Admission

Take the next step toward your career goals. Learn key information about the USC Rossier admission process and application requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Education.

Our admission criteria and requirements ensure that PhD applicants are evaluated holistically, rigorously and equitably. USC Rossier adheres to the university’s non-discrimination policy and is committed to providing equal opportunity for all applicants. 

Using an evaluation rubric, faculty will assess:

  • Research potential
  • Academic preparation
  • Contributions to our mission to achieve equity through research, policy, and practice
  • Socio-emotional competencies
  • Alignment of interests with the program’s focus and faculty expertise/projects

After a review of your application materials, faculty will contact semi-finalists for interviews. Admission decisions will be released in mid-February.

Prerequisites

We accept students who hold undergraduate degrees as well as those who have both undergraduate and master’s degrees. The program welcomes applicants from any academic background with a demonstrated interest in educational research.

Deadlines

Please note that the application instructions may be updated before the application opens on August 1, 2024.

                        Application Opens August 1, 2024
                   Application Deadline December 1, 2024
 Admission Decision Notification Mid-February 2025
          Admission Response Due April 15, 2025
                     Program Start Date August 15, 2025

Application Instructions 

The USC Rossier PhD application instructions may differ from those on the USC Graduate Admission website and from other USC Rossier programs. Please follow the instructions on this page when applying to the PhD in Education program.
 

Tips

  • Applicants to the PhD program do not need to complete the experiences, achievements, conferences attended and memberships sections of the standard USC Rossier application. Your resume or CV can serve as a replacement for that section.
  • If you have technical issues with the application, refer to the “FAQ” and “contact us” links on the application login page. You can also try using a different browser.
  • Many universities use the Liaison application system. If you are using the same email to apply to another university that also uses Liaison, you can log in with the same credentials.
  • We recommend using the PhD Program Brochure to identify PhD faculty members whose scholarship best aligns with your interests.

Policy on Graduate Record Exam (GRE)

GRE scores are neither required nor accepted for admission. To learn more, review our revised GRE admissions policy.

Application Instructions

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Personal Information

  • Enter your name as it appears on your government issued I.D. Indicate any alternate or previous names in the “other name” field (i.e. maiden name). Indicating prior names is important because it will help USC connect transcripts in former names to your application.
  • Enter the email address USC Rossier should use to communicate with you throughout the application process.
  • Indicate your citizenship status.*

*Please note that the USC application does not include a citizenship option for undocumented students. If you are an undocumented student, please select the citizenship option “international student.” If you wish to disclose your citizenship status, contact the admissions team at rsoephd@rossier.usc.edu prior to submitting your application so that we can withdraw you from receiving communications intended for international students.

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Academic History > Colleges Attended > Add a College > Upload a Transcript

Official transcripts from all institutions attended should be scanned and uploaded to our application portal. Below are the steps on how to do that. Please do not mail or send electronic transcripts to USC at this point. If admitted we will ask for official transcripts to be sent directly from prior institutions to USC and will share specific instructions on how to do so.

Step 1: Request official transcripts from all institutions you attended and have them sent directly to you

Request one official transcript from each college or university you attended, even if you did not earn a credit or degree from each institution, and have them sent to your personal mailing or email address, not to USC directly. Printouts from portals are not acceptable.Even if your final transcript includes a list of classes taken at other colleges and universities, you are still required to send the transcripts from each college and university.

If you participated in a study abroad opportunity operated by your institutions during your time receiving a degree from that institution and that coursework appears on the institution’s transcript, then you do not need to submit a separate transcript from the international institution you attended. However, if any of these do not apply (e.g., you participated in an external study abroad; a study abroad outside of your time attending an institution; or the courses do not appear on the transcript of your home institution), you must submit separate transcripts. If you have any questions, feel free to contact rsoephd@rossier.usc.edu for help.

USC degree holders and current USC students do not need to submit transcripts, assuming that transcripts from all other institutions attended (aside from USC) have already been sent to USC previously. If you attended any institutions since last being admitted to USC, any updated transcript information from other institutions must be sent (e.g., if you received a master’s degree from an institution after attending USC, you would need to send that transcript).

