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  2. Apply as a Graduate student

Apply as a Graduate student

Graduate admission policy

91¶ÌÊÓƵappÆƽâ°æ seeks intellectually curious applicants who are driven by a love of learning and understand the role of education in preparing students to respond to the needs and challenges of a global society. As a women's college that is gender diverse, we welcome applications for the graduate programs from female, male, transgender and nonbinary students. Read more about who does their graduate studies at Mount Holyoke.

Program application process

We have paused the acceptance of new applications while we review our program offerings.

Applicants interested in a degree program or taking a course for credit must complete an online application. Our professional and graduate institutes also offer intensive noncredit course options; for these courses there is not a formal application process, rather students fill out a . Learn what the difference is between a class offered for credit versus a noncredit class.

To have your application reviewed by the admissions committee, students applying to degree programs must submit:

  • Your online application
  • An application fee
  • Official copies of your undergraduate transcripts
  • Other materials as required

Degree seeking applications will also be required to submit:

  • A personal statement.
  • Two recommendations.
  • Résumé or curriculum vitae.

Recommendations

Students seeking admission into one of our graduate programs will need to provide at least two recommendations from people who will be able to reflect on their ability to be successful in graduate school and be an active contributor to our learning community. When requesting a letter of recommendation, please make sure it includes: how long they have known you, in what capacity they worked with you, and their assessment of your academic abilities, communication skills, motivation, creativity, and integrity, as well as any other qualities relevant to the program to which you are applying.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit electronic copies of all documents required for admission to the online application portal. As needed, test scores must be transmitted by the testing agency to the Professional and Graduate programs. The final official transcripts should be sent from your previous academic institution directly to the Professional and Graduate programs; only transcripts mailed or emailed directly from the issuing institution will be accepted. All submitted documents will be held for one (1) year and thereafter may be discarded.

Master of Arts in Teaching applicants seeking licensure should submit evidence that you are registered for or have passed both the reading & writing subtest of the Communication & Literacy (01) Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL).

  • In order to register for the MTEL, you must create an ELAR account and receive a MEPID number.
  • (both the reading & writing subtests)
  • When you meet with an advisor, they will provide further details on the timing of the necessary tests for your particular license.
  • You can still apply to the MAT program if you have not yet taken the Communication & Literacy MTEL test.

The Master of Arts in Teaching initial licensure program leads to teacher licensure in the state of Massachusetts. Per Department of Education regulations on licensure programs, if you are applying from a state other than Massachusetts, you will need to provide confirmation on your application that you intend to teach in the state of Massachusetts after finishing the program. If that is not the case, then you will need to apply as a non-licensure student or consider one of our MAT programs that does not lead to licensure.

The College defines international students as those who do not hold US citizenship or US permanent residency or qualify for US refugee or DACA status. If your academic documents and letters of recommendation are not in English, you must submit notarized translations along with original documents. Translations are also required for any documents submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services. Transcripts, standardized test results and English proficiency results are expected to be submitted as official documents. Academic transcripts must be submitted directly from your school and test results must be sent by official test organizations.

Student Visas

We are unable to offer student visas. The majority of our programming is online, and you can participate in any of the Master of Arts in Teaching programs from anywhere in the world. There is no residency requirement; however, if you are seeking a degree with Massachusetts teacher licensure, you must have a visa status that allows you to legally be in the US and do your student teaching in Massachusetts.

Accessing Courses

Please take into account that many of our classes are live, interactive courses that are accessed online, and your experience may be affected by the timezone you are connecting from. During the fall and spring, courses are scheduled in the evenings Eastern Standard Time (e.g. between 4–9 pm ET).

During the summer, several courses are accelerated one-week intensives, with classes running all day, from 8 am–4 pm Eastern Standard Time. Most of our summer courses are hybrid, which allows students to choose whether to access courses online or come to our campus in South Hadley, MA.

English proficiency exam

Non-native English speakers must provide evidence of their proficiency, usually by submitting TOEFL or IELTS results. 91¶ÌÊÓƵappÆƽâ°æ Graduate Programs expects our students to achieve a TOEFL score over 100 or an IELTS score over 7. Please refer to the test agency's score reporting procedures to request your official score report: TOEFL, IELTS (electronic score reporting is accepted by MHC) Mount Holyoke does not "superscore" English proficiency results; if multiple test results are submitted, the Admission Committee will review all results, usually putting most emphasis on the test date with the highest composite result. Based on native language and secondary school language of instruction, or college school language of instruction, or work experience in an English speaking country, a waiver of this requirement may be granted by contacting the graduate programs office 48 hours after the application and required academic credentials have been submitted. If a waiver is approved, but the Admission Committee needs more information to assess the readiness of a candidate, the Committee may request English proficiency testing, a writing sample or an interview at a later date.

Transcript evaluation

All students with a bachelor’s degree from a college or university outside of the United States must have their transcript evaluated by The Evaluation Company (TEC), World Education Services (WES) or a similar organization. This will provide us with a credential evaluation that compares your academic accomplishments to standards in the U.S. or Canada. This report helps us better understand your educational background. A report from WES identifies and describes your credentials; verifies that your credentials are authentic; may include a grade point average (GPA) equivalency; and includes an evaluation of the authenticity of your documents.

TEC (formerly SpanTran) has created a custom application for Mount Holyoke Professional and Graduate Education that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate.

Scholarship application process

Scholarship and fellowship applications are .

Details about each of the different types of scholarships and fellowships, as well as partnerships that provide scholarships, discounts, or other educational funding support are available.

Deadlines

Applications for scholarships are accepted on a rolling basis, on a first-come, first served basis. Each program has a preferred deadline; applications submitted before the deadline will take first priority. After that scholarship applications will be considered on a funding-available basis.

Preferred deadlines

  • Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.): Rolling
  • Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics (M.A.T.M.): April 30
  • Master of Arts in Teaching, Teacher Leadership (M.A.T.L.): April 30

If you have any questions, please contact us at: graduateadmissions@mtholyoke.edu or 413-538-3478.

How are applications evaluated?

Admission to our programs are based on a holistic evaluation that includes your academic qualifications, your interests and experiences relative to the program, and the capacity of the program.  Academic qualifications are judged on a number of criteria that may include grades on individual courses, overall grade point average, accreditation status of prior colleges/universities attended, standardized test scores, language proficiency, strength of recommendation letters, and additional criteria specified by the academic program.  We assess interest and experience relative to the program through your personal essay, history of prior research and work experience, and in some cases, through personal interviews.  The academic program determines its capacity for admitting new students based on its current resources and enrollment of continuing students in the program.

Please note that satisfying minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission; admissions decisions are based on a competitive evaluation and are sometimes limited by capacity constraints.

An admissions committee will review your documents and submit a recommendation to admit or reject the application. You will receive a formal notification of the final decision at the contact address provided in your application.

Students seeking a master’s degree should complete the .

Deferral policy

91¶ÌÊÓƵappÆƽâ°æ Graduate Programs will grant accepted applicants a one-year deferral, with the same scholarship amount originally offered. A request for deferral must be made in writing and be accompanied with a non-refundable $125 deposit by the reply date on your acceptance letter.

Mount Holyoke is a SARA approved institution.
Mount Holyoke is a SARA-approved institution.

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Professional and Graduate Education (PaGE)

91¶ÌÊÓƵappÆƽâ°æ has been on the forefront of providing a rigorous education to passionate changemakers who have gone on to break new ground in education, the sciences, the arts, public service and social justice movements for over 180 years.