Admissions

Applicants must provide application materials to both the Washington State University Graduate School and the Department of Health Policy and Administration to be considered for admission.  The Graduate Application Checklist indicates the application components required by each entity.

Admission Requirements

Admission standards conform to the requirements of the Washington State University Graduate School.  An undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better is expected.

Transcripts:  For admission to the Graduate School and the Department, you must submit official transcripts (official transcripts are those mailed directly from the registrar of the institution you attended) from each of the following:

• Colleges or universities from which any degrees have been granted to you, or from which you expect a degree to be granted. Include transcripts that show the last 60 graded semester or 90 graded quarter hours of undergraduate work taken.
• Colleges or universities at which you have taken graded graduate-level (including doctoral) course work after earning your bachelor's degree.
• Colleges or universities at which you have taken courses in microeconomics and financial accounting to satisfy prerequisite requirements.
• Students requesting transfer credit for their program of study must submit official transcripts from colleges or universities showing this credit. Complete credentials should be on file at least one month before registration. Transcripts are not required for course work taken at Washington State University.

Letter of Intent/Introduction:  Letter of intent and introduction indicating career goals, commitment to a health care profession, and any distinctions in professional activity. The letter should include a discussion of the students’ educational background, experiences related to health policy or management and professional interests. There is no standardized letter of intent and introduction; a standard business letter sent directly to the Department Chair is appropriate.

Letters of recommendation:  Three original letters of recommendation are required. These letters are used to help the Program assess the quality of the students’ academic and work experiences. There is no standardized recommendation form; a standard business letter sent directly to the Department Chair is appropriate.

GRE or GMAT Official Scores:  GRE or GMAT scores are required for admission to the Health Policy and Administration Program, except for applicants holding a professional doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., J.D., D.D.S.) or Ph.D. from a U.S. accredited school.  Significant weight is given to GRE aptitude (verbal and quantitative combined) total scores of at least 1000, or a GMAT aptitude score of at least 500.  However, indications of academic ability as expressed by undergraduate grade point average and professional experience will be of greater importance than specific undergraduate background and GRE or GMAT scores.  Washington State University school code is 4705; there is no Department code.

International Students:  There are several additional requirements for international applicants.  International students must submit an official TOEFL or MELAB score report.  International students must also submit the completed Certificate of Financial Responsibility.  Self-supporting students must include official bank verification of adequate funds.  Consult the Washington State University Graduate School for additional information about the requirements.

Student Status Classifications

There are several student status classifications:

Regular graduate student status:  In general, admission to the Graduate School on a regular student status requires a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 semester hours of graded undergraduate work or graded graduate study of 12 semester hours or more. If your GPA is below 3.0, Washington State University  may grant provisional admission if a department recommends you, provided your total record indicates a high probability of success.  Departmental approval is required for any admission, regardless of grade point average.  Departments may require higher levels of performance than those cited. Because of limitations within certain departments, it may be necessary to deny admission to some qualified candidates.

Undecided Graduate (UND-G):  The undecided graduate classification is for potential graduate students who have not fulfilled the application requirements at the time of (or just prior to) registration. Under this classification, students are processed immediately and the students are subject to the following:

• Required to pay graduate fees;
• Permitted to enroll in courses only with permission of the instructor and the department offering the courses;
• Permitted to remain in this classification for up to one calendar year;
• Permitted to apply up to 6 hours of UND-G Class 6 credit to the graduate degree requirements after admission by the Washington State University Graduate School to a degree program.  Use of UND-G credits will be held to the usual time restrictions for program completion.
• A separate application for admission is required if the student wishes to pursue an advanced degree.  It should be noted that students who enroll under UND-G may or may not choose to complete applications to the Graduate School.  Further, they will have no guarantee that they will be accepted if they apply.

Non-Advanced-Degree Candidate (NADC): The NADC classification is for those students with a baccalaureate degree who wish to take graduate courses, but do not wish to pursue a graduate degree at Washington State University.

For additional information regarding these student status classifications, see section 2.4 of the Graduate School Policies and Procedures Manual.

Application Procedures

Application:  Students submitting a paper application to the Graduate School should send the second (yellow) copy to the Department of Health Policy and Administration. Students applying online do not need to send a copy of the application to the Department. Send $35 non-refundable application fee to the Graduate School with your application.  For a comprehensive list of application components and where they should be submitted, print out the Graduate Application Checklist.