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Application Instructions

Master of International Policy

Admissions Info - Master of International Policy

The Bush School Admissions Office works with the Office of Graduate Admissions at Texas A&M University to process all applications for the Master of International Policy (MIP) in College Station, TX.

To help applicants manage the process, we created the following application instructions and checklist in PDF format to download and reference. The checklist is available on the last page of the documents below:

Overview of the Application Process

Applicants apply to the program by uploading all supporting materials and submitting an application through the GradCAS application system. The exception to this is any continuing graduate student at Texas A&M who instead submits a Letter of Intent to move from another grad program to the MIP.

To apply, applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of four years of professional experience in the field of international affairs, broadly understood. (Such experience does NOT include educational experiences like semester abroad or undergraduate internships.) Applicants are required to submit the following materials to complete their application by the application deadline. Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed or considered for admission.

  1. Application
  2. Application Fee
  3. Résumé
  4. Personal Statement
  5. Recommendations (2)
  6. Transcripts
  7. GRE/GMAT (optional)
  8. Proof of English Proficiency (for applicants from non-English speaking countries)

To avoid confusion or delay in processing an application, please use the same spelling and name on all correspondence. Also, notify the Bush School Admissions Office of any changes to address and/or name.

As soon as an applicant’s file is complete (all supporting materials are received, including test scores and recommendations), the application will be reviewed for admission. Please allow up to 10 business days for us to review and make a decision. Once made, an admissions decision will be emailed to the applicant with further instructions. Note: Processing and updating an applicant’s admission in the system can take up to 14 business days, so be prepared. For further details, refer to our Admissions Timeline page.

Application Deadlines

We admit students into the MIP program every semester (spring, summer, and fall). Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed for considered for admission.

Application deadlines:

  • Spring 2022 Deadline: October 15, 2021
  • Summer 2022 Deadline: March 15, 2022
  • Fall 2022 Deadline: April 15, 2022

Applications and all supporting materials (including recommendations) must be submitted/received by the application deadline. Those seeking early decisions may contact our office to work within a modified timeline. 

The Bush School Admissions Office makes the final determination when an application is complete. Even if the GradCAS portal says an application is complete, it may not be, as the system only checks for some of the required items. The Bush School Admissions Office will send an official email notification of any missing materials or when an application is complete. Look for our email updates and please be patient as we process incoming applications and support documents.

Application

Unless an applicant is a continuing Texas A&M graduate student, submission of an application and all supporting documents through GradCAS is required. Applicants do this by clicking on the appropriate link below, creating an account, and selecting the appropriate program:

Continuing Texas A&M Graduate Students: If an applicant is currently completing a graduate degree at Texas A&M and wishes to pursue another, he/she should email a completed Letter of Intent form (instead of an application in GradCAS), along with all supporting materials, to bushschoolapplications@tamu.edu.

Application Fee

Applicants pay a nonrefundable fee to submit their application in GradCAS. Application fee costs:

  • $89 for domestic applicants*
  • $114 for international applicants

*Continuing Texas A&M Graduate Students: Applicants currently completing a grad degree at Texas A&M do NOT pay an application fee when submitting the Letter of Intent. 

Résumé

In the Supporting Information quadrant -> Documents section of GradCAS*, applicants upload a current résumé (up to three pages max; shorten and highlight those longer CVs) that should include the following:  

  • Name and Contact Information
  • Education
  • Work/Internship Experience and Military Service/Duties
  • International Experience
  • Skills and Certifications (language, software, clearance, etc.)
  • Leadership, Service, Organizations, and Honors

*Continuing Texas A&M Graduate Students: Email the résumé to bushschoolapplications@tamu.edu

Personal Statement

Applicants upload their personal statement to the Program Materials quadrant -> Documents tab in GradCAS. Statements should be typed in 11 pt font, spaced 1.5”, and address the following prompt. Include applicant name, the title “Personal Statement,” and page number on each page.

Prompt: In 750 words or less, please address the following topics in your personal statement:

  • Your personal and professional goals for a career in international policy,
  • Details about your professional experience in the field,
  • How will obtaining the MIP from the Bush School will help you achieve your goals.