Step 2: Upload copies of official transcripts into the application

When you receive each transcript, log in to the USC application ‘Academic History’ section and add information about your academic history at each college or university. After saving this information, you will see an option to ‘upload a transcript’ for each college. Only one PDF per college or university can be uploaded. If the transcript from a college or university contains multiple pages and/or multiple degrees, you will need to scan each page and combine the pages into a single PDF. If you don’t have access to a scanner or a mobile scanner app, you can take a legible photo of each page and combine the images into one PDF

 
College Attended Image for admisssion

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Supporting Information > Documents > CV/Resume

Your CV or resume (either are acceptable) should highlight your experiences (paid, volunteer, and otherwise) and research background (e.g., publications, presentations, etc…) to help the faculty understand how your experiences and background shape your interest in the program and inform how you would perform in the PhD.

Once you upload your resume or CV, you do not need to duplicate efforts and add to the experiences, achievements, conferences attended and memberships sections of the standard USC Rossier application.

CV/Resume

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Program Materials > Documents
Please label the first page of your Personal Statement with a header that states Personal Statement.

Your Personal Statement (no longer than 2 single spaced pages) should address the following four areas:

  • Your interest in the PhD program as it relates to your personal and professional goals.
  • Your commitment and anticipated academic and professional contributions to USC Rossier’s mission to “achieve educational equity through practice, research and policy”.
  • Your personal history of academic and professional development. Please comment on: What competencies have you developed that will contribute to your academic and professional success? What is your approach to managing long-term goals? How have you contributed to a supportive, collaborative intellectual community?
  • Your research interests and how your goals align with the expertise of up to three of our PhD program tenured or tenure-track faculty with whom you would like to work.

Select the “Add Document” button under “Personal Statement”

Personal Statement

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Program Materials > Documents

Please label the first page of your Writing Sample with a header that states Writing Sample.

Please submit a writing sample demonstrating your writing skills and thinking. Specifically, faculty reviewers are looking to assess writing competency and demonstration of one’s ability to construct an argument. Papers written in an academic style and that you completed for course work, professional purposes, or presentation/publication are all good options for the writing sample. Applicants can submit a writing sample of any length but they will be asked to direct faculty reviewers to the 5-10 pages faculty reviewers should read.

If you do not already have a writing sample, please write one on a topic of scholarly interest to you that is at least five pages and follows the above guidelines. Use outside sources and cite references where applicable in a recognized publication style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago)

On the application, we will ask you to answer the following questions about your writing sample:

  • Which 5-10 pages should faculty reviewers read?
  • For what purpose was this manuscript developed?
  • Is it single or co-authored? If the former, how much feedback, editorial support, and/or coaching did you receive?

Where to find it on the application: My Application > Program Materials > Recommendations > Add Recommendation

The USC Rossier PhD Program requires three letters of recommendation. Recommenders ideally should have a PhD (not required) and be able to speak to your potential and ability to do research. If you feel that submitting a fourth letter of recommendation will strengthen your application, you are welcome to do so. However, we only request three letters of recommendation. If you only have two recommenders, your application will still be given full consideration, but three recommenders are preferred.

  • To submit the names of your recommenders (referred to as evaluators on the application), go to the “Program Materials” section of the application and click on the tab “Evaluation Types.”
  • Click the button “Add Evaluation” to enter the name and email address of each evaluator you’d like to ask to electronically submit a letter of recommendation. Each evaluator will automatically receive an email from uscsupport@liaisonedu.com that includes a password and directions for submitting the letter of recommendation. If the evaluator does not receive the recommendation letter request, advise them to check their spam or junk mail folders.
  • The application will ask you to include a submit by date, and we recommend putting December 3 as that will also act as the cutoff date by which they can submit.
  • It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure all recommendation letters are submitted before the appropriate deadline.

