Application to the Ph.D. Program

The School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy (SUAPP) admits students for the fall semester of each academic year. Applications received after April 1st cannot be guaranteed consideration for an assistantship for the upcoming academic year.  Application requirements are listed below:

General Application Requirements

• All applicants must hold an equivalent of an M.A. degree in a related social science field before applying to the program. The Urban Affairs Ph.D. curriculum requires students who enter with a master’s degree to earn a minimum of 48 credit hours beyond the master’s degree.
  • Students completing a master’s degree can apply to the program but must finish their master’s before beginning the doctoral program sequence.

• To meet university requirements for earning a Ph.D., students must have at least 72 credit hours of post-baccalaureate coursework.
  • This means all doctoral students in the urban affairs program must have an M.A. plus 48 credit hours in the Ph.D. program to graduate.

• Students must provide transcripts of all post-secondary institutions attended.
  • Applications should have a minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a scale of 4.00) or all post-baccalaureate (M.A. and Ph.D.) work.
  • Program Retention Requirement: Students whose GPA falls below 3.0 while in the doctoral program will be put on academic probation or may be dismissed if it falls below 3.0 for more than two subsequent semesters. 

• Applicants are required to submit a statement of purpose (1000 words or less) that discusses:
  • The student’s research interests and motivation for pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Affairs at the University of Memphis.
  • The student's experience in conducting community-engaged research or interest in conducting community-engaged research. 
  • What research questions they would like to explore while a doctoral student at the U of M?
  • How have the student’s academic and professional experiences prepared them to complete a doctoral program?
  • Which specialization area does the student intend to focus on during their doctoral studies? 
  • Which faculty members within SUAPP-affiliated departments would the student like to work with while in the program, and why? (See our Affiliates Page for faculty currently taking advisees.) 

• A current resume or curriculum vitae. 

• The online application will also ask for the names of three references who will be asked to provide letters of recommendation. Applicants can provide up to five references (names and emails).

• Submit at least one policy-oriented writing sample.
  • Applicants can submit up to three writing samples.
  • Good writing samples include journal articles (published or under review), a master's thesis, policy analysis or evaluation papers, or other professional writings demonstrating research and analytical capability. 
  • NOTE: Students who submit co-authored or multi-authored publications MUST provide a short statement of contribution to that published work if the student applicant includes co-authored or published work as a writing sample. 

International Student Application Requirements

There are additional requirements for the admission of international students.

1. All Undergraduate and Graduate transcripts must be converted to a 4.0 grading and credit scale. 
   • Applicants can request an evaluation from a member organization of one of the two national associations of credential evaluation services. The services listed below may charged a fee. Students are responsible for paying the fee for transcript conversion before applying to the program.
     • The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services  (NACES) is a group of 19 credential evaluation services with admission standards and an enforced code of good practice.
     • The Association of International Credentials Evaluators  (AICE) is an association of 10 credential evaluation services with a board of advisors and an enforced code of ethics.
     • The University of Memphis also works with SpanTran, an international transcription evaluation service. They have a custom application for University of Memphis applicants. International applicants can access the application here.
2. Proof of language proficiency (by citizenship or exam)

   • International applicants can provide evidence of English language proficiency if they are citizens of the following countries:

• • Or, students can provide one of the following language proficiency exam scores:

Deadlines

The deadline to submit all required application materials is April 1st of each year.

Students seeking graduate assistantship funding should apply by January 31st  to be considered for funding. If you have previously completed a graduate application to the University, all future graduate application fees are waived. Don't hesitate to contact Graduate Admissions at 901-678-3685 or graduateadmissions@memphis.edu for a coupon code to use within a day of submitting your next application. 

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE ONLINE APPLICATION