*Continuing Texas A&M Graduate Students: Email the statement to bushschoolapplications@tamu.edu.

Recommendations (2)

Two recommendations with evaluations are required and must be received by the application deadline. Either one or both can be from someone who can speak to the applicant’s leadership; public service, military, or work experience; or from someone familiar with his/her academics. Applications with fewer than two recommendations will NOT be reviewed for admission.

In GradCAS, applicants enter the contact information (name and email) for two recommenders in the Program Materials quadrant -> Recommendations tab. Immediately after saving the contact information for a recommender, an email is sent to the recommender on the applicant’s behalf with instructions to submit an applicant evaluation and a letter of recommendation (preferably written on official letterhead) through the Letters by Liaison portal.

When filling out the recommenders’ contact information, the “Due Date” an applicant enters is displayed in the email notification the recommender receives, along with any “Personal Messages/Notes” that were entered. We recommend applicants set a due date of at least a week prior to the Application Deadline. Applicants are encouraged to advise their recommenders to look for an email from Letters by Liaison in their inbox, as well as their spam/junk mail folders, since emails can be flagged incorrectly.

*TIP* Applicants do NOT have to wait for recommendations to be received/completed before submitting their application. Rather, we advise applicants to submit their application and continue to monitor the status of their recommendations to ensure they are received by the application deadline. Applicants simply log back into their GradCAS application, navigate to the Program Materials quadrant -> Recommendations tab to check the status of each recommendation and/or to send a reminder.

To send a reminder to a recommender:Either call or email a reminder outside the system OR resend the request through GradCAS by editing a recommender, adding a note, and pressing the ‘Resend This Recommendation Request’ button at the bottom of the page.

Continuing TAMU Grad Students –or-
Recommenders unable to submit their recommendation via the Letters by Liaison portal:

If a recommender is encountering difficulties uploading their recommendation letter and/or filling out the online evaluation, then the applicant should fill out the top portion of the Recommendation Form and instruct the recommender to finish filling out the rest. The recommender then sends the Recommendation Form and the support recommendation letter to the Bush School Admissions Office via email.

  • Email bushschoolapplications@tamu.edu – Recommenders must submit directly; recommendations emailed by the applicant are not accepted.
  • Be aware that since the recommender will not submit his/her recommendation through the Letters by Liaison portal, the status of this recommendation will continue to say “requested” or “accepted,” and will never update to “complete.” This will also cause the overall status of the application to never “complete.” For these reasons, we strongly encourage applicants to work with their recommenders on submitting their recommendation through the Letters by Liaison portal.

Transcripts

UNOFFICIAL Transcripts Required to Apply
In GradCAS, applicants upload a copy of their official transcript from all 4-year colleges/universities attended to the Academic History quadrant -> Colleges Attended section. While asked to enter every college/university attended, applicants are only required to upload transcripts for the 4-year colleges/universities they attended. Transcripts from junior or community colleges are not needed. For each degree earned, the corresponding transcript must indicate the name of the degree and date it was awarded. Transcripts uploaded to GradCAS or sent via email are considered unofficial, but are sufficient for reviewing an application for admission.

International (non-US) Transcripts: Gather the transcript and diploma (or degree certificate) in its native language, along with an English translation (if applicable). Save all documents into one file and upload to the GradCAS application.

Texas A&M Current or Former Students: Please upload a copy of the Texas A&M transcript into GradCAS. However, an official transcript will NOT be needed if admitted.

OFFICIAL Transcripts Required upon Admission
Admitted students cannot register for courses until official transcripts from all 4-year colleges/universities attended are received and processed by the Texas A&M Office of Graduate Admissions. A registration hold is placed on the student’s account until officials are on file. Registration typically opens in mid-April, so it is imperative for an admitted student to request official transcripts be sent immediately upon admission.

