Graduate Programs:
Admission to the Rural Sociology Graduate Program

1. The procedures and policies for admission to Graduate School at The Ohio State University are described in the Graduate School Handbook, part 2. Application materials regarding admission to the Graduate School may be obtained by writing to the Admissions Office, The Ohio State University, Third Floor, Lincoln Tower, 1800 Cannon Drive, Columbus, Ohio, 43210. All application materials, fees, and documentation required by the Graduate Admissions Office should be submitted directly to the Admissions Office.

Recommendation forms and letters, a statement of purpose, and a CV should be sent directly to the Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee Chair (208 Ag. Admin. Building, 2120 Fyffe Rd., Columbus OH 43210-1067). The Admissions Office will coordinate the processing of the application materials you submit to them with those submitted to this department.

For domestic students, the application materials and supporting documents must be received by the Admissions Office no later than December 1, March 1, or May 1 for the Winter, Spring, Summer/Autumn quarters, respectively. For international students, applications must be received at least eight months prior to the term to which they seek admission. In order to be considered for financial support and awards, both domestic and international students must submit documents approximately one year prior to the quarter for which they seek admission. For example, to be considered for University and College Fellowship Programs, all application materials must be complete and received no later than January 2, but preferably in December, for subsequent Fall Quarter admission.

Basic requirements for admission to the Graduate School at Ohio State University include: (1) a baccalaureate or professional degree earned from a department of approved standing and granted by an accredited college or university; (2) a 3.0 or better cumulative point hour (4.0 scale) for all previous baccalaureate and graduate work); (3) international applicants are required to submit TOEFL scores unless they have obtained a degree from a U.S. university or their country of origin is on the exempt list compiled by the Graduate School (i.e., U.K., Australia, etc.).  In most cases, a minimum of 550 on the paper based TOEFL test, a 213 on the computer based TOEFL, 79 on the Internet Based TOEFL or 7 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam is required.

2. Rural Sociology standards for admission of students to the graduate program, in addition to those of the Graduate School, are:

1. Applicants must show evidence of a career objective consistent with the objectives of the Rural Sociology program.

2. Applicants should have completed at least 15 hours in basic Sociology. Course work completed in related disciplines may be accepted for up to five hours of the sociology requirement. A basic course in statistics is desirable.

3. If a Master's degree was completed at The Ohio State University, the student will submit the "Graduate Student Status Beyond the Master's Degree" form, a statement of purpose/interests, and three letters of recommendation written specifically for the Rural Sociology program.

4. Applicants are required to submit GRE scores and submit their scores to the Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee Chair before their application will be considered. A verbal plus quantitative score of 1100 and a minimum of 4.0 on the analytical exam are the minimum expected level of performance. 1

5. Admission to and completion of the Master's degree at Ohio State does not guarantee admission to the Ph.D program. The student must reapply to enter the Ph.D. program.

6. Decisions on admission to the Rural Sociology Graduate Program are made by the members of the Rural Sociology graduate faculty. Applicants are judged on the basis of letters of recommendation, statements of purpose or interest, cumulative undergraduate and graduate GPAs, and GRE and TOEFL scores.

Instructions for the statement of purpose A brief statement of purpose (up to 5 pages double spaced or up to 3 pages single spaced) should explain why the applicant wants to pursue a graduate degree in Rural Sociology. This statement should emphasize your scholarly interests, future career plans, and explain how a graduate degree in Rural Sociology is the logical next step in your professional and intellectual development. You may include insightful information on your background (i.e., where you come from and how far you have come on your intellectual journey, life changing experiences, how research/teaching opportunities or other employment experiences contributed to your development and scholarly interests, etc.). Be sure to explain how this department and program fit into your plans for future development and career building. You want your statement to be a compelling argument for why you should be admitted to the program—one that represents just how interesting and well-prepared you are. If there is something about your record that requires explanation (for example, you held full-time employment while a student, an illness or event adversely affected your GPA or led you to drop out temporarily), this also is the place to address this briefly and in a matter-of-fact way.
Instructions for recommendations: Three letters of recommendation are required. Normally, these should be from faculty or someone in academia acquainted with your scholastic ability, preparedness for graduate school, experience in past teaching or research positions, and other relevant information. These letters must be accompanied by the appropriate form, downloadable from the Graduate Applications website.
Instructions for CV: The curriculum vitae/resume is where you should provide information on your educational achievements; relevant employment or internship experiences (teaching, research, administrative); relevant volunteer and public service experiences; publications; presentations at professional or university-sponsored conferences; awards and honors (including grants and scholarships); relevant travel experience such as study abroad or Peace Corps; involvement in student organizations and/or athletic and extracurricular activities, etc. If you have received awards for scholarship or academic leadership or service, be sure to explain them for reviewers for whom they will be unfamiliar.

3. A request to transfer to Rural Sociology from another enrollment unit within the University, must be initiated in the Graduate School. In addition to the Intra-University Transfer Form, the complete set of Graduate School application materials is to be submitted with three letters of recommendation written specifically for the department and a statement of purpose or interest. Students requesting transfer must meet GPA requirements and report scores for GREs.

4. If a student has been admitted as a "Special Student," the number of hours taken while in this admission classification that apply toward an advanced degree will be recommended by the student's advisory committee to the Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee.

5. If a student has been admitted as a "Graduate Nondegree Student," the student's advisory committee will recommend to the Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee the hours acceptable from the 10 hours permitted by the Graduate School.

6. If a student meets the requirements for admission to the Graduate School, but lacks adequate undergraduate preparation, s/he may be admitted as a conditional student with the understanding that s/he must satisfactorily complete course deficiencies, as determined by the Rural Sociology graduate faculty before admission as a regular student. If a student has been admitted as a "Conditional Student" and wishes to move to "Regular Status," the specific conditions enumerated at the time of conditional admission shall have been met and certified by the Rural Sociology advisor, who, in conjunction with the student, then notifies the Rural Sociology Graduate Studies Committee.

7. Transfer Credits: Credits earned from other recognized graduate schools may be applied within limits toward degree programs at The Ohio State University. For the Master's degree program, thesis option, a maximum of nine hours credit (ten hours for non-thesis option) may be transferred from another university. For those applicants who have earned Master's degrees from accredited colleges and universities, up to 45 hours of credit can be applied toward the Ph.D. degree. However, this does not remove the responsibility of the student for meeting all requirements for the degree. Some courses may be approved as substitutes for electives and non required courses; others may not.

8. Other factors can impact negative admission decisions regarding applicants who meet minimum standards. Among those factors could be the availability of graduate faculty with Category P status and the current advisement load of those qualified to advise graduate students.

9. Admission decisions are separate from decisions related to associateship appointments (see the department's Handbook on Graduate Associates). Being admitted carries no guarantee of GA appointment or other financial support.

1 Graduate Record Examinations, for which a fee is charged, are offered throughout the United States at any time. Preregistration directly with the Educational Testing Service is required several weeks in advance of test dates. Detailed information and registration forms may be obtained from the University Office of Admissions, or from the Educational Testing Service, Box 955, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540. International students may also write to the Educational Testing Service, or contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.