What to Expect When Applying to a Doctoral Program

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Grand Canyon University offers a wide selection of online doctoral degrees that can provide you with the skills and experience that you need to gain a competitive edge in your field and advance your career. If you’re considering the benefits of earning a doctoral degree and have questions about how to get started, then read on for an introduction to what to expect when applying to a doctoral program.

Find the Right Program

First, you will need to find a doctoral program that is compatible with your career goals. After narrowing down your choices, you will then need to examine the admissions criteria for each program to determine if you may qualify.

Write a Personal Statement

As part of the application process for your doctoral program, you will need to compose a personal statement. Different schools have various requirements for personal statements, but these are often documents that outline your goals and motivation for enrolling in the program. This essay also allows the program’s faculty to gain some insight into who you are as a person.

Obtain Letters of Recommendation

Your letters of recommendation can significantly affect your likelihood of being accepted into a doctoral program, so you should not underestimate the weight of these documents in the application process. Recommendation letters give the program’s faculty a sense of who you are from someone other than yourself and that they can’t obtain by looking at your GPA or GRE scores.

Complete Your Graduate Interviews

If you reach the point of being called in for an interview, then this indicates that your academics, personal statement and letters of recommendation have qualified you for further consideration for the doctoral program. These interviews allow the program’s faculty to see what you are like in person and gain more insight into whether you may be a good fit for the program.

You can pursue your passion and an accelerated doctoral degree at Grand Canyon University. For information about our selection of doctoral degrees and the application process, please visit our website or use the Request More Information button on this page.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.

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