For transcripts to be considered official, they must be submitted directly from the university/college to Texas A&M’s Office of Graduate Admissions (NOT the Bush School) in one of the following ways:

  • Electronically via SPEEDE, eSCRIPT-SAFE, PARCHMENT, or National Student Clearing House to admissions@tamu.edu.
  • Mailed to Texas A&M Graduate Admissions Processing in a sealed envelope with the registrar’s signature or stamp across the seal.
    • U.S. postal mail
      Graduate Admissions Processing 
      Texas A&M University 
      PO Box 40001 
      College Station, TX 77842-4001
    • Express mail or courier (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.)
      Graduate Admissions Processing
      Texas A&M University
      General Services Complex
      750 Agronomy Rd, Suite 1601
      College Station, TX 77843-0200

International Transcripts: Applicants must submit their official transcript and diploma (or degree certificate) in its native language, as well as an official English translation for both. They are to be signed by the registrar, controller of examinations, or president of the university issuing the document. Translations sent directly from the institution attended or from a recognized translator are considered official. Consolidated and provisional mark-sheets are NOT considered official. Please ask the registrar to send individual mark-sheets with the grades earned in each term. Photocopies or other duplications such as notarized copies and faxes are not official.

Texas A&M (College Station, Galveston, or Qatar) Current or Former Students: These students do NOT need to submit official Texas A&M transcripts, or other supporting transcripts, previously sent to Texas A&M.

GRE/GMAT (optional)

Using the cumulative GPA (out of 4.0) as listed on the transcript issuing the degree (bachelor, master, PhD), GRE/GMAT scores are either optional or encouraged for the MIP. We prefer the GRE over GMAT.

  • Optional for those with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. We do NOT round up! (a 2.98 is below a 3.0)
  • Encouraged for those with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 or who feel their scores could offset concerns if their grades/experience do not reflect their current abilities.

To be valid, scores must be within five years of the date the GradCAS application is submitted. Upload an unofficial Test Score Report to the Program Materials quadrant -> Documents tab of the application in GradCAS.   

Official scores are only needed for international applicants who wish to provide Proof of English Proficiency via their GRE/GMAT score. Official test scores should be sent directly from the Education Testing Service (ETS) to Texas A&M University and must be within five years of the date the GradCAS application is submitted.

(GRE Code: 6003 / GMAT Code: 7B7-K9-57)

Proof of English Proficiency

(for applicants from non-English speaking countries)

Official English language proficiency (ELP) test scores are required for most international applicants. Citizens of certain English speaking countries are exempt from this requirement. Refer to the list on the Texas A&M International Graduate Admissions website.

If an applicant’s country is not on the exempted list, he/she must submit test scores that meet the minimum ELP requirement or meet the Alternative Verification criteria. Acceptable options:

  • Score at least 146 on the GRE verbal section (or 22 on GMAT verbal) from a test date within five years of applying.
  • Earn a TOEFL score of at least 80 i-BT from a test date within two years of applying; the Bush School prefers a 100+ i-BT. MyBest TOEFL Scores are not accepted.
  • Score an IELTS Academic test score of 6.0 or higher overall band from a test date within two years of applying; the Bush School prefers an overall band score of at least 7.0.
  • Alternative Verification: Complete all years of a bachelor’s degree (equivalent to four years) or higher (masters is typically two years) at an accredited university in the US.

Applicants are advised to test at least two months before the application deadline. Test scores can take anywhere from two to six weeks to be processed, depending on the test. Applications missing the required proof of English proficiency will not be reviewed or considered for admission.

To report test scores: 

  • GRE: Use code 6003
  • GMAT: Use code 7B7-K9-57
  • TOEFL Scores should be sent directly from the testing service to Texas A&M University (Code 6003).
  • IELTS Scores should be submitted electronically from the IELTS test center to Texas A&M University (College Station and Galveston); no paper Test Report Forms accepted. An institution code is NOT required. Instead, use the address listed below.

Internal Admissions Processing
Texas A&M University
PO Box 40002
College Station, TX 77842-4002
admissions@tamu.edu

Contact Information: Bush School Admissions

Questions about the application or application process should be directed to Ashlee Treadway in the Bush School Admissions Office. Our contact information:

Phone: 979-862-3476
Email: bushschoolapplications@tamu.edu

All documents on this page are in PDF format. To view documents, you must have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.