Application & Requirements

All graduate programs (except PhD in Educational Studies and EdD in Higher Education)
Please write a detailed statement describing your qualifications for the program and how it will help you achieve your professional goals. This statement should provide insight into your academic and professional background, motivations for pursuing this program, and the specific skills and knowledge you hope to gain. Your statement should be approximately two double-spaced pages.

For applicants to the PhD in Educational Studies
Write a statement describing your research background and your field of study, and what motivates you to pursue a PhD. Describe specific research topics or questions you may want to explore during your doctoral study. This statement should also include information on BU Wheelock faculty and projects and how they relate to your research goals. We understand that doctoral students’ interests may change through the program; however, we are interested in connecting your research interests with those of BU Wheelock faculty members. The statement should be no longer than about three pages, double-spaced.

For applicants to the EdD in Higher Education

Identify a problem facing higher education today. What are the causes or sources of this problem? How would you begin to address this problem? What opportunities would be opened by solving this problem?

BU Wheelock is committed to equity, access, inclusion, and social justice. Please upload a statement commenting on how your outlook and experiences will contribute to furthering this work in our community. This statement should be no more than two double-spaced pages.

On the online application, you should upload unofficial transcripts from all the colleges or universities you attended. Acceptable unofficial transcripts include:

• An official copy that has been opened and scanned
• A degree progress report
• An electronic transcript screenshot

If your transcript includes transfer or study abroad credits, we will require transcripts from those institutions as well if grades do not appear for those credits. All institutions attended should be reported on the application.

International Transcripts

All transcripts submitted to BU Wheelock need to be in English. If your school does not provide English copies, then a certified translation will be required. Applicants who have studied outside of the United States and Canada are required to upload unofficial international transcript(s) and certified translation(s) for all institutions attended. Please combine your transcript, certified translation, etc. for each institution into one document and then upload it.

We require two letters of recommendation to accompany your application to BU Wheelock (you may submit more, but this is not required).

Letters of recommendation should come from instructors, direct supervisors, or others you believe are in a position to appraise your skills and ability accurately. There is a space on the online application for applicants to submit their recommenders’ email addresses. Recommenders will receive an email with further instructions. Recommenders must use an institutional email (business or academic institution) that can be verified. Our office may reach out to recommenders or the applicant for further verification if recommenders do not use an institutional email address.

You may need to submit official test scores that show your English proficiency. We require official English proficiency test score reports for applicants:

• Whose first language is not English and,
• Who have not previously received a degree from an institution in which the primary language of instruction was English.

Duolingo English Test

For spring/fall 2023 applicants, Boston University will evaluate scores from the Duolingo English Test, an online English proficiency test that students can take on demand. Select Boston University Graduate & Professional programs as a score recipient, and email www.ets.org/toefl/

• Recommended minimum Duolingo score: 130 

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

You are responsible for ensuring that the testing agency can send us your official score report.

• The recommended minimum IELTS score for all programs is 7.0 overall.

Submit all IELTS scores to us electronically. To send us your scores, email www.ielts.org

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Our institution code for the TOEFL is 3087; we do not use a departmental code. It’s your responsibility to ensure that ETS can send us an official score report. Note: ETS will report scores up to two years after the test date. BU Wheelock accepts TOEFL MyBest scores. Please submit these scores directly into the application system. BU Wheelock is unlikely to admit applicants with TOEFL scores below the minimum.

• • The minimum recommended overall TOEFL score or MyBest score for all programs is 100 on the iBT.

Note: BU Wheelock does not offer conditional admissions under any circumstances.

For applicants to PhD in Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development (required)
Identify key arguments on a current educational or social issue in your field. Include your analysis and conclusions, and cite references that inform your understanding. This essay may be a new work or a previously written essay. This essay has no specific length requirement, but submissions average about 10 pages.

For applicants to PhD in Educational Studies (optional)
Identify key arguments on a current educational or social issue in your field. Include your analysis and conclusions and cite references that inform your understanding. This essay may be a new work or a previously written essay. There is no specific length requirement for this essay.

You may submit an additional essay with any information you want to bring to the Admissions Committee’s attention. If you’re reapplying to a BU Wheelock program, we encourage you to use this essay to discuss how your application has changed or improved from the last time you applied.

If you are applying for a degree program, we require a nonrefundable application fee of $95. Non-degree certificate applications require a $25 fee. You’ll receive a prompt to pay by credit card before submitting the application. The application will not be submitted until you enter your credit card information.

To obtain an application fee waiver, fill out the Application Fee Waiver form.

All applicants to the PhD in Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development, the PhD in Educational Studies, and the EdD in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies must have a bachelor’s degree or be on track to complete a bachelor’s degree when they apply. If you matriculate at BU Wheelock, we will ask you to provide official transcripts to prove that you completed your bachelor’s degree in the weeks leading up to your first semester of graduate study.

All applicants to a BU Wheelock master’s program must have a bachelor’s degree or be on track to complete a bachelor’s degree when they apply. All matriculating students will be asked to provide official transcripts to prove that they completed their bachelor’s degree in the weeks leading up to their first semester of graduate study at BU Wheelock.

MAT Applicants
If you apply to any of the BU Wheelock Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree programs, you should have an academic background in the subject area you plan to pursue. If you don’t have a degree in your subject of choice, you will be asked to complete prerequisite coursework before applying to the MAT. For more information about the qualifying undergraduate degrees and coursework that would fulfill this requirement, visit your program’s web page.

MS in Child Life & Family-Centered Care
Applicants to this program must complete at least 100 volunteer or practicum hours under a certified Child Life Specialist in a pediatric healthcare child life program. At least 50 of these hours should be completed by the time you apply. Applicants should submit a verification letter with their graduate application. This letter should include a signature from your supervising practitioner and the number of volunteer hours you’ve completed. We strongly recommend that you successfully complete a child development course.

EdM in Deaf Education
Applicants to the Master of Education in Deaf Education are required to take the following coursework either before admission to BU or while enrolled in the degree program. Contact the program office by emailing deafstdy@bu.edu to discuss summer course scheduling for the following prerequisites:

• WED LS 565 Introduction to Language and Linguistics
• WED LS 566 Language Acquisition
• WED DE 581 American Sign Language I
• WED DE 582 American Sign Language II

Students applying for admission to the dual degree Master of Education/Master of Social Work program must send separate applications to the School of Social Work and BU Wheelock. You will also need to be admitted to each school separately. Admission to one school or program does not guarantee admission to the other school or program. You may use the same application materials when applying to both schools.

You’re not required to apply to the School of Social Work and BU Wheelock simultaneously. You can be admitted to one of the two schools first—generally the School of Social Work—and complete that school’s basic coursework. Before the end of the first year, students typically apply to the other school.

All applicants to a CAGS program at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development must have a master’s degree or be on track to complete a bachelor’s degree when they apply. If you matriculate at BU Wheelock, we will ask you to provide official transcripts to confirm that you completed your bachelor’s degree in the weeks leading up to your first semester of graduate study.