EDUCATION POLICY GRADUATE PROGRAMS AT FLORIDA STATE
Students who complete the Education Policy and Evaluation graduate program go on to make an impact in local, state and national educational institutions and agencies. With a strong understanding of pressing educational policy issues, our graduates influence generations of future students.
Our Education Policy and Evaluation graduate program trains you to develop, implement, analyze and evaluate federal, state and local educational policies. Students investigate avenues such as charter schools, urban education reform, school finance, teacher quality, accountability, diversity, to name a few.
We offer both a master’s (M.S.) and doctoral (Ph.D.) program in Education Policy and Evaluation. In the master’s program, students gain an understanding of current issues facing the field. The doctoral program focuses on creating a unique research and advancing educational policy conversations. Regardless of which education policy graduate program you choose, you’ll be well equipped for a meaningful career.
In order to meet minimum University admission requirements, an applicant must have:
- A bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA – An earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all coursework attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor’s degree
- A graduate degree with at least a 3.5 GPA – Applicants for doctoral programs must have an earned graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA).
- GRE test scores* – Official test results are required from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The Educational Testing Service (ETS) does not retain scores longer than five years. If your test scores are older than five years, you may have to retake the test to have official scores sent directly to FSU from the testing agency. If you have the official report that was mailed to your home address for older scores, then FSU will accept that report. FSU Institution Code: 5219.
- Target Scores: Verbal – 149+, Quantitative – 147+, Analytical Writing – 3.5+
- GRE Waiver Allowance for Ph.D. Applicants
- *NOTE: The GRE requirements for master’s and specialist programs have been waived through Fall 2026.
- Language proficiency test (international students only)– FSU accepts scores from TOEFL (minimum 80), IELTS (minimum 6.5), MELAB (minimum 77), Cambridge C1 Advanced Level (minimum 180), Michigan Language Assessment (minimum 55), and Duolingo (minimum 120)
- Transcripts – Applicants must submit an official transcript from each college and/or university attended. Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Graduate Admissions electronically at graduateadmissions@fsu.edu or via mail in a sealed envelope:
- Florida State University
Office of Graduate Admissions
314 Westcott Building
P.O. Box 3061410
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1410 - Admission to graduate study is a two-fold evaluation process. The Office of Admissions determines eligibility for admission to the University, and the academic department, program, or college determines admissibility to the degree program. University graduate admissions requirements are found at https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions. Academic programs have additional requirements.
Florida State University requires a course-by-course credential evaluation for all applicants that have degrees from a non-U.S. institution. International and domestic applicants with degrees earned from international institutions must submit their official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator for transcripts from a non-U.S. institution. SpanTran has created a custom application for Florida State University that will make sure you select the right kind of evaluation at a discounted rate. See the “Transcript Requirement” section on The Graduate School website, https://gradschool.fsu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions, for detailed information on University transcript requirements for graduate admission.
- Florida State University
For this program, supporting documents must be uploaded to the Admissions Application Portal:
- Statement of purpose (1 required) – The purpose statement should describe your purpose for pursuing a degree, qualifications, and long-term career goals.
- Letters of recommendation (3 required) – Letters should be written by persons who are in a position to comment on the likelihood of your success in the program, specifically professors, postsecondary instructors, or supervisors. At least two letters must be from professors. We do not accept letters from co-workers, relatives, or friends.
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae (1 required)
- Unofficial Transcripts – Include transcripts from all colleges attended. Uploading a copy will expedite the review process, though you must still send official copies to the Office of Admissions.
Please note: the program codes you will select in the application for this program are as follows:
M.S.: EDPOLICYMS
Ph.D.: EDPOLICYPD
Florida Residency Form: If you are a Florida resident, you must complete the Florida Residency Affidavit even if you were previously designated a Florida Resident by the University. If you do not complete this form, you will be classified as a non-Florida resident for tuition purposes.
The application deadlines are as follows:
Master’s program:
- Fall admission: July 1
- Spring admission: October 1
- Summer admission: February 1
Doctoral program: December 1 (Fall admission only)
Click here to learn more about our Educational Leadership and Policy faculty.
Limitless opportunities to teach, conduct influential research, develop groundbreaking policy, and analyze existing or future policies at local, state, and national educational agencies await graduates of our Education Policy & Evaluation programs.
As of 2010, the median pay for policy analysts is $51,380 a year. For university or college professors, the Bureau predicts a 17% increase in jobs by 2020; totaling 305,700 jobs in the 2010-2020 time span. The median pay is $62,050 per year.
