Graduate Program Application

Applications must be submitted through the Penn State Graduate School admissions portal.  Per University policy, an applicant may only apply to one graduate degree program at a time. Make sure to apply to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree. Students who enter the program with a bachelor's degree are required to complete a master's degree en route to the doctoral degree. HDFS does not have a terminal master's program.

Contact the academic program coordinator with questions about the application process.

Application Due Date: Dec. 1

Please note that we are in the Eastern Standard Time zone.  If you are submitting on December 1 and doing so  from another time zone, please take this into account when determining the submission deadline.

Required Application Materials

• Learn about Penn State's Graduate School's requirements.
• When you are ready to apply you may go to the application at the Graduate School admissions portal, which will guide you through the materials required by the University, as well as program-specific required documents.
  • Scientific Writing Sample: Please submit a document you wrote alone or took the lead in writing.  For example: a literature review; an honor’s thesis; or a manuscript published, accepted for publication, or submitted for publication.  For international students, your writing sample must be in English.  Submissions will not be returned.
  • A copy (front and back) of all official transcripts/documents from all post-secondary institutions attended. Only a photocopy is needed at the initial application stage, official verification will be required before a student is permitted to enroll.
  • Curriculum Vitae or Resume (optional)
  • Statement of Professional and Career Plans: This statement should not exceed 3 pages (double spaced) in length.  The statement should address the following questions: (1) Why are you interested in Penn State's HDFS program? (2) What are your professional and career plans? (3) How will your educational/research experiences at Penn State contribute to your career plans? (4) In addition to primary mentors who play a major role in students' development as scholars, the rich interdisciplinary training environment of HDFS provides opportunities to work with multiple faculty members. Please identify the faculty member or members with whom you are interested in working with and explain what it is about their work that interests you. This information will help us provide the most effective review of your application.
  • Three letters of recommendation: Letter writers will submit their letters directly to the application portal.  Letter writers should be individuals who can attest to your academic skills, readiness for graduate school, and potential for success. Please note, applications will be reviewed after all letters of recommendation have been received.
  • GRE scores are optional: HDFS uses a holistic review process to evaluate each applicant’s potential to succeed in the program. GRE scores are not required. However, if you believe your GRE scores would strengthen your application, you are welcome to submit them. If you're unsure whether taking the GRE or submitting your scores would be beneficial, feel free to contact us. Each applicant will receive full consideration, regardless of whether GRE scores are included.
• Applicants from outside of the U.S:
  • Visit the Office of Global Programs for information related to being an international student at Penn State.
  • Applicants residing in a country in which English is not the national language must also take an English language exam.  The University will accept the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System). Note: International applicants who have received a baccalaureate or graduate degree from certain countries are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirements.  For requirement information pertaining to a specific country, visit the Graduate School's Admission Eligibility by Country website.
    • TOEFL iBT
      • ​​​​​​Acceptable score: A total score of 80, with a 19 on the speaking section.
    • IELTS Academic Test
      • Acceptable score: The minimum acceptable composite score for the IELTS Academic Test is 6.5.
  • You will be asked to report either TOEFL or IELTS scores on the application as well as having official scores sent by ETS (institution code 2660).
  • Applicants who completed their prior education in a language other than English will need to have their transcripts officially translated to English for consideration by the admissions committee.