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.

Additionally, prospective students should have Microsoft Office Excel skills, knowledge of business statistics, and an understanding of basic accounting and microeconomic terms and principles.

Students who require additional training are encouraged to enroll in preparatory courses prior to entrance into the certificate program. For more information on prerequisites, please email Tami Barnes at tbarnes@psu.edu or call 814-865-0073.

Application Materials
 

You will need to submit:

A completed application (including a nonrefundable application fee). The application must be submitted electronically following the directions provided in the application.

A short, one- to two-page résumé. You may upload your résumé during the application process or submit by email to Tami Barnes at tbarnes@psu.edu; please use the following format for the subject line of the email: "Résumé for the Certificate Program – Your last name, your first name."

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 for all graduate and undergraduate coursework completed at an accredited institution, with English translation (literal) of records not in English. You may request that transcripts are sent directly from the institution to the Penn State address provided here. We recommend you also request to be notified when the transcripts are actually sent. Mail transcripts to:

MPS/SCM Program Director
Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems
Smeal College of Business
489B Business Building
University Park PA 16802

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

Acceptance Process
 

Applicants of the graduate certificate program must be admitted by both the certificate program office and the Graduate School at Penn State. The Graduate School will notify the applicant whether or not they meet the Graduate School's baccalaureate degree requirement.

Please note however, that acceptance to the Graduate School is not the same as acceptance to the certificate program. Separate correspondence will be sent from the certificate program office indicating whether or not an applicant has been accepted to the certificate program.

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