Admission Requirements

For admission to the Graduate School as a degree applicant, all of the following conditions must be met:

1. Undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or better; or 3.0 on last 60 hours
2. If required by the graduate degree program, GRE (General) or GMAT for Business programs (must be within five (5) years of your application date). Please note that while all doctoral level programs require a GRE some Masters level programs do not require the GRE. Please click here for a list of programs with application deadlines and GRE requirement.
3. 3 letters of recommendation
4. Resume or Curriculum Vitae (current)
5. Personal Essay (300 – 500 words)
6. Application fee ($75): Your application will not be processed until the fee is received.
7. Transcript (s): 2 copies sent directly to TSU from the institutions.

In addition to Items 1 through 7, International Students need to also supply the following information:

1. Affidavit of Support
2. Transcript Evaluation
3. TOEFL = 79 or IELTS (iBT) = 6.0 (if not from an English speaking country)

Admission to the Graduate School is made on the recommendation of the program to which a potential student is applying.  The above requirements represent minimum standards for unconditional admission.  Individual programs may have additional standards and requirements.  Applicants who do not meet all of the above requirements may be eligible for conditional admission.  Successful applications who do not score 3.5 on the analytical writing portion of the GRE or GMAT will be required to demonstrate English proficiency by successfully completing the course English 501 Graduate Professional Writing.

Apply now using our online application

Transcripts, payment if not paying online, and test scores should be mailed to:

Additional documents can also be emailed to our graduate admissions email address at: graduateadmissions@dos5.net. Please be sure to mail the application fee of $50 ($75 for international applicants), check or money order payable to Texas Southern University, to the address above.  No applications will be processed without payment of the application fee.

Online graduate applications are available in PDF.  Click on the Adobe Reader icon if you need to download the software.  This download may take several seconds depending on the connection speed of your computer.

*English Proficiency Requirement: Each graduate student who is admitted as a degree or certificate applicant must have an Analytical Writing score of 3.5 or above on GRE or GMAT exam. If the student does not score that high or does not take the exam during the first semester of enrollment, he or she must enroll in English 501.

Applications for admission to all graduate degree programs of the University are processed through the Graduate School of the University. All applications for admission to a major program are reviewed by a designated representative of the academic department and recommendations are submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School. Persons interested in applying for admission to the Graduate School should write directly to the office of the Graduate School.

Unconditional - An applicant who is unconditionally admitted to the Graduate School is immediately eligible to pursue a program of study leading to the Master's degree or the Professional Certificate. Each applicant should choose a field of specialization and work out a degree plan in consultation with his advisor.

Conditional - Applicants who are admitted to the Graduate School on condition fall into three categories -- graduates of unaccredited colleges and universities, applicants with scholarship deficiencies, and those with an unsatisfactory undergraduate sequence for the major area.

Special Student - Three categories of students may register as "Special Students":(1) those students who do not wish to become applicants or candidates for a master's degree, (2) those students who do not completely qualify for admission as "Degree Applicants," and (3) those students who because of low quality of performance are removed from the status of "Degree Applicants."

Special students in the first category are not required to name a field of specialization. They may select any course for which they have satisfactory preparation and which will serve their purpose in attending the University.

Special students who have voluntarily selected this status (category 1 ) and who later desire to become degree applicants must comply with all admission requirements and have their credits earned as special students reviewed to determine if the credits can be applied toward the degree sought. The student may find that some or all of the credits earned as a special student may not count toward the degree sought.

Transient Students - Students who are enrolled in the graduate school of another university may take up to six (6) graduate credit hours at Texas Southern University upon the recommendation of an appropriate official of the student's home institution.

Senior in Graduate Courses - A senior in Texas Southern University of superior scholastic ability, who needs less than ten semester hours for completion of requirements of the bachelor's degree, may be permitted to take graduate courses. Requests from seniors for permission to take graduate courses must be approved by the chairperson of the major department, the dean of the undergraduate college, and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Permission to take graduate courses during the senior year does not constitute admission to the Graduate School. Moreover, such credits may not be applied toward fulfillment of the residence requirement for the master's degree. Not more than six (6) semester hours of graduate course work may be taken by seniors.

Teacher Certification - Students in this category are restricted to taking courses in their teacher certification deficiency plan. They must apply separately for admission to a graduate degree program.

Post Baccalaureate - Students taking undergraduate courses after completing the Bachelor's degree but not admitted to the Graduate School must enroll through the Registrar's office.