Admissions & Applying

 

Admission     Application Checklist     Applying     Deadlines     Deferring    

Joint Degree     Reapplication     Recruitment     Review     Testing     Visit


Fall 2010 Recruitment

The SSP will hold online chats for prospective students. Chats will be hosted on the following dates:

September TBD

October TBD

November TBD

To access chat sessions click here.

In an effort to conserve resources the SSP no longer sends printed materials by mail. The entire SSP catalog is available as a PDF.
 

Check out the SSP Facebook Page

 

Deadlines

The SSP admits students for both fall and spring semesters. Deadlines are:

Spring 2011: October 15, 2010

Fall 2011: January 14, 2011

Spring 2012: October 14, 2011

Application review begins shortly after each deadline. Applicants for the spring can expect to be notified by mid November, while applicants applying for fall admission can expect to receive notification of their status by late March. Please note applicants are notified of their status in writing by the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Admissions decisions cannot be released via phone, fax, or e-mail.

 

SSP Admission

Admission to the SSP is competitive.  Applicants are considered on the entirety of their application, including the undergraduate record, standardized test scores, professional experience, letters of recommendation, and the statement of purpose.

Successful Applicants

The SSP strives to enroll and diverse class of students who have demonstrated academic excellence, have a wide range of personal, professional, and academic experience, and have a strong commitment to a career in the security field. The SSP seeks students who, by virtue of their background and experience, can contribute to the education of their peers and to the scholarship of security studies.

Successful applicants to the SSP have proven English proficiency and come from a wide range of undergraduate majors, including international relations and other social sciences, the humanities, business, and physical sciences and engineering. It is suggested that students take microeconomics and macroeconomics prior to enrollment.

Work experience is not required, but strongly recommended. The Admissions Committee carefully reviews each applicant's personal and professional experience to assess readiness for graduate study at the SSP. Voluntary positions, internships, and part- and full-time experience play a role in preparing students for study. Students with out work experience are not at a disadvantage, however. In the absence of professional experience, a related academic background (such as a major in international relations, political science, etc.) becomes more important.

International experience is not required but is recommended. International experience includes time spent living, studying, working, volunteering, or traveling outside of the applicant's home country.


Applicants are encouraged to apply early and online. All materials are processed by the Office of Graduate Admissions within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

 

How to Apply

The online application is available here: Application

Electronic copies of academic transcripts can be uploaded to the applicant's online application via the ApplyYourself system.  Hard copies of transcripts and letters of recommendations must arrive in sealed, signed envelopes to be considered official.  Hard copies of documents should be sent to:

Georgetown University
Office of Graduate Admissions
3700 O Street, NW
Intercultural Center, Suite 302
Box 571004
Washington, DC 20057-1004

Please note: The SSP does not handle credentials processing.  Should you have questions regarding the arrival of credentials and standardized test scores please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 202-687-5568 or via e-mail at gradmail@georgetown.edu.  Applicants may also check the status of their materials at any time by using the ApplyYourself online system.

 

What to Submit

The SSP follows a self-directed application process. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the admissions file is complete in every respect.

Applicants may access the Apply Yourself online application status checklist to determine which items have been received. Self-assembly of hard copy credentials into one application package for mailing facilitates handling of the application packet. Applicants will not be contacted by the Office of Graduate Admissions or the SSP regarding missing credentials or incomplete files.

Checklist

A complete application file contains the following items:

  • Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application form

  • Application fee

  • SSP Supplemental Data Sheet

  • Resume or CV

  • Statement of purpose (not to exceed 500 words) addressing intellectual interests and professional and academic goals.  The statement of purpose is a critical component of the SSP application.  Please carefully explain how the SSP specifically fits into your future academic and professional plans.  Applicants are not required to submit a writing sample.

  • Official transcripts. Applicants for admission must provide transcripts of all work beyond secondary school, including course work transferred from community colleges and study abroad institutions.  Transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing university's registrar office to the Office of Graduate Admissions.

    For students currently enrolled in another graduate or  undergraduate degree program, transcripts must include the current semester.

    Students who have attended or graduated from a foreign college or university must provide an official transcript and translation in English.  The translation should not be interpretive (i.e. grades should not be translated into the U.S. system) and should be signed by the translator.

    PPIA and IIPP candidates must include the summer institute evaluation.
  • Letters of recommendation from three individuals who can assess the applicant's qualifications and preparation for graduate work in security studies.  Letters of recommendation are to be submitted electronically using the ApplyYourself online application system.

