CSSE Application Process

Applications are available in early September; the deadline to apply is December 1.

We typically receive between 30 and 60 applications, and offer admission to a cohort of 5 to 10 students every year. To learn more about the application process, submit your application, or to check your application status, please visit the GSE's Admissions webpage. Information about financial aid—including opportunities for fellowships, funding, and student loans—can also be found on the GSE's admissions website.

A complete application for admission includes:

• Graduate Application for Admissions and Fellowships
• Graduate School of Education Application
• Application fee
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
• Statement of purpose
• Personal history statement
• Writing sample
• Three letters of recommendation
• Two sets of official transcripts
• Resume/CV

The admissions committee seeks to shape and select a diverse cohort, in terms of demographics, academic and professional experiences, and career ambitions. There is no "average CSSE student’ ­ cohorts are composed of a wide range of students, often including a mix of professional and Olympic athletes, coaches and trainers at the prep school or intercollegiate level, directors and grant writers for community-based sports programs, public school teachers and administrators, academic advisors and tutors, athletic administrators, policy makers and researchers, and the occasional undergraduate philosophy major or aspiring lawyer; as varied as their backgrounds are, CSSE students have impressive academic records and ambitious research agendas. The average undergraduate grade point average of admitted tends to be around a 3.50, and the combined GRE scores around 1100. These are not minimum scores, however, and are just one aspect of the admission process.

Perhaps the single most important part of an applicant's file is the personal statement, which needs to implicitly address three questions: Why you? Why here? Why now? Applicants should be explicit about how your unique experiences have prepared you for the rigors of graduate school. Explain what you hope to do with an M.A. in Education ­ but more importantly, share with the admission committee how you can contribute to the quality and content of the CSSE concentration. Also, there are a lot of highly esteemed graduate programs throughout the country: delineate the factors that make the Cultural Studies of Sport in Education concentration a match with your interests and ambitions. In your essay, you may want to note the faculty members with whom you desire to collaborate, and how your research interests fit within the scope of the concentration. Finally, communicate why you have decided to pursue a graduate degree at this stage of your academic or professional career. The most thoughtful, interesting, and compelling essays are usually authored by applicants who are able to provide a cohesive narrative or theme that links their response to these three questions.

Programs in the Graduate School of Education accept students to begin their course of study in the Fall semester only; we do not accept Spring semester admits. Procedural questions regarding admissions should be directed to the Education Admissions Office at gse_info@berkeley.edu or (510) 642-0841.