Applicants for admission to the University of Kentucky Graduate School must pay an application fee. The fee is $30 for domestic applicants and $35 for international applicants. A check or money order made payable to THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY should accompany the completed application. NO CASH, PLEASE. Students applying via the Web can also pay the application fee by credit card on the Web. Go to <www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/gsapplication.html> and click on "Pay Application Fee."
Students seeking admission to the University of Kentucky Graduate School must hold a baccalaureate degree from a fully accredited institution of higher learning. An overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 and 3.0 on all graduate work is required by the Graduate School. Individual departments may require higher grade point averages.
All applicants for admission to degree programs in the Graduate School must submit official scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (see Provisional Admission). The College of Business and Economics substitutes the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) for M.B.A., Ph.D. and Accounting applicants. Also, applicants for Health Administration, Public Administration, and Public Health may substitute the GMAT.
New students applying for admission must have two official transcripts sent by each institution of higher learning previously attended. All transcripts must be sent directly to the Graduate School, or transcripts in sealed envelopes obtained from the Registrar of each institution may accompany the application.
To be official, records must bear the Registrar's signature and/or official seal of the issuing institution. A summary of credits transferred and recorded on the transcript issued by the institution granting the degree will not suffice.
Application forms can be obtained by writing:
The Graduate School
351 Patterson Office Tower
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0027
or on the Web at:
<www.rgs.uky.edu/gs/gsapplication.html>.
Applications must be submitted no later than one month before the beginning of the term the applicant intends to begin graduate work (see Calendar); all application materials (including all transcripts and official scores) must be received by this deadline.
Graduate students may not be able to begin immediately a full graduate program leading to the degree they desire; it may be necessary for them to satisfy prerequisites that they did not complete in their undergraduate curriculum. Deficiencies are determined by the program in which the major work is to be done. Ordinarily, graduate students may begin a full program in any field in which they have an appropriate undergraduate major or its equivalent.
Admission to the Graduate School entitles students to take such courses as they desire, provided they have the necessary prerequisites and departmental approval.
Attendance in the Graduate School at the University of Kentucky is not a right, it is a privilege which may be withdrawn by the University or by any area of graduate study if it is deemed necessary by the Dean of the Graduate School in order to safeguard the University's standards.
When credentials are submitted in support of any application, they should be either the original documents or certified copies (i.e., copies certified or attested as "true copies" by a notary public). An official translation must be attached to these records if they are in a language other than English. Credentials should include a record of all degrees earned, detailing all subjects taken and grades obtained. Grades must be listed in the indigenous system.
GRE/GMAT Requirement. Applications will not be considered without official scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Business and Accounting applicants must substitute the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). Also, applicants for Public Administration, Health Administration, and Public Health may substitute the GMAT. If the GRE or the GMAT have not been taken, write to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541, for information concerning the appropriate examination. The tests are administered throughout the year and test scores generally require six weeks for delivery. It is important, therefore, that the applicant take the appropriate test well in advance of the application deadline in order to allow ample time for scores to be received in the Graduate School.
Test scores must be sent directly to the University of Kentucky Graduate School from ETS. Photocopies can be submitted for use in a preliminary evaluation until official scores are received from ETS.
Application Fee. International applicants for admission to the University of Kentucky Graduate School must pay a $35 application fee. A check or money order in United States funds made payable to THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY should accompany the completed application. Applications will be processed upon receipt of the fee. NO CASH, PLEASE.
English Proficiency Requirement. The University of Kentucky requires a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for all applicants whose native language is not English. (The equivalent score on the computer version of the TOEFL is 213.) The test is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which publishes the TOEFL Bulletin. The TOEFL Bulletin includes a registration form. Bulletins are available in many locations outside the U.S., usually at American embassies and consulates, offices of the United States Intercultural Communications Agency (ICA), United States educational commissions and foundations, bi-national centers, and many private organizations such as the Institute of International Education (IIE), African-American Institute (AAI), America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc. (AMIDEAST), and American Kor-Asian Foundation.
Students who cannot obtain a TOEFL Bulletin and registration form locally should write, well in advance, to: Test of English as a Foreign Language, Box 6154, Princeton, NJ 08541-6154.
