Admissions Requirements

Must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission:

Office of Graduate Admission
University of San Diego
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
grads@sandiego.edu

Official transcripts from the university where you earned your master's degree and bachelor's degree are required at the time of application. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) in all graduate coursework.

Applicants must complete a bachelor's degree and a master's or JD prior to beginning the program.

Applicants may apply prior to completing their master's degree. In this case, please submit your most up-to-date transcripts, and if admitted, submit a second set of official transcripts after your degree is conferred.

If you earned a degree from an institution outside the United States, you are required to submit an official international transcript evaluation (also called a foreign credential evaluation) as part of your application. Please note that the evaluation must be a course-by-course evaluation. You must order your official course-by-course evaluation from one of the following evaluation services.

• World Education Services, Inc. (WES)
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
• International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF)
• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. (JSA)
• SpanTran: The Evaluation Company (SpanTran)
• Foreign Academic Credential Service (FACS)

Please be sure to carefully read the application checklist for international students found on the University of San Diego's Graduate Admission website.

Include all relevant education and employment information to help the Admissions team make an informed decision.

The PhD in Education requires two (2) letters of recommendation from professors and/or employers. We strongly recommend that at least one letter of recommendation come from someone who can speak to your academic preparation, written and oral communication skills and potential for success in a doctoral program. For applicants who have been away from academia for a period of time, a current or previous supervisor who can address these qualities is an acceptable alternative.

Please limit your response to no more than two pages. This essay is an opportunity for the admissions committee to understand your unique perspective, motivations, and writing style. We ask that you prepare and submit an original response written in your own voice without the use of generative AI.

• Why are you interested in earning a PhD in Education and how does this degree align with your academic, professional, and personal goals?
• What educational issue or area of inquiry are you most interested in exploring through this program, and what draws you to that topic?
• How have your academic, professional, and personal experiences prepared you for this program, and how has your perspective shaped your approach to education and research?

The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is not required for admission. If you choose to submit the GRE, test scores must be within 5 years of the test date.

There is no minimum GRE score required.

The University of San Diego’s GRE Institution Code number is 4849.

• This number must be included on test registration forms in order to have the official results sent to the university.
• Standardized testing must be completed well in advance of the deadline as it typically takes about 2 weeks for the score reports to arrive after a request is made.

For information on preparing for the GRE, visit USD's Test Prep or call (619) 260-4585.