Admission Requirements and Materials
We are currently accepting applications for Summer and Fall 2024. Students desiring to enter the MALS program must submit an online application to the Graduate School. We do not require GRE scores. Admission requirements for the MALS program include an undergraduate baccalaureate degree and the following materials:
- Online Application and Fee: The application process for all NC State graduate programs is handled entirely through a web-based tool. Frequently Asked Questions are available as well as telephone and chat-based assistance should you encounter any problems as you begin your application.
- Personal Statement: The written statement of objectives is an important part of your application materials and also functions as a writing sample for the admission committee’s evaluation. The statement should be two to three pages long and consists of two parts: describe in detail your reasons for applying to the MALS program; and let us know how your life experiences have led you to pursue this degree.
- Concentration Plan: Propose a six-course, 18-hour concentration on an interdisciplinary theme or topic. Include a working title for your concentration; a preliminary list of the six courses for your concentration and a few sentences explaining how each course fits into the broader theme you’ve chosen. This is not a final plan; you will finalize your area of concentration once you have completed 15 credit hours in the program, working in consultation with your advisor. The concentration courses must come from at least three different academic disciplines, with no more than two courses from any one department. At least two courses in the concentration must be humanities or social science courses. Take a look at some concentration examples.
- Three References: Your references should include any faculty members from whom you have taken courses with in recent years. If you do not have enough former instructors for the three references, you may pick others who are in a good position to judge your motivation, academic potential, and intellectual abilities: employers, supervisors, clergy, co-workers, etc. If you use such non-academic recommenders, please let them know what the program would like them to address in their letters.
- Resume: Please use the Upload area for Resume/ CV in the online application.
- Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate or graduate institutions you have attended should be uploaded with your application. If the department recommends that you be admitted, you will then be asked to submit official transcripts to the Graduate School. Only upon receipt of official transcripts will your admission be official.
- Official Electronic Transcripts should be emailed to graduate_applications@ncsu.edu.
- Physical copies of official transcripts should be mailed to: The Graduate School
North Carolina State University, 1000 Main Campus Drive, Campus Box 7102, Raleigh, NC 27695
After submitting your application, you will be contacted to schedule a required interview with a member of the MALS Advisory Board. Complete application files are reviewed by the board, which then submits recommendations for admission to the Graduate School.
Application Deadlines
US Citizens
- Fall applicants: March 25 priority for funding, admission on a rolling basis until June 25.
- Spring applicants: November 1 priority, admission on a rolling basis until November 25.
International Applicants
- Fall applicants: March 1
- Spring applicants: July 15
Financial Information
Tuition and Fees
Visit the Student Services Center website for an updated list of graduate student tuition and fees.
Financial Aid
Various kinds of financial aid are available through the University Financial Aid office, mostly in the form of subsidized loans and on-campus jobs. But it is worth checking with them about fellowships and scholarships for which you might be eligible. Contact the University Financial Aid office in 2016 Harris Hall (off Dan Allen Drive) or at 515-2421.
Collier Scholarship
The Jerry J. Collier Scholarship is a prestigious one-year award offered to a top entering graduate student who played a varsity sport at NC State University.
Green to Gold
If you’re an enlisted soldier, Army ROTC can help you continue to grow and learn. The Army Green to Gold program provides options for soldiers interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or graduate degree and earning a commission as an Army officer.
Graduate School Diversity Enhancement Grant Program
The overarching goal of having a diverse university community is to better educate our students to be active, informed productive participants in a pluralistic society and interdependent world. The purpose of the UNC Campus Scholarship Program and the Graduate School Diversity Enhancement Grant Program is to promote diversity at the graduate level at NC State.
Faculty / Staff Tuition Waiver
The Faculty / Staff Tuition Waiver is available to employees of the university system who work 75% time or more, contribute to the retirement system and maintain eligible employment status the entire semester. Personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States assigned under military orders to an ROTC program as a permanent change of station are also eligible for tuition/fee waiver privileges.
Warren-Wolfpack Fellowship
The Warren-Wolfpack Club Graduate Fellowship is a one-year award offered to a top entering graduate student who played a varsity sport either at NC State or at another college or university. Each fellowship will be in an amount of up to $4,000. Awards are for one academic year only.
Visit Graduate Funding Opportunities for more information.