Students admitted to full status must meet the basic minimum requirements of the university,
plus the additional requirements of the individual program. In order to meet the basic
minimum requirements for full admission to the university an applicant must have:
- Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university,
with a minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale) in either the cumulative units of
the degree or the last 60 units of the degree, or
- Earned a master’s degree or doctorate from a regionally accredited college or university
with a minimum GPA of 3.00 (on a 4-point scale).
In cases where the above minimum standards are not met, the last 60 units may include
courses taken beyond the baccalaureate degree that are 300-level or higher. Courses
used for admission purposes may not be applied toward the graduate degree.
Since some individual programs may have additional requirements and enrollment restrictions,
meeting the above minimum requirements may not ensure admission to a specific program.
Please refer to the program listing for specific requirements.
Students admitted to a degree seeking program must enroll for the admitted term or
the offer of admission will be withdrawn and they will need to reapply for a future
term.
Admission with conditions may be granted to applicants whose academic achievement
does not meet the standard required for regular admission or whose department requirements
are incomplete. All students admitted with conditions must maintain a cumulative grade
point average (CGPA) of 3.0 within their first 9 graduate units. See individual program
descriptions for specific requirements. Students admitted to a program with conditions
must satisfy requirements and correct any deficiencies as determined by the program
director. Requirements that must be completed to continue in the program, and the
timetable for completing the requirements, are listed on a letter prepared by the
program director and sent to the student.
Provisional Admission for International Students Earning a Bachelor Degree or Higher
Outside of the United States
Towson University offers provisional admission in select programs for applicants who
meet all of the Towson University and program specific requirements for full admission
except the English Language proficiency requirement. Students who wish to be considered
for provisional admission are to contact the University Admissions Office at grad AT_TOWSON. Students who are provisionally admitted must complete the following before enrolling
in any graduate courses:
- Enroll in the Towson University English Language Center and successfully complete
ELC classes through Level VI with a grade of B or better or earn and confirm the required
the English Language Proficiency scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, or Duolingo)
Admission for International Students Earning a Bachelor Degree or Higher within the
United States
International students who are in the process of earning a baccalaureate degree or
higher from an accredited U.S. college or university may be eligible to have the English
Language proficiency requirement waived. Once they have completed the baccalaureate
degree or higher, they are to submit evidence that their degree was conferred in order
for their application to be considered complete.
Note: The following programs are excluded from Provisional Admission: Athletic Training,
Audiology, Clinician-Administrator Transition, Educational Administrator I, Environmental
Science, Forensic Science, Global Humanities, Health Science, Human Resource Development,
Interdisciplinary Arts Infusion, Occupational Science, Occupational Therapy (MS, OTD,
PPOTD), Physician Assistant, Psychology (Clinical, School, Experimental), Special
Education, Speech Language Pathology, Transformational Educational Leadership
Students who hold a baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degree from a college or university
in the United States that is not regionally accredited are to have their transcript
reviewed and degree equivalency determined by a post-secondary institution regionally
accredited to support such a review.
An applicant who is a professional with significant work experience in a field relevant
to the program and whose undergraduate degree was obtained at least five years prior
to their application to Towson University may petition the Director of University
Admissions in writing for an exception to the policy regarding minimum GPA. The applicant
is to submit:
- Letter outlining their rationale for the request and performance indicators that reflect
their potential for successfully engaging in graduate studies;
- Documentation of at least five years of successful work experience in the relevant
field; and
- At least two letters of recommendation supporting the request from relevant supervisors
or from faculty members who taught graduate-level courses to the applicant.
The petition will be reviewed by the program director and the program admissions committee,
who will assess the relevancy of work experience and the applicant’s qualifications
for the program. The program director and program admissions committee may require
additional documentation. The program director will inform the Director of University
Admissions in writing of their and the committee’s recommendation for conditional
admission, and the parameters for conditional admission, if applicable. Applicants
are to refer to the graduate program website for additional criteria that program
may require for an exception to the policy regarding the minimum GPA.
Some programs may grant admission to seniors in their final semester of undergraduate
studies, evaluating them as a “pre-degree” student. You must submit a transcript with
grades through the first semester of your senior year for evaluation. Admission standing
is subject to cancellation or change if admission credentials remain incomplete or
do not meet the requirements for admission. Final transcripts showing degree conferral
must be received by University Admissions.
Only students enrolled in a Towson University accelerated bachelor’s to master's program
are eligible to register for graduate level coursework prior to completion of their
undergraduate degree. Learn more about TU Accelerated Programs.