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Emporia State School of Library and Information Management (SLIM)

School of Library and Information Management (SLIM) Applying for Doctor of Philosophy

Instructions for applying

Application Schedule

Applications are no longer being accepted for PhD students to begin classes in fall 2024.

The PhD program admits new PhD students every two years. The next group of Ph.D. students will begin classes together in fall 2026.

The application window for fall 2026 will open on September 1, 2025. 

Admission decisions for fall 2026 will be made by approximately February 1, 2026.

Enrollment

  • Enrollment for fall 2026 Ph.D. classes must be processed by July 1, 2026.

Step by Step instructions for applying for Doctor of Philosophy

To be considered for the program, an applicant must provide the following:

Graduate school application

  1. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. A minimum 3.25 GPA on a 4.0 scale is required. The program requires a minimum of 56 credit hours for the doctoral degree. Applicants must have already completed a master’s degree (in any related discipline) of at least 34 credit hours to meet ESU’s requirement of 90 graduate credits for the degree.
  2. Three current letters of recommendation that speak to an applicant’s qualifications for graduate study and research.
  3. Official GRE score of at least 304 (total verbal reasoning and quantitative scores).
  4. Current résumé or curriculum vitae.
  5. A sample of written work that demonstrates an applicant’s scholarly writing ability.
  6. Statement of objectives: A 200-300 word statement outlining the applicant’s career goals and research interests.
  7. When appropriate, a strong performance on the TOEFL, usually evidenced by a score of 650 or above.
  8. Copy of government-issued ID.

Submitting Application materials

The following items must be provided/completed at the time of application submission through the Application Portal:

  • Unofficial bachelor's degree transcript
  • Current résumé or curriculum vitae
  • Statement of objectives
  • Writing sample
  • Three letters of recommendation or the names and emails of three recommenders
  • Copy of government-issued ID

Official transcripts

Students must submit official bachelor’s degree transcripts containing at least 60 credit hours of coursework and final grades. Any additional transcripts from college credit accumulated after the bachelor’s degree MUST be submitted if you will be using these credits for transfer credit or for last 60 GPA. Transcripts are considered official when they arrive in the Graduate Office in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution or are received through a secure electronic transcript service to gradinfo@emporia.edu.

If the transcripts need to be mailed, send to:

Emporia State University
Graduate School
Campus Box 4003
Emporia State University
1 Kellogg Circle
Emporia, KS 66801-5415.

Send Application

Please complete the graduate school application form and submit supplemental application materials to gradinfo@emporia.edu.

For more information about the degree, see the Doctor of Philosophy page.