Duke University 2008-2009 - Office of the Registrar - Duke University

Degree and Non-degree Admission
Students who wish to undertake graduate work at Duke University, whether for
degree or non-degree purposes, must be formally admitted to the Graduate School by the
dean. Prerequisites for admission include a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent of a fouryear
U.S. bachelor’s degree) from an accredited institution and, for degree programs,
satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination. International applicants (both
degree and non-degree) are required to also submit official scores for either the Test of
English as a Foreign Language or the International English Language Testing System.
Individual departments may specify additional prerequisites, which can be found in the
chapter on “Courses of Instruction.”
Students who do not intend to earn an advanced degree at Duke, but who wish to take
graduate courses, may apply for non-degree admission. Such admission is granted in three
different categories: (1) admission as a regular non-degree student with a particular
department; (2) admission through the Office of Continuing Studies as a special nondegree
student without departmental affiliation; and (3) admission as an unclassified
student in the summer session only.
Credits earned by non-degree students in graduate courses taken at Duke before full
admission to the Graduate School may be carried over into a graduate degree program if
(1) the action is recommended by the student’s director of graduate studies and approved
by the dean, (2) the work is not more than two years old, (3) the amount of such credit
does not exceed one semester at full-time tuition, and (4) the work has received grades of
B (G on previous scale) or better.
Students who have discontinued a program of degree work at Duke must apply for
readmission to the Graduate School. Those who discontinue study prior to completing a
degree must, by letter, request permission of the dean to be readmitted to the degree
program. Students who enter the Graduate School in a master’s program must file a new
application to be considered for the doctoral program.
Admission Procedures *
A student seeking admission to the Graduate School may access application and
program information on the Web, at http://www.gradschool.duke.edu. All parts of the
application form must be filled out completely and submitted to the Graduate School
Enrollment Services Office along with the application fee. The necessary supporting
documents must also be sent before or after the submission of the electronic application.
The fee is $75 ** U.S. However, if the application is postmarked and completed by
November 15, the fee is reduced to $65. The required supporting documents are: (1) one
copy of an official, confidential transcript from each institution (undergraduate or
graduate) attended, sealed in a confidential envelope and signed across the seal by the
registrar at the institution; (2) three letters of evaluation, on-line submission preferred; (3)
official scores on the Graduate Record Examination General Test for applicants to all
departments (Exceptions: Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and the Program in
International Development Policy); and (4) official scores on the Graduate Record
Examination Subject Test for applicants to certain specified departments. Additional
* This chapter is a brief summary of information available online at: www.gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/
index.html. This Web page should be consulted for more comprehensive information on all aspects of the
process of applying for admission and award.
** All fees are based on current charges and are subject to change without notice.
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