    Personal letters of recommendation - from collegues, coaches, and family friends, for example - are not accepted.
  • Official Standardized Test Scores sent directly from the testing organization. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for Georgetown University is 5244.  There is no separate code for the SSP or the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

 

How the Review Process Works

All applications are processed by the Office of Graduate Admissions.  Hard copies of credentials are recorded and placed in the candidate’s physical file, which is then available for review by the SSP admissions committee.  Electronic applications are available for preliminary review by the committee immediately after being opened but are not formally reviewed until complete.

Please note admissions decisions cannot be released via email, fax, or phone, nor will an applicant be notified of the decision until the application fee is paid in full.

Complete applications are reviewed by the SSP admissions committee, which consists of both faculty and staff members.  Once an admissions decision has been made a recommendation is made to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which then performs a routine and final review of the file to ensure all application requirements are met.  The Graduate School then issues and mails the decision letter.

Applications for Spring 2011 admission are reviewed in mid October. Applicants can expect a decision by November. Review for the Fall 2011 semester applications begins in late January.  Applicants who submitted complete applications in January can expect to receive notification of their status by late March.

 

Standardized Testing

Requirements

U.S. Citizens and permanent residents are required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Subject tests of the GRE are not required.

International students who have earned an undergraduate or graduate degree in which English was the primary language of instruction are required to take the GRE. Subject tests of the GRE are not required.

If you are an international student and your native language is not English and you have not earned a university degree where English was the primary language of instruction, then you are required to take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Applicants to the joint M.A./J.D. program can submit LSAT scores in lieu of GRE scores. GMAT scores will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Applicants should allow a minimum of four to six weeks for their scores to be processed by both ETS and Georgetown University. Files missing scores will be considered incomplete if the scores are not received by the published date. Applicants may email their unofficial scores to Tiffany Swanson, Director of Admissions. Any offer of admission would be conditional upon receipt of the official score report from ETS.

Applicants should keep in mind that GRE scores are valid for five years. Scores with a test date beyond the five year mark are not accepted.

Minimum Scores

There is no minimum score requirement for the GRE. In recent years the average verbal and quantitative scores of successful applicants have been in the mid to upper 600s, and the average analytical writing score ranging between 5.1 and 5.2.

There is a minimum score requirement for both the TOEFL and IELTS. The minimum scores are generally considered evidence of sufficient English language ability for graduate study at the SSP. The minimum scores are:

TOEFL: 100 on the Internet Based Test (iBT); 250 on the Computer-Based Test; 600 on the paper-based exam.

IELTS: 7.5

Waiving Standardized Testing Requirements

The SSP admissions committee knows that test fees are high and standardized tests are not offered in every country. Nonetheless, all applicants are expected to submit test scores with their applications.

Applicants currently holding advanced degrees can request the GRE be waived. Requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed. A memorandum requesting the waiver should be included with the application for admission.

The TOEFL and/or IELTS requirement cannot be waived in any circumstance.

 

Reapplication and Reactivating an Application 

Applicants denied admission to the SSP should not reapply until steps have been taken to strengthen the application file.  Please contact the SSP admissions staff to discuss the appropriate course of action.  

In most cases those wishing to reapply will be required to submit a new online application. The Office of Graduate Admissions keeps credentials on file for one year, and if you are reapplying within this time frame it may be possible for previously submitted transcripts to be added to your new application file. Please remember to indicate in the new application that you have previously applied.

If you applied more than one year ago follow the steps for opening a new application.

 

Deferring Admission  

Admitted students are expected to begin the program in the semester for which they applied.  Should the student’s professional or personal circumstances change, however, a deferral to the next semester or the next academic year can be requested.  If granted, a deferral cannot be extended to a subsequent semester.  Admitted students can request a maximum of one deferral. 

The form for request of deferral is located on the Graduate School website.

 

Applying to the Joint Degree Programs

Applicants applying to either the M.A./Ph.D. program with the Department of Government or the M.A./J.D. program with the Georgetown University Law Center must submit separate applications to both the Security Studies Program and either the Department of Government or the Georgetown University Law Center.

Admissions information for these programs can be found on their websites:

Georgetown University Law Center

Georgetown University Department of Government

 

Visiting the Security Studies Program

The SSP encourages prospective students to visit Georgetown and the SSP. Informational interviews are offered Mondays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Interviews are by no means required for admission. They are for informational purposes only and have no bearing on an application or admission. Prospective students meet with Tiffany Swanson, Director of Admission, or Elizabeth Robbins, SSP Admissions Officer.

To schedule an appointment email sspinfo@georgetown.edu with a proposed date and time for your visit. A member of the admissions staff will contact you to confirm details. One week's advance notice is required to arrange an appointment.

Please note that informational interviews are not available from January through April due to the demands of the application review process. 

The SSP is located in the Mortara Center for International Studies at 3600 N St NW, approximately one block from Georgetown's main campus. The Mortara Center is number 72 on the campus map.