Graduate Admissions
Thank you for your interest in the graduate programs in the Voiland School. The Voiland School offers excellent research facilities, the flexibility to design an individualized academic program, and the ability to work closely with highly engaged faculty. Regardless of whether a student is seeking to study Chemical Engineering or Bioengineering, the application process is as described below.
At this point, we do not offer a Bioengineering PhD, per se. Hence, those individuals who desire to obtain a PhD in bioengineering should apply for admission either to the Engineering Science PhD program or for admission to a variety of disciplinary PhD programs (e.g. Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Neuroscience, Pharmaceutical Science, Veterinary Science, Molecular Bioscience, Materials Science), indicating their interest in bioengineering.
When you complete the application, please also send an email to Samantha Bailey (samantha.bailey@wsu.edu), graduate student coordinator, to inform her of your application.
To apply for admission to the graduate program
- Submit an on-line application and supporting materials to the EngineeringCAS
Application Deadline
To receive full consideration, your application and supporting materials (see below) to the WSU Graduate School should be received no later than the Graduate School’s Priority Application Deadline of January 10th.
List of Required Documents for Review
- Application
- 3 Letters of Recommendation
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts – showing complete work and awarding of degree (if available)
- Official TOEFL or IELTS scores (for international students only – see details below)
Where do I send my official documents?
All official documents should be sent to the Graduate School Admissions office:
Washington State University
Graduate School
PO BOX 641030
324 French Ad. Grimes Way
Pullman WA 99164-1030
TOEFL/IELTS Scores
TOEFL scores must be at least 550 paper–based, 213 computer–based, or 80 for internet–based. Scores must be sent via ETS to be considered official. We will also accept IELTS scores, but you must receive a 7.0 or higher. Scores must be sent directly from IELTS to be official. Our university school code to have the official scores sent to is: 4705.
Questions about Admissions
There are answers to other questions related to admissions on our Graduate FAQ page.
April 15 Resolution
WSU adheres to the acceptance policy of the Council of Graduate Schools. If a student accepts an offer of admission before April 15 and subsequently desires to withdraw his/her acceptance, the student must submit their resignation of appointment, in writing, before April 15. An acceptance of admission, either given or left in force after April 15, commits the student to not accept another offer of admission without first obtaining a written release from the institution whose admission offer he/she had previously accepted.
International Students
While the Voiland School tries to award financial support to all Ph.D. students, funding is not always guaranteed. Thus, International applicants who are offered admission without funding, may be asked to submit evidence of full financial support in order to obtain a student visa. If certification of outside support is necessary, the Graduate School will inform applicants of required procedures in the letter of admission. Additional certification must be provided for any dependents who will accompany the student.
Admission Categories
The Voiland School admits students in the MS and PhD programs.
- Admission to the PhD program does not require that the student already hold a Master’s degree. Students whose ultimate goal is to earn a PhD are advised to apply directly to this program. A PhD degree is a research degree. It usually requires four or more years of study, but most of this time is taken in the completion of an original research project. The design of the research project will be largely the result of the student’s independent effort, working closely with a faculty advisor. A PhD dissertation should comprise material equivalent to at least three publishable papers, and is essential preparation for a career as an independent researcher.
- Students are also admitted into the Master’s program. In general, a Master’s degree with thesis is earned in 1.5 years and involves research developing out or work proposed by the advisor. The Master’s degree is predominantly a course-work degree, but each student is required to develop a thesis which should comprise material equivalent to at least one publishable paper.
- Students holding BS degrees in chemistry or other science fields who seek to obtain an advanced degree in chemical engineering are encouraged to participate in the conversion program. This program allows such students to obtain chemical engineering advanced degrees with minimal remedial coursework.