Admission Requirements & Deadlines

Autism Studies (Ph.D.)

Application Deadline

Admission to the Autism Studies (Ph.D.) program is for the fall term only.

  • Early Deadline: January 15
  • Priority Deadline: April 1
  • Final Deadline: June 15

Admission Criteria

  • No GRE scores are required. 
  • Successful completion of a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. 
  • For undergraduate degree coursework, an overall GPA of 3.00 or above (on a 4-point scale) is required. GPA calculations may be based upon the cumulative units or the last 60 units of the degree. Graduate work should be at a GPA level of 3.25 though GPAs as low as 3.00 can be considered. See graduate admission policies for more information and exceptions. 
  • Interview by the doctoral admissions committee.

Application Requirements 

Submit an online application, application fee and official transcripts, along with: 

  • Three letters of recommendation: Email addresses of recommenders must be entered on application and letters must be submitted directly, not through applicant, from people who can speak to your potential, background, motivation, and interest in the Autism Studies Ph.D. program (strongly recommend at least one academic or research-related recommendation).
  • Resume/CV 
  • A purpose statement: Applicants are required to submit a purpose statement (1,000 words or no less than 750 words) that describes the following:
    • your understanding of existing autism research evidence and gaps/needs in the field
    • your interest in, preparation for, and motivation to pursue the TU Autism Studies doctoral program
    • your specific research interests
    • how these research interests fit with TU graduate faculty expertise
    • your professional goals related to this degree  

Additional Requirements for International Applicants

U.S. Immigration requires F1 and J1 students to be enrolled full-time with the majority of their classes taken in-person and on campus. For a list of TU programs that comply as well as information on required credential evaluations and English-language proficiency, please see admission requirements for international students.

Also, for international students, a TOEFL score of 100, IELTS 7.0 overall with a 7.0 in each section is required for this program.