Graduate Admissions

Graduate Program Open Houses

Interested in learning more about our graduate programs? Join one of our informational open houses! Graduate adviser Lindsey Bliefernicht, program directors Greg Downey and Stacy Forster, and other faculty members will share information about our internationally recognized program, our department, UW-Madison and the Madison community. They’ll also share helpful application tips and answer all of your questions.

Professional Master’s Program Open House

Monday, October 20
4 p.m. CT

Register today

Research Master’s and PhD Program Open Houses

Tuesday, October 21
9 a.m. CT
Register today

Tuesday, October 21
4 p.m. CT
Register today

Graduate Degree Requirements

Professional and Research MA degree applicants must have:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
  • A BA or BS. before the start of the semester for which they are applying
  • Minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA (4.0 scale) on last 60 credits of course work

Visit the Professional MA or Research MA website for more information.

PhD applicants must have: 

  • Bachelor’s and thesis-based master’s degrees from accredited institutions
  • An MA or MS before the start of the fall semester for which they are applying
  • Minimum 3.5 cumulative graduate GPA (4.0) scale on M.A. degree course work

Visit the PhD in Mass Communications website for more information.

International Students

Additional requirements for international applicants:

  1. Applicants who earn degrees from institutions where the language of instruction is not exclusively English and applicants who earn degrees at bilingual institutions are required to take an English proficiency exam within two years from anticipated start of enrollment. Official minimum score requirements are listed below, although our program looks for scores at 105 and higher for TOEFL:
    • TOEFL | Minimum: 92; Preferred: 105+
    • IELTS | Minimum: 7; Preferred: 7.5+
    • Duolingo English Test | Minimum: 125; Preferred: 130+
    • Applicants are exempt from taking English proficiency tests for admissions purposes if they:
      • Earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university
      • Earned a master’s or PhD degree from a regionally accredited United States college or university not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated start of enrollment.
      • Earned an undergraduate degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from an international institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction. The language of instruction must be stated on the official transcript or verified as the only language of instruction.
      • Completed at least two full-time semesters of graded coursework from an accredited institution where English is the exclusive language of instruction not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated start of enrollment. This coursework cannot include English language learning classes.
  2. To determine your academic record and degree equivalent and whether it qualifies you for admission to graduate study, review the Grad School admissions requirements. Locate your country of study and then check minimum requirements for UW–Madison Graduate School admission. If you have other questions, please contact the Graduate Program Manager Lindsey Bliefernicht.
  3. International applicants are required to have adequate financial resources to cover their expenses for the duration of their studies at UW–Madison. Do not send any financial statements until requested.