUS" as the campus.
      2. Choose "COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT" as the major.
      3. Choose "M P S" as the degree.

Applying as a Nondegree Graduate Student

To begin taking courses right away, apply as a "nondegree" graduate student. You may take up to 15 credits in nondegree status before submitting your application portfolio.

Note: If you apply as a nondegree graduate student, you must re-apply to the master's degree to be considered for admission into the Master of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development degree program.

To apply as a nondegree graduate student:

1. Read the admissions requirements
2. Begin the application process