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.

Admissions preference may be given to those holding master's and doctoral degrees. Those holding bachelor's degrees and appropriate graduate course work should also apply.

Admission to the 18-credit certificate program assumes knowledge of basic statistics. Those without a basic graduate-level statistics course at the point of admission must plan on taking STAT 500 Applied Statistics. Other basic statistics courses may substitute for STAT 500.

There are two required courses — HI ED 801: Foundations and Fundamentals of Institutional Research and HI ED 830: Designing Institutional Research Studies; however, credit may be given for appropriate academic and research experience. All other courses are elective, and 6 of the 18 credits may be transferred from other institutions.

Application Materials
 

Completed application

Résumé or employment history

Personal statement including your career goals, background, etc., limited to one page

One letter of recommendation, preferably from an administrative supervisor, faculty adviser, or institutional research colleague

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.

Official transcript from the institution awarding your highest degree. Mail transcript to:

Graduate Certificate in Institutional Research
College of Education, Higher Education Program
The Pennsylvania State University
400 Rackley Building
University Park PA 16802

How to Apply
 

Individuals seeking admission to this program must complete and submit the Penn State Graduate School online application. Be sure to read the admissions requirements carefully, as each program has unique requirements.