Submit the following materials online:

• Graduate School online application. The Graduate School requires all applicants to use the web application (if you are truly unable to use the web application, e-mail cmuadv@uw.edu).
• Application fee. The application fee must be received and recorded by Graduate Admissions prior to the application deadline. You must pay the fee online using a MasterCard or Visa card (both credit and debit cards are accepted) or a TeleCheck (an online “check” taken from your existing checking account). If eligible for and requesting an application fee waiver, please note you must submit your application a minimum of 7 days prior to the application deadline, and earlier is recommended. Details on application fee waivers are available here.
• Unofficial transcripts from each institution from which you received a degree of Bachelor or higher within the online application. Official transcripts are not required for the admissions application and should not be mailed. An unofficial transcript could be a scan of an opened official transcript, or a printout of your academic history from your university’s web portal. It must include all classes taken, grades received, and degrees granted.
• GRE (Graduate Record Examination). GRE scores are optional. If you have taken the GRE within the last five years, you are encouraged to submit your scores. Applicants should report their scores in the online application, and also have an official score report sent directly to the Graduate School by the Educational Testing Service. GRE reporting code is 4854 (no department code). If reporting codes are not offered as a choice when taking your test, select University of Washington Graduate School (institution).
  • Important: It can take up to two weeks after your testing date or report request for UW to receive your scores, so the GRE should be taken/scores requested no later than November 15 to ensure your scores arrive by the December 1 application completion deadline.
• Applicants who are not native speakers of English must provide evidence of English language proficiency (see Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements) and evidence of spoken English proficiency (see Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English).
• Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States meet both requirements (Note: A master’s or doctoral degree does not satisfy this requirement). Applicants who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. institution must have a minimum total score of 92 and speaking score of 26 if using the TOEFL, and a minimum total score of 7.0 and speaking score of 7.0 if using the IELTS, and must be from a test taken within the past 2 years, as of the date your application is submitted. Have your official scores sent directly to the University of Washington Office of Graduate Admissions. Official TOEFL scores must be transmitted directly by the Educational Testing Service. TOEFL reporting code is 4854 (no department code). Mailed score reports are not accepted.
  • Important: It can take up to two weeks after your testing date or report request for UW to receive your scores, so the TOEFL or IELTS should be taken/scores requested no later than November 15 to ensure your scores arrive by the December 1 application completion deadline.
• Three recommendations. Letters of recommendation from professors are strongly preferred, but if you have been out of school for many years or have another reason for using non-academic references, other professional recommendations are acceptable. These recommendations are completed online and should not be mailed. The online recommendation includes a short questionnaire, ratings assessment, as well as the opportunity to paste or upload a letter. Please designate your recommenders within the online application early to allow enough time for them to submit their online recommendations no later than December 1.
• Letter of intent (2-3 pages) detailing your educational and career goals. Do not send a generic letter that does not pertain to the scholarly opportunities offered by the University of Washington’s Department of Communication. Your letter should:
  • Describe explicitly why you have chosen to apply to earn an M.A./Ph.D. or Ph.D. in communication, and why specifically at the University of Washington. If there are additional UW departments in which you would like to take courses, feel free to mention them.
  • Describe the main ideas and/or veins of theory that interest you as well as the kind of communication phenomena you wish to study.
  • State your academic goals so that the admissions committee may determine whether your goals could be met in our department.
  • Explain how the expertise of the 2-3 particular Graduate Faculty whom you selected in the Overview Questions section could support scholarly interests you would like to pursue.
  • Write this letter honestly and to the best of your ability, because the admissions committee will read it for its substance and as an indicator of your readiness for and fit with this program.

• For Ph.D. applicants: Please provide a sole-authored academic writing sample, roughly 10-30 pages long, that demonstrates your research competence and your ability to produce original scholarship. This might be a thesis chapter, a journal publication, a seminar paper, or something similar. If necessary, edit your paper for length before submitting it with your application. The admissions committee will read your paper to evaluate your writing competence, the clarity of your argument, and the depth of your analysis and insight.
• For M.A./Ph.D. applicants: Please provide a sole-authored academic writing sample, roughly 10-30 pages. This is typically a paper you wrote for a college or university class, but it can also be a thesis chapter, a journal publication, or a seminar paper. The admissions committee will read your paper to evaluate your writing competence, the clarity of your argument, and the depth of your analysis and insight.
• Resume or curriculum vitae. If you don’t have a vitae, don’t worry. A resume will do. If you do have a vitae, use it instead.
• Overview questions. You will be asked about your career goals and research experiences, given the opportunity to explain any transcript anomalies, and asked to specify 2-3 Graduate Faculty by whom you would like to be mentored.
• Supplemental essay (optional). To promote a well-rounded student body, the Department of Communication seeks a diverse pool of applicants for graduate study. To that end, we offer each graduate applicant the opportunity to submit a supplemental essay, described below, as part of the application.
  • In one or two pages, please describe how your experiences and/or academic interests could contribute to a diverse community of communication scholars. For example, you might describe interactions you have had with people of cultural or ethnic backgrounds different from your own, or you might write about intellectual exchanges you have had with persons holding different viewpoints. Your essay might also discuss the unique qualities of your own intellectual or cultural background and how these are likely to enhance diversity in any community.