Apply to the Information and Media Ph.D. Program

The 4 steps of the application process are listed below. Please review all steps before you begin the application process. 

Explore our Ph.D. faculty. Check out their bios to locate two or three members of our faculty members with interest similar to yours. You may want to email them about your plans to apply for doctoral study at MSU, share your interests and ask about their current projects.

Explore Ph.D. Faculty

• The application fee is $75 for applicants.

• Payment can be made by credit card, check (in U.S. funds), or money order.

• Applications will not proceed to the review stage until the fee is paid.

• You will not be able to upload any required materials until your application has been submitted and the fee has been paid.

• Be sure to write down your application ID number—it will be needed for the next step.

• After submitting your application, you will receive an email confirmation with a link to the Student Portal where you can complete your application.

• Use major code 6322 when prompted.

• Regularly monitor your application status through the Student Portal.

• If you notice that your application has not moved forward in the review process, please reach out immediately.

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You should not use AI to write any of the documents listed below. We reserve the right to us an AI writing detector to evaluate your academic and personal statements, sole-authored writing sample, and CV.

When you receive your email confirmation of receipt of the MSU Graduate Application you will also receive a link to the MSU Graduate Application Portal. Please go to this portal and create your MSU Graduate Application account. 

The MSU Graduate Application system will require online submission of the following (NO HARD COPIES accepted):

• Academic Statement. A concise academic statement of your plans for doctoral study, your career goals and how the Information and Media Ph.D. program will help you meet your career and educational objectives. Be sure to relate your plans and goals to the interests of the faculty you have contacted. To help us connect you to our faculty please indicate which unit (Advertising and Public Relations, Journalism or Media and Information) fit you best. One of these departments will become your home department. Designate multiple units if you see a fit in more than one unit. Tell us which faculty member(s) you would like to work with. We recommend statements be between 250-500 words long.
• Personal Statement. A concise personal statement about how your background and life experiences, including social, economic, cultural, familial, education or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a doctoral degree. We recommend statements be between 250-500 words long.
• Sole Authored Writing Sample. For example, a conference paper, journal article, Master's thesis (methods and review literature only), or class project will fulfill this requirement. Should not be more than 20 pages long, not including citations.
• Resume (CV). Include all activities that account for your time since earning a bachelor’s degree (e.g. employment, military service, travel). Include the type of activity, name of employer, city/state and dates. List the most recent activity first. Also include all relevant professional experiences, locations, dates and any scholarly conference presentations or publications.
• Email Addresses for Your Three Recommenders. (Note: an email will be sent out to your recommenders providing them the information on where to submit their letters electronically. The department will only accept letters submitted via the online system)

*Our program no longer requires the GRE

• Name on Application. Please print your name on the application exactly as it appears in your passport. The information will be used to complete the necessary visa documents, so matching your passport information is critical.
• English Language Proficiency. All international students whose first language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English as a condition for regular admission to MSU. Test scores should be sent from the testing agency directly to MSU. Most testing authorities are able to send scores electronically. In the rare case that a physical copy must be sent, it should be sent to.
  • Office of Admissions
    Hannah Administration Building
    426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
    East Lansing, MI 48824-2604

MSU is currently accepting the following tests for international students applying for Fall 2024. Reported scores must be no older than 2 years. 

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Internet-based test (iBT): No subscore below 19 for reading, listening, and speaking; no writing subscore below 22; with a minimum average of 80.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): A minimum average score of 6.5. No subscore below 6.0.
• Duolingo English Test: 110 or higher
• Automatic waivers are permitted only for those who have completed a four-year college degree in the United States or an MA degree at an AAU Tier I Institution.

International Applicant Information

The applicant must request each college or university attended to date to submit one copy of the official transcript to the Office of Admissions. The transcripts should show the courses taken and the grades earned. 

For applicants who have been awarded degrees - final, official records should be sent during the application process. For applicants completing degree programs during the application process, the latest, official, available academic records should be sent, with final records sent as soon as possible after admission.

• Domestic 

Transcripts from domestic institutions can be sent electronically from the institution to the Academic Program Coordinator, Nicole Bond at bondnic@msu.edu.

• International 

Official copies of ALL records from all postsecondary schooling attended/attending. Mark sheets, transcripts, certificates, and diplomas, must be submitted as official documents directly from each institution. In most cases, these documents will need to be sent in official, sealed, issuing institution envelopes.

Records must show courses taken, grades earned, and must be translated into English if the original records are in another language. Translations must be done by the issuing institution, a certified translator in the country of study, or by an American Translator’s Association certified translator in the US. The original record should be also included. See information on the Academic Programs website.

Note that MSU requires final, degree-granting academic records to be sent as proof of degree award. Many international transcripts do not indicate degree award information, and therefore MSU requests applicants send official copies of their final degree diplomas as proof of degree award.

Review MSU's International transcript requirements for country-specific transcript information. 

• Submit Through an Online Service
  • Parchment
  • Naviance
  • National Student Clearing House
  • Scoir
  • Slate
• Send Through Mail
  • Office of Admissions
    Hannah Administration Building
    426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
    East Lansing, MI 48824-2604 

• To ensure full consideration, the application for admission, the application fee, official transcripts, letters of recommendation, test scores, and other required documents received by the appropriate offices at least nine months prior to the anticipated first semester of enrollment.
• Admission decisions are made by the graduate department/program. However, your admission to the University is not official until it has been approved by the Office of Admissions.  The Office of Admissions will send out official offer letters.
• If you wish to check the status of your application, please log into the Student Admissions Portal.
• If you notice that your application has not moved forward in the review process, please reach out immediately.
• Email your faculty contacts to inform them that you have submitted your application. Ask them about their current projects to continue a conversation about mutual interests.

Questions? Additional information about the Information and Media PhD program may be obtained from:

Nicole Bond
Academic Programs Coordinator
bondnic@msu.edu