This website is best viewed in a browser that supports web standards.

Skip to content or, if you would rather, Skip to navigation.

Northwest Missouri State University


How to Apply

To apply for admission to the Master's degree program, you must:

  1. Submit an application for Graduate Admission
  2. Forward to the Graduate Office official transcripts showing the baccalaureate degree and any previous graduate work.
  3. Submit two references using the GIScience program reference form View PDF
  4. Submit a two-page essay describing your career goals and how Northwest's GIScience program will help you meet those goals.
  5. Take the GRE and have your scores forwarded to the Graduate Office. If you have already taken the GRE, you may submit a copy of your official score report. The GRE requirement will be waived for applicants with a graduate degree (Master's or higher) from an accredited institution, for applicants who have earned the graduate GIScience certificate at Northwest, and for those with one year of documented full-time GIS professional work experience or three years of documented full-time professional work experience in any field. To document professional work experience for the GRE waiver, please email or mail a resume to the Graduate Office as part of your application materials.

To apply for admission to the graduate certificate program, you must:

  1. Submit an application for Graduate Admission
  2. Forward to the Graduate Office official transcripts showing the baccalaureate degree and any previous graduate work.
  3. Submit two references using the GIScience program reference form View PDF
  4. Submit a two-page essay describing your career goals and how Northwest's GIScience program will help you meet those goals.
The GRE is not required for the certificate program.

Completing the Application Materials

You may access an online application form at CatPAWS. Click the option "Apply for Admissions." After you create a login ID and PIN for the online application, you will be asked to select an application type. Both M.S. and certificate applicants should select "Graduate-First-Time." (If you are applying for the graduate certificate program, do not select "Graduate-Non-Degree.) If you prefer to submit a written application, please contact the Graduate Office at gradsch@nwmissouri.edu, 660.562.1145, or the address shown below and ask to have a paper application mailed to you. There is no application fee for domestic students.

Send official copies of transcripts, completed reference forms, and the two-page essay to the following address:

Graduate Office
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001

Application materials may be emailed to gradsch@nwmissouri.edu.  Reference forms should be completed by two people who can evaluate an applicant's ability to do graduate work.  Persons completing the reference forms may also fax the forms to 660.562.1096, or may email a scanned version of the completed reference form to gradsch@nwmissouri.edu. Reference forms faxed or emailed by applicants will not be accepted. If an applicant mails a reference form with other application materials, the reference form must be in a sealed envelope with the reference's signature written over the seal.

Applicants seeking admission should have an undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 or higher on a 4.00 scale. Conditional admission may be granted for applicants with an undergraduate GPA between 2.20 and 2.74. A student admitted conditionally must achieve a GPA of 3.0 in his or her first eight hours of graduate study at Northwest. Learn more about the other admission requirements View PDF.

International applicants have additional requirements that must be completed for admission to the Graduate School, including payment of an application fee. Applicants whose prior education was obtained from non-English speaking schools are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam with a minimum score of 550 with paper and pencil, 213 by computer, and 79-80 for the Internet Based TOEFL. For international student application requirements, please contact the Graduate Office or see the current Graduate Catalog.

Application Deadline

For early consideration, completed applications for fall 2019 admission should be received by June 28, 2019. The deadline for receipt of completed applications for fall 2019 is July 26, 2019. Applications for spring 2020 admission are due December 6, 2019.

Questions?

If you have questions about the application process, please contact:

Graduate Office
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001

E-mail: gradsch@nwmissouri.edu
Phone: 660.562.1145