Graduate Program Admissions

What’s next?

On this page:

  1. Review admission guidelines listed below
  2. Print and mail forms:
  3. Complete online application form (M.A. or G.C.)
  4. Mail your check in the amount of $25 to cover your application processing fee along with signature page. Consult our contact information for a mailing address.
  5. Send remaining documentation to complete your application file (résumé and essay may be emailed to )

Students who apply to the graduate program must have an undergraduate degree, preferably in the social sciences. For M.A., preference is given to applicants with at least two years of experience in conciliation, mediation, trauma healing, advocacy, restorative justice, community development/relief work or related areas. For Graduate Certificate (G.C.), similar experience is also desirable.

Applicants are expected to have an undergraduate GPA of 2.75 (based on a 4 point scale) or above. However, highly qualified persons with extensive experience or accomplishments may choose to apply with a lower GPA. If all other admission requirements are met fully, the applicant may be admitted on an academic probation status. The student’s academic progress will be reviewed at the end of the first semester of full-time graduate study. If sufficient progress has been made by achieving at least a 3.0 GPA, the probation will be removed and the student fully admitted.

There is no formal deadline for admissions; however, if you wish to be considered for some of the scholarship funding we allot each year, please have a completed application submitted no later than February 15. After this date, applications will be reviewed on an individual basis as long as long as there is space in the program. Submissions will not be reviewed until the application is complete.

Please contact Lora Steiner if you have any questions regarding the above admission procedures by calling 1-800-710-7871 or 540-432-4689/4490 or emailing .

A completed application consists of the following:

  1. A completed application form – available online, or request an application packet from the CJP office
  2. Application fee of $25 (U.S.)
  3. Official transcripts from each college or university attended
  4. Three references for M.A. (at least one academic and one professional) or two references for G.C.
  5. A typewritten 4-5 page (double-spaced) essay for M.A. (or 2-page essay for G.C.) outlining why you are interested in this program, your objectives in pursuing this degree (or certificate), and how the program fits into your long-term goals.
  6. A current résumé/curriculum vitae
  7. OPTIONAL: Graduate Record Exam (GRE) results, photo, and scholarship form. Note: form is in PDF format.

For international applicants:

  1. For applicants whose native language is not English, competency in English must be demonstrated by a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or comparable English test (i.e. IELTS). EMU’s institutional code is 5181. Applicants who have studied and received a degree from a college or university where all instruction is in English are not required to submit English test scores.
  2. A financial certificate demonstrating the student’s “ability to pay” is required after admission in order for the program to issue a student visa application (I-20 form).
Application fee (non-refundable) $25
M.A.or Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation (per credit hour) $560
Auditing (per hour) $145
Activity fee, 1-9 credit hours (charge per credit hour) $2
Activity fee, 9+ (charge per semester) $23
Graduation fee – M.A. $60
Graduation fee – G.C. $25

(Published rates may be adjusted for changes in economic conditions and cost factors.)

Resource: Approximate costs for one year of study

Questions?