Test scores must be sent directly to the University of Kentucky Graduate School from ETS. Photocopies can be submitted for use in a preliminary evaluation until official scores are received from ETS.
Financial Resources Requirement. Entering international students
must certify that they have at least $20,000* available for each 12-month
period of study. It is estimated that this amount will cover the cost of
tuition, fees, books and supplies, room and meals, health insurance (explained
below) and incidentals, for a single person. Applicants must certify $6,000*
per year for their spouse and $4,000* per year for each additional dependent.
An I-20 (or IAP-66) is issued to applicants who have been academically
accepted
only upon receipt of acceptable financial information.
*Subject to change without notice.
Health History Form. All international students must obtain from the Student Health Service a tuberculin screening test and reading, and complete a health history form, before registration will be allowed. This should be done as soon as possible following arrival on the University campus. (See also Health Services.)
Post-baccalaureate status is not a form of probationary admission to a degree-granting graduate program.
An application for admission to the Graduate School as a post-baccalaureate graduate student should be filed in the Admissions Office at least two weeks in advance of the registration date for the term in which the student plans to enroll. An original or a photocopy of a transcript showing an awarded bachelor degree must accompany the application. An overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 or better and a 3.0 on all previous graduate work (both on a 4-point scale) are required by the Graduate School for admission.
Post-baccalaureate students may take graduate courses for graduate credit. Permission to enter any graduate class as a post-baccalaureate student will be granted only if the student meets the prerequisites for that course and if space is available.
A post-baccalaureate student who later wishes to apply to enter a degree-granting graduate program must have a 3.0 or better grade point average on all course work, graduate or undergraduate, attempted as a post-baccalaureate. A standard application form or written notice requesting consideration for admission to a specific program and stating the semester or summer session for which enrollment in the program is desired must be presented to the Graduate School. Calendar deadlines for application noted in the front of this Bulletin should be observed.
A maximum of nine semester hours or 25 percent of the semester hours required for the degree concerned (exclusive of residence or thesis credit, research and independent study), whichever is greater, may later be transferred from post-baccalaureate status to a master's or specialist degree program at the University of Kentucky.
Certification students who later wish to transfer credits into a master's or specialist's program at the University of Kentucky may do so. The requirements and limitations are the same as for any transfer of credits into such a program.
1. Missing transcripts or other requirements for admission such as letters of recommendation;
2. Temporary waiver of the Graduate Record Examination (not to exceed one semester);
3. Deficiencies determined by the program;
4. Temporary ineligibility for regular admission status because program only reviews applications once a year;
5. Graduating University of Kentucky seniors lacking no more than six hours for graduation; the consent of the college dean and the Dean of the Graduate School and approval of the director of graduate studies are necessary. Students may take no more than 12 credit hours and must complete the undergraduate degree during the semester in which they enroll in the provisional status (see Graduating Seniors as Part-Time Graduate Students below).
Provisional status is permitted for a maximum of one full-time semester or up to 12 hours after which the student's record will be reviewed. Within 30 days into the following semester, and on recommendation of the director of graduate studies, the student will be changed from provisional to regular program status, or dropped from the graduate program entirely.
Application to the program should be submitted at the end of the student's junior year. Applicants should have completed at least 90 credit hours of work toward the bachelor's degree, or be eligible for senior standing in the semester they are admitted to the program. The master's program should be in the field of the undergraduate major, and the undergraduate grade point average must be at least a 3.5 in the applicant's major field and 3.2 overall.
Applicants to a University Scholars program must fill out and have signed a University Scholars application form, which is available in the Graduate School. This form should be returned along with the standard Graduate School application form.
The Dean of the Graduate School or his appointee will make admission decisions. Students must register in the Graduate School for all work taken following admission to the University Scholars Program and pay graduate tuition and fees. University Scholars may take no more than 16 credit hours per semester, except by recommendation of their Director of Graduate Studies and by approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. Students must have an undergraduate advisor and a graduate advisor. A jointly planned program must be prepared for each student.
