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Application Process

PH.D. Application Guidelines and Requirements

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2010 term.

Students may apply to ASPECT either on the basis of promised or actual completion of an M.A or equivalent (e.g. M.S, March, M.B.A., or J.D.) prior to entering the ASPECT Ph.D. program. When they apply, students should indicate whether they seek Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) funding. ASPECT's GTA funds will support only full time Ph.D. students. For 2008/09, students awarded a GTA can expect a full tuition waiver, regular benefits offered all TAs, and a stipend of $15,000. Assuming good progress, the degree students are eligible for up to 4 years of financial support as TA's while pursuing or completing their Ph.D. Pursuit of the ASPECT Ph.D. on a part time basis is an alternative option.

Students wishing to be admitted to the doctoral program must file official application materials with the Graduate School of Virginia Tech. Click here for more information about Graduate School Application Process. Complete your application online. The applicant is responsible for providing all supporting documents (e.g. official GRE scores, transcript, TOEFL scores, etc) and payment of the required application fee to the Virginia Tech Graduate School. The application is due by February 1, 2009.

In addition, all applicants must submit the following documents:

  • Three letters of reference, including at least two from former or current professors; [applicant has the option to indicate that references are being submitted online (instructions on application)]. If references are not being submitted online, the reference letters should be mailed directly to the ASPECT department.* All reference letters must be accompanied by a completed Reference form The reference letter may be typed on letterhead or directly on the Reference Form.
  • Statement of purpose, including relevant previous experience, likely main area of research for the dissertation, and career objectives; In their statement of purpose, applicants will be expected to demonstrate in a 3-5 page statement a mature sense of their research interests and how the ASPECT curriculum, program faculty, and its mentoring structures will contribute to their research and career goals.
  • A personal Curriculum Vitae or resume providing information on education, employment history, and professional activity;
  • A sample of written research to enable the Graduate Committee to evaluate an applicant's potential for research. The writing sample may be a seminar paper, up to two chapters from a thesis, or a publication.
  • Official and current transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed to ASPECT (this is in addition to the set sent directly to the Graduate School). Ordinarily, applicants must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for all courses already taken as a graduate student; a minimum 3.3 grade point average is expected from their undergraduate education. These GPA requirements may be waived in unusual circumstances should other application materials give reason to do so.
  • Send document to:
    Tamara Sutphin
    ASPECT Administrative Assistant
    202 Major Williams (0192)
    Blacksburg, VA 24061

Priority will be given to applicants who apply for fall admission in 2010 by February 1, 2010.

Because of their unreliable predictive value, GRE scores are not required as part of the admission process, but may be provided at the discretion of the candidate. International students should submit TOEFL scores as part of their application. University wide minimum TOEFL scores are 80 for Internet, 213 for Computer, and 555 for paper. Test scores for TOEFL and GRE should be sent to the Graduate School, Institution Code 5859. Please have the testing authority submit your scores to Virginia Tech directly.

Once admission decisions are made, a letter from the Dean of the Graduate School will be sent to inform the applicant. Assistantship offers will be made April 1, 2010.

ASPECT encourages potential students to visit campus and meet with affiliated faculty and students. Please contact the director, Wolfgang Natter wnatter@vt.edu to arrange appointments, should you wish to make an on-campus visit.

ASPECT is an interdisciplinary, theoretically informed, and problem centered Ph.D and Certificate program engaging diverse areas of social analysis, politics, history, ethics, and cultural studies. The program is designed to foster problem centered analysis enabled by a high degree of curricular flexibility. The Ph.D. degree was fully approved by the University and by the Virginia State Council of Higher Education in 2007/08.