Admissions Process
When will I hear back about my application status?
Applicants to the Ph.D. program will be notified of their admission or denial to the program 5 weeks after the application submission deadline. You may contact our EDAD Graduate Secretary, Cindy DeRyke at deryke@unl.edu or tel:402-472-3726 if you have any questions about your application.
Is a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required in my application?
No, the Ph. D. program does not require applicants to take the GRE.
Do I need to identify a potential faculty advisor?
We strongly encourage applicants to get to know our faculty through their online profile and scholarship and to make note of any interconnections with their own interests. A thoughtful explication of any point of overlap or connection between applicant’s scholarly or professional interests and a potential advisor will serve to strengthen an applicant’s materials. Applicants will be prompted to select faculty members whose interests may align with theirs during the application process. This helps inform the department on which faculty members participate in the application review and may be assigned an advisor at the start of their program. After researching faculty profiles and learning about our faculty’s professional and scholarly interests, applicants may reach out to get to know prospective advisors before submitting their final application materials.
I was not able to meet with a prospective advisor before submitting my application. Is this a problem?
Yes. Applicants may inquire with individual faculty members about expected openings for new advisees and regarding common interests. After researching faculty profiles and learning about our faculty’s professional and scholarly interests, applicants may reach out to get to know prospective advisors before submitting their final application materials. For example, if a prospective student believes a faculty member in the Ph.D. program would be a good match for their interests, they are encouraged to reach out to that person to discuss a potential fit.
I was not able to meet with a prospective advisor before submitting my application. Is this a problem?
No. A strong application will identify potential advisor(s) and describe how that faculty member’s scholarly or professional interests may complement the applicant’s interests. Explication of any point of overlap or connection between applicant’s scholarly or professional interests and a potential advisor will serve to strengthen an applicant’s materials. These connections can be made by carefully reviewing faculty scholarship and professional experience. Examples of how applicants can get to know faculty include reading their faculty profile, reading their published research articles, and learning about their professional experience. While applicants should reach out to inquire with individual faculty members about expected openings for new advisees and regarding common interests, faculty may not be available to meet with each individual applicant interested in working with them.
How are admissions decisions decided?
In the Ph.D. program, all faculty members review applications and consult with each other on admissions decisions. At the end of that process, individual faculty members make admission recommendations to work with specific applicants.