Admissions Options

Michigan Tech offers several admissions options in order to meet the educational needs of students from a variety of backgrounds. Students should review the options available to them and apply for the program that will best help them achieve their personal educational goals. For more information on how to apply to any of these options, see the Graduate School Admissions page.

Degree Programs

Most students at the Graduate School are degree-seeking students within a specific program. Degree-seeking students follow a program of study that meets the requirements set by the Graduate School and by their individual degree program. Depending on the program, research, report, and/or coursework options may be available for master's students. PhD programs are research-based. For details on the Graduate School's requirements for each type of degree program, see Degree Requirements.

To be admitted, prospective graduate students must identify a program (field of study) and degree (for example, MS or PhD) for their application. If you are considering applying to more than one program, please contact the Graduate School prior to submitting multiple applications. Please refer to the program pages for program-specific requirements.

Certificate Programs

In addition to degree programs, Michigan Tech offers a variety of graduate certificates that can be earned concurrently with a degree or by applying to a certificate program. Students who are currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at Michigan Tech do not need to formally apply for a certificate program.

Domestic non-degree seeking students interested in obtaining a graduate certificate must apply to the certificate program through the online application. The number of credits earned prior to admission to a certificate program that can be counted toward that program is restricted.

International students must apply and be accepted into a degree-granting program in order to earn a graduate certificate.

In order to complete a certificate, all students must submit the appropriate degree schedule to the Graduate School to demonstrate that they have fulfilled the requirements of their chosen program.

Non-Degree Seeking Students

Students who wish to enroll in courses without applying to a specific degree program may apply for non-degree seeking status. Not all courses are available to non-degree seeking students.

Admission as a non-degree seeking student is open only to certain types of students. In particular, opportunities for international students seeking this type of admission are limited. Please see the slider below for details.

Transitioning to Degree-Seeking Status

Current non-degree seeking students who wish to transition to a graduate degree program must submit a new online application for the program of their choice. Non-degree seeking students can transfer a maximum of one-third of the total number of non-research credits required for a specific graduate degree if they change from non-degree seeking to degree seeking status at Michigan Tech. For more information on graduate credit transfer, see Transferring in Graduate Credits.

Programs determine which courses taken by non-degree seeking students can be used to satisfy the requirements of a specific degree upon acceptance into the program. For further guidance on how individual graduate programs deal with credit transfer, please contact the Graduate Program Director.

Information for:

International Students

Students who are citizens of countries other than the United States who want to apply to a graduate degree or certificate program should refer to our International Applicants page.

Current Graduate Students

Currently enrolled Michigan Tech graduate students (including non-degree seeking graduate students) applying for a different or additional graduate degree program must complete a new application.

Employees

Michigan Tech employees are welcome to pursue graduate degrees or enroll in courses to further their education, pending approval of their supervisor. To pursue a degree, fill out an application and submit all required materials. See program pages for specific admission requirements.

To enroll in a course, apply as a graduate non-degree seeking student prior to registering. Not all courses are available to this admissions type.

Provisional Admission

Some programs offer provisional admission to applicants who have deficiencies that must be corrected. Only students with completed applications may be granted provisional admission, unless notified by the Graduate Program Director. To verify if provisional admission may be granted for a program of interest, students should contact the Graduate School.

Deficiencies that may be considered for provisional admission include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Low or missing GRE test scores (English proficiency scores are required). Applicants must supply either TOEFL (minimum 79 iBT) or IELTS (minimum 6.5) scores.  
  • Missing prerequisite courses

A student’s admission letter will describe the provisions granted and set a time limit for the student to complete the requirements. Graduate programs will monitor provisionally accepted students and will notify the Graduate School if students do not complete the requirements, at which point a student's admission will be withdrawn.