The following graduate programs participate in the University Scholars Program:
Agricultural Economics
Anthropology
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Chemistry
Chemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Classics
Communication
Computer Science
Diplomacy and International Commerce
Electrical Engineering
Family Studies
Forestry
French
Geography
History
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Music
Nursing
Physics
Public Administration
Sociology
Spanish
Vocational Education
Asbury Theological Seminary and the University of Kentucky have established a double competency program for students whose interests are social work and the ministry. Interested students should contact the Director of Graduate Studies in Social Work.
The UK School of Music offers the Master of Music with an emphasis in Sacred Music; this degree involves the completion of core coursework at the University of Kentucky, as well as 6-9 credits of course work at an accredited seminary or other appropriate institution. One option available to the student involves a collaborative curriculum between the University of Kentucky and Lexington Theological Seminary leading to the award of the Master of Music from UK, and the Master of Arts in Church Music from Lexington Theological Seminary. Interested students should the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Kentucky School of Music.
The College of Business and Economics and the College of Pharmacy offer the opportunity to obtain the Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees in a dual degree program. Students can usually obtain both degrees in four years plus three summers instead of the five and one-half years required if the degrees were pursued separately. The dual degree program is designed to provide students with the necessary educational foundation so that they not only are prepared to begin practice as a pharmacist, but to assume managerial responsibility in a variety of health care settings. A student desiring admission into the dual degree program will be required to apply formally and independently to both programs.
The Martin School of Public Policy and Administration and the College of Engineering offer the opportunity to obtain the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees in a five-year dual degree program. Typically, students will enroll in the College of Engineering as freshmen and take courses required for the BSE degree through the junior year. During the senior or fourth year, students will begin to take MPA courses. In the fifth year, students will take MPA classes exclusively. Students must complete an internship in the summer following the fifth year of course work.
The University of Kentucky offers a two-year, 45-hour professional Master of Public Administration degree through the Graduate School. The College of Pharmacy offers a four-year, 158-hour Doctor of Pharmacy. The MPA/Pharm.D. dual degree is the only one of its type offered in the Commonwealth. The dual degree program permits a student to gain both degrees in a total time period less than if the degrees were earned independently. The dual degree program is highly desirable for persons seeking careers in state and federal regulatory and administrative agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, managed care organizations, and academics. For information, contact the Director of Graduate Studies in Public Administration or the College of Pharmacy.
The College of Business and Economics and the College of Pharmacy offer the opportunity to obtain the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degrees in a dual degree program. The dual degree program permits a student to gain both degrees in a total time period less than if the degrees were earned independently.
Individuals grounded in both economic analysis and clinical skills provide an increasingly important and unique interface between practitioners and managers to balance clinical decision making with financial realities. The dual degree is thought to be highly desirable for persons seeking careers in government, the pharmaceutical industry, institutional settings, managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit management organizations, and academics. A student desiring admission into the dual degree program will be required to apply formally and independently to both programs.
Copies of the guidelines for students wishing to pursue the combined Ph.D./MD degrees may be obtained in the office of the Associate Dean for Academic Administration in the Graduate School.
Health Services. The University has an excellent health care clinic for outpatient care that is of special importance to international students (see Health Services). All international students on F-1, F-2, J-1, and J-2 visas are automatically enrolled in the University of Kentucky student insurance plan. Students who have purchased health insurance in their home country may be eligible for a waiver. Because of the extremely high cost of medical care, it is imperative that a student have insurance for himself or herself, spouse, and children. Health insurance application forms can be obtained in Bradley Hall.
Program in English for International Students. The English Department sponsors the Center for English as a Second Language. The Center offers eight-week terms of study; students may join in June, August, October, January, or March. Students receive 160 hours of intensive English instruction in an eight-week period. No college credit is given for the course of study, but students are given certificates of completion for the Center’s program. Sometimes students are admitted to the Graduate School contingent upon successful completion of the program. The Center is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant alien students. The fee is $1,375* for instruction; room, board, and textbooks are not included in the fee. For further information write the Center for English as a Second Language, 1235 Patterson Office Tower, UK, 40506.
*Subject to change without notice.
Sponsored International Graduate Students. International graduate students financed and monitored by sponsoring agencies can be provided with special placement, advising, and management services. Literature describing these services is available from the Office of International Affairs. The sponsoring agency is assessed a fee of $300 per semester per student for these special services.
