Admissions

Requirements

Applicants to the PhD NEP must have a bachelor’s and master’s degree. The degrees can be in any discipline. 

They must also have:

  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0
  • A cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the PhD NEP prerequisite courses
  • No grade lower than a C in any individual prerequisite course. (C- considered a lower grade than a C)

Prerequisites

The following prerequisite undergraduate college courses are required.

  • Exercise Physiology (for Combined and Exercise Physiology track)
  • Nutrition (for Combined and Human Nutrition track)
  • General Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Physiology

Generally, all prerequisite coursework should be no more than seven years old at the time of application. However, each situation is reviewed individually. Please contact our Academic Coordinator at nep@wsu.edu for more information

Timeline

The PhD NEP program starts in Fall semester only. The application deadline is January 31 each year.

  • January 31 – Deadline for application submission
  • First two weeks in February – Applications screened for meeting overall and prerequisite GPA requirements; if GPA requirements are met, applications are sent to the Admissions Committee with the grades blinded.
  • Mid-February – Admissions Committee reads and scores applications using a common rubric
  • End of February to early March – Interviews are conducted virtually and are rated using a common point system, the total of which is added to the overall application score
  • Early to mid-March – Offers of admissions sent by email

How to Apply

Required Application Materials

  1. WSU Graduate School Application – choose the General Graduate Applications link.
  2. Statement of Purpose. Suggested Guidance: Please provide a statement that introduces yourself and motivations for advanced graduate training. Summarize your undergraduate education and any graduate work you have done so far. Describe how your work or life experiences relate to your academic journey and your long-term goals, and how our program will help you achieve those goals. 250-500 words.
  3. Research Interests Statement. Suggested Guidance: Provide a summary of your past or current research (e.g., what are the key questions in your research project? What did you find? Do you have experience with grant funding? Did your work lead to academic publications or presentations?) This statement should also describe your current research interests, even if only in general terms, and/or which faculty in our program align with your interests or are engaged in research you may be interested in pursuing. 250-500 words.
  4. Resume.
  5. 3 Letters of Recommendation. Two from a professor or lab section teaching assistant (TA), and one from a work or volunteer supervisor.
  6. TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB scores, if applicable (Minimum scores and English language proficiency waivers).