Prerequisites

For admission to Penn State's Graduate School, an applicant must have received, from an 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.) All applicants are expected to have earned a junior/senior grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Application Materials:

• Statement of professional experience and goals: This 1–2 page original essay should include a description of your professional experience, as well as a clear statement of how your professional goals may be advanced through participation in the MEd in Earth Sciences program. The essay itself should demonstrate your communication skills.
• Professional Sketch or Vita: Included in this document should be a statement about the current status of the applicant's state science teaching certification — if applicable.
• Two letters of recommendation: These letters (from current and former employers, clients, or educators) should attest to your readiness for graduate study and reflect your secondary science teaching experience. Your recommenders should also describe their relationship to you.
• Official transcripts: Official transcripts from each postsecondary institution attended to date.
• Official GRE or MAT test score: Official Graduate Records Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) score should be included with the application portfolio. Applicants can have scores submitted directly from the testing center using Penn State's Institution Code: 2660. *Note — Applicants who are at least 5 years removed from a baccalaureate degree may request a waiver of this requirement. Include with your application a brief statement explaining exactly why you are requesting the waiver and include information regarding how many years you have been removed from formal education, the number of years of teaching experience you have, any education you have received beyond the undergraduate level, and any other information you think would be applicable.
• International applicants whose first language is not English or who have received a baccalaureate or master's degree from an institution in which the language of instruction is not English, please refer to the international students page for more information about language proficiency.

Apply Now
 

To apply to this program as a degree or nondegree 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 "EARTH SCIENCES" as the major.
      3. Choose "M ED" 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 Education in Earth Science degree program.

To apply as a nondegree graduate student:

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

Check Status
 

Use these options for applications already in progress or to check the status of an application previously submitted.

• Continue application already in progress
• Check the status of a submitted application