Instructions to Applicants

The entrance process to these programs requires a complete application before campus interviews are scheduled or determination on foreign applicants is made. A completed application for admission includes the following:

1. Application Form
   Complete this application and return it to: Graduate Programs, Birmingham-Southern College, Box 549052, Birmingham, Alabama 35254, U.S.A.. (205) 226-4803 E-mail: graduate@bsc.edu

2. Application Fee
   Each application for admission must be accompanied by $25 in the form of a check or money order payable to Birmingham-Southern College. The application fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.

3. Essay
   Attach to this application a 300 - 500 word typed essay which discusses your career goals, your reasons for seeking a graduate degree, factors you weighed in deciding to do so now, and alternatives to this course of action which you have explored.

4. Confidential Statement Of Qualifications
   Arrange to have two Confidential Statement Of Qualifications forms sent directly to the Graduate Programs. One should be completed by your immediate supervisor or someone who knows you well and has intimate knowledge of your work, and the second, if possible, should be from someone who can comment on your ability to do academic work at the graduate level.

5. Transcript
   Transcripts from each college and university attended must be sent directly from the registrar to the Graduate Programs Office. If you attended a college or university under a different name, have the registrar note the change of name on your transcript.

6. Graduate Entrance and Language Examination
   Please submit a score from one of the following nationally recognized graduate entrance examinations: Graduate Records Examination (GRE) or Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Applicants with advanced degrees may petition to be exempt from the entrance examination requirement. Foreign students must submit a TOEFL score (paper-based total 550 minimum score/computer-based total 213 minimum score) or comparable proof of oral and written ability in English, in addition to a graduate entrance examination score.

7. Resume
   Please attach a current resume to this application.

8. Campus Interview
   Admission to the MPPM program is subject to an interview with the Dean and a faculty member. The interviews are conducted on campus and are scheduled after receipt of all information requested in the application process. Admission of foreign students may be made without a campus interview. Acceptance to the Master of Arts in Public and Private Management program at Birmingham-Southern is highly selective. Interviews serve to assure the applicant that his or her personal and professional goals will be satisfied by the MPPM. For the graduate admissions committee, the interview presents an opportunity to meet with an applicant for the purpose of evaluating his or her potential to contribute to and benefit from the program and to evaluate the candidate’s ability to successfully complete the program.