Please note: recommendation letters are program-specific and cannot be used to apply to additional programs. If you withdraw your application from a particular program, your letters of recommendation will be deleted along with the application.

Where to find it on the application: Submit Application Tab

The application fee is $90. Eligibility for fee waivers and how to apply for a fee waiver can be found at the Graduate Admissions website. Fees must be paid via debit or credit card.

Applicants can apply for a fee waiver as soon as they have started their online application. At certain times, the turn-around can take up to two weeks, so applicants should plan for this based upon the December 1 deadline. Do not submit your application before getting your fee waiver approved because USC will not refund the application fee once an application has been submitted.

Applicants who believe they qualify for a fee waiver should complete the following steps:

  • Start your online application before applying for a fee waiver and be sure to select the program to which they are planning to apply.
  • To apply for a fee waiver at this link and then in the Select an Area box, choose “Graduate Admission” and then click “Graduate Admission” again and select Rossier School of Education. Then under “Category”, choose “Application Fees and Fee Waivers”. Then click “Application Fees and Fee Waivers” again and select the type of fee waiver for which you are applying. Please attach the appropriate documentation for the type of fee waiver. You must use the same email address as your application and must also include the name of the program to which you are applying (PhD in Education Program). Failure to do so could delay your request considerably.
  • Applicants will receive an email notification if and when their fee waiver is approved. Applicants must wait to receive this confirmation in order to skip the payment page when they submit your application. No refunds will be issued post-submission.

TOEFL or IELTS Test Scores
Where to find it on the application: My Application > Academic History > Standardized Tests > Add a Test Score

International students whose native language is not English and who completed their undergraduate work outside of the United States are required to submit an official TOEFL or IELTS score as part of their application. You must have taken one of these tests within two years of your program start date.

You may upload your test score report in the “Academic History” section of the application to be used in application review. However, only scores received electronically from the testing service are considered official. Official test scores should be sent from the testing agency directly to USC.

  • TOEFL: To send official scores, use USC ETS code 4852
  • IELTS: Select “University of Southern California” at the time of registration. Alternatively, provide this information to your testing center after taking the test.
  • No department code is required to send TOEFL or IELTS scores
Standardized Tests

Transcripts in original language of issuance: International students who have earned their degree outside the United States must check our country-specific requirements to determine if we need original-language copies of their academic records. In such cases, a separate, word-for-word, English-language translation of all academic records must also be submitted. The translation should either be issued directly from the school itself or by a professional, certified translator. It must contain all information shown on the original-language documents and “mirror” them as precisely as possible. Dual-language transcripts are also acceptable.

Credential evaluation: Please note that USC does not accept or recognize credential evaluation reports from outside agencies (e.g. WES, ECE, etc.) for the purposes of admission review. More information is available on the USC Graduate Admission International Students Country requirements page.

Financial Documents, Letter of Sponsorship and Passport Copy Where to find it on the application: My Application > Supporting Information > Documents

For international students, financial documents/verification of funds, a letter of sponsorship and a copy of a passport may be uploaded into the application. However, these documents are not required until admission to the program. Moreover, because the PhD Program is “funded,” international students do not need to upload financial documents or verification of funds. Please note that this is different for other USC Rossier programs.

Documents

Contacting Faculty

During our application season, you have the option to contact faculty members whose scholarship best aligns with your interests. Your application will receive full consideration with or without contacting faculty. If you’d like to reach our program faculty by email, please follow these guidelines:

  • Please contact faculty during the time that our application is open, between August 1 and December 1 each year.
  • Contact only one or two faculty members. You can find faculty contact information in the faculty directory.
  • In your message, include your CV or resume, two to three sentences on your research interests, and an explanation of why you are interested in working with the faculty member.

While not every PhD faculty member admits students each year, about 8-10 of our faculty admit students each year.
 

Contact the Admission Team

We welcome your interest in the PhD program, and are happy to answer any questions you might have.

Laura Romer

Laura Romero

Director, PhD Program

Alex Atashi

Alex Hazard

Assistant Director, PhD Program