How to Apply

Eligibility

• A bachelor's degree and/or master’s degree with a minimum GPA 3.0 (4 Scale)

• Applicants with bachelor's degrees and/or master’s degrees from accredited colleges or universities will be considered for entrance into the Human Development doctoral program. Students with a bachelor’s degree are admitted to the doctoral track and complete a master’s degree in route to the Ph.D. Students applying to the PhD in HD- Marriage and Family Therapy focus area must hold a clinical master’s degree.

• International students (all non-U.S. citizens or non-U.S. permanent residents) must demonstrate English proficiency. A minimum TOEFL score of 90 (IBT) or IELTS score of 6.5 for admission. Further, TOEFL scores of 20 or greater in Listening, Writing, Speaking, and Reading subsections are required. Learn more about testing requirements.  If applicable, send official scores to Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859.

GRE scores are not required. We join other peer institutions across the country who have eliminated this structural barrier to promote a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive student body.

Transcripts

Please include a digital copy of your college transcripts with your online application and arrange for an official copy to be sent to us after you receive an offer of admission.

The official transcripts showing degree conferral should be sent directly from your institution(s) to Graduate Admissions: 
Virginia Tech Graduate Admissions 
120 Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown (Mail Code 0325) 
155 Otey Street NW 
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required for our department. You should include your recommender’s email addresses in your online application. This will prompt the system to send an email to your recommenders to submit a recommendation. Recommenders should discuss how they imagine you will succeed in our program. The Virginia Tech Graduate School provides some information regarding Letters of Recommendation:

• “Students applying for admission to graduate degree programs are asked to include letters of recommendation with their application. Figuring out who to ask, how to ask, and what the letter writer might need can be a daunting task. Fortunately, there are webpages offering good suggestions to help you with that process. Here are two we like that were developed by our peer institutions.

• Cornell University offers a page of tips on asking for letters of recommendation, including the information you should provide to a potential letter writer, and topics to discuss when asking for that letter. You can find Cornell’s tips page via this link.

• Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (known as OWL) offers a great guide on the process, from getting organized to connecting with the people who write those letters after the application process. Here is the link to the OWL webpage.”  

Statement of Interest and Curriculum Vitae

A statement of interest (3-5 pages) is required by the Department of Human Development and Family Science along with your latest Curriculum Vitae.

Please address the following questions in the letter of interest:

• Please include a 3-5 page, double-spaced personal statement that describes your background, professional goals, and interest in our department. Listed below are items that you should consider when writing your personal statement:

• Explain your reasons for pursuing graduate study. Describe how studying Human Development at Virginia Tech will help you meet your educational and professional goals.

• Discuss how your research, professional, and/or volunteer experiences shaped your interest in pursuing this degree, indicating how your prior experiences will contribute to your studies. Make sure to elaborate on any relevant work history, teaching experience, research experience (e.g., projects, grants, interviewing, testing, coding), clinical or consulting experience, leadership positions, scholarly contributions, achievements, awards, or skills.

• Describe the vision you have of yourself after completing your degree in terms of your identity as a researcher, educator, and a citizen of your profession. Indicate how you envision yourself being professionally active after you complete your studies at Virginia Tech.

• Indicate specific faculty research, training opportunities, and content areas that are of interest to you. Discuss possible topics for your thesis or dissertation research.

• Briefly assess your strengths and weaknesses related to graduate study.

• You may also choose to explain any special circumstances applicable to your background.

For those applying for the Ph.D. in HD-Marriage and Family Therapy focus, you will also be asked to submit a completed Clinical Background Form and Statement of Professional Ethics and Conduct Form.

Writing Sample

Please submit one representative sample of your writing which may include a publication, a class paper, or a professional report. Any work submitted should have been completed by the applicant only. Please do not include any group presentation or papers. Students with a completed thesis should submit their thesis manuscript as their writing sample.

Additional Information/Supporting Material

Applicants are welcome to submit any additional information with application material that would be useful in evaluation of your application.

Applying as an International Student

International students might be required to submit immigration documents and other additional materials with their application. Please consult with the Cranwell International Center for graduate student immigration services.

Application Fees

Degree-seeking students must include a $75 fee with their application, though check to see if you qualify for a waiver or reduced fee. All application fees are non-refundable. Check with the graduate school to see if you qualify for an application fee waiver. Some applicants (such as Veterans) may be eligible. Our department does not routinely offer fee waivers.

Complete the Online Application

VT Graduate School Application

To apply to the graduate program, students must submit an online application to the Virginia Tech Graduate School. The Graduate School provides guidance for this process: https://graduateschool.vt.edu/admissions/Getting-ready-to-apply.html

Submission Deadline for Domestic and International Applications

December 1st for next fall semester start

Apply for Scholarships/Funding

We are currently able to provide assistantship funding to all graduate students who make timely and satisfactory progress. All Ph.D. students that maintain full-time status and maintain a 3.0 GPA will be offered an assistantship (20 hours of work per week). Assistantships may include research obligations, assisting with and/or teaching undergraduate courses, or other administrative tasks. Students on assistantships receive a monthly stipend, tuition waivers/remission, and health benefits. Entering students can apply for such funding as part of their admissions application. No separate application required.

Many students also seek loans to supplement their graduate assistantship stipend. Find out what loans are available as a graduate student and other opportunities.

Offers of Admission and Funding

The Graduate School sends an official offer of admission to applicants upon the recommendation of the department faculty. Admitted applicants who are offered graduate assistantships at Virginia Tech are not required to make a decision to commit to the assistantship offer until April 15. See the assistantships page for more details.

Contact Marty Wyatt, Graduate Coordinator at 540-231-4794 or email VTHDFS@vt.edu

Marty Wyatt
Graduate Staff Coordinator
366 Wallace Hall
295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-4794
martywyatt@vt.edu 

Erika L. Grafsky
Director of Graduate Studies
311 Wallace Hall
295 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
egrafsky@vt.edu