Admission eligibility is based on receipt of a baccalaureate degree equivalent to a United States four-year bachelor's degree from a college or university recognized as an institution of higher education by the Ministry of Education in the relevant country or be regionally accredited within the U.S. prior to matriculating into a graduate program.
To be considered for regular admission, applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or the equivalent (on the U.S. 4.0 scale). Applicants who have earned 9 or more letter-graded graduate credits must have a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 or the equivalent, this graduate GPA supersedes the undergraduate GPA.
GRE scores: Although we encourage all students to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the exam is required only for students who select the Research Track and apply for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.
If you are submitting GRE scores, the application system will ask you to upload a copy of your scores. Although this is initially sufficient, official scores will still need to be sent (direct from the testing service) to Portland State University #4610. Please ensure that you have made arrangements for your scores to be sent to #4610, as the application system is not able to request this for you.
Statement of purpose: The faculty would like to know more about you. Tell us about your academic background and your short-term and long-term goals. Tell us how your interests align with our program: what can we offer you? What can you offer us? How will the master's degree fuel your needs?
Writing sample: Submit at least one writing sample that illustrates your craft. Choose something that illuminates your skills: a college paper, a blog or a recent document from your professional career. You may submit more than one writing sample if you choose.
3 Letters of Recommendation: The online application system will allow you to ask 3 individuals to send us letters on your behalf. We prefer hearing from professors and academics, and, if you have been away from the classroom, ask your supervisor or mentor. Recommenders should not be family or friends. We hope to hear from those who can speak to your ability to succeed in graduate studies. Recommenders will be asked to write a letter addressing the following qualities:
Initiative
Logical reasoning ability
Writing and speaking skills
Emotional maturity
Intellectual motivation
Ability to accept and give criticism
If you are applying for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, please be sure to let your recommenders know that you are applying and ask them to discuss in their recommendation your ability to work in a team and your willingness to help undergraduate students.

Transcripts: For the online graduate application, you will be required to upload scanned copies of your transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended, regardless of the number of credits earned. If admitted, you will then be required to submit true official transcripts from all colleges or universities as the last step.
Portland State University requires a minimum of 600 for the paper-based test (TOEFL), or 250 for the computer-based test, or 100 for the internet-based test with no sub-score below 22. Minimum IELTS-score requirements are individual scores of 7.0 or greater.