Apply to the Ph.D. Program
Virtual Information Sessions
Register for one of our Virtual Information Sessions held via Zoom using the links below to learn more about the PhD program. You’ll have an opportunity to hear from faculty, current students, and alumni about the program and learn about the application process.
How to Apply
Application Deadlines
- February 1 for full consideration for graduate assistantships
- March 1 for International Students
- March 15
Materials
Applicants should submit the following items through the online application system at NC State Graduate School Online Application.
- The Graduate School application and application fee;
- A personal statement outlining your educational and career objectives, explaining the reasons for your application to the doctoral program in Public Administration at NC State and indicating the field or fields of specialization in which you are interested;
- A resume;
- Three letters of reference (from faculty or other professionals who are in a position to assess your scholarly and analytical abilities); and
- Unofficial transcripts from all institutions where you have taken post-secondary-school coursework (undergraduate and graduate). If you are admitted to the Ph.D. program, you will be asked to provide official transcripts at the time you are admitted.
- A seminar paper or other written evidence of your research potential. The sample should be an analytical research paper, preferably empirical in nature. The sample should demonstrate the applicant’s critical thinking and writing skills, demonstrating ability to frame a research question, identifying one or more hypotheses to investigate, undertaking a literature review, bringing empirical evidence to bear on the subject, and coming to a conclusion relevant to theory or practice in public administration or public policy.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Applicants should have the Educational Testing Service (ETS) submit an official report of their GRE scores (Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing scores only) to the NC State Graduate School. The NC State GRE Code is 5496. GRE scores should be no more than 5 years old before the date of application.
- International applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English at a level necessary to be successful in a graduate program at NC State. This requirement can be met by
- Taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of (a) 600 for the paper-based test or (b) 250 for the computer-based test or (c) 100 for the internet-based test; or
- Taking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.5 on the listening, reading, and writing sections and a 7.0 on the speaking section; or
- Being a citizen of a country where English is an official language and the language of instruction in higher education; or
- Having successfully completed at least one year of full-time study in a degree program at a regionally accredited four-year U.S. college or university.
Note: The TOEFL or IELTS test date must be no more than two years old (24 months) prior to the beginning of the requested entry term.