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

Prerequisites

The following prerequisite undergraduate college courses are required. As a general rule, all prerequisite coursework should be no more than seven years old at the time of application. However, each situation is reviewed on an individual basis. Please contact our Academic Coordinator at nep@wsu.edu for more information.

  • Exercise Physiology (should be complete at the time of application)
  • Nutrition (should be complete at the time of application)
  • General Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Biochemistry (2 quarters or 1 semester)
  • Physiology

Timeline

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

Applications are released to the PhD NEP Academic Coordinator following the January deadline. An initial analysis is conducted to confirm completion of prerequisites. Next, the applications are submitted to the PhD NEP Director and Admissions Committee. Each application is read and scored using a common rubric. The Admissions Committee meets to discuss the scored applications and narrow the pool of candidates to a group of individuals they wish to interview for admissions. Interviews are rated using a common point system and the score is added to the overall application score.

Interviews typically take place in February or early March. The top candidates are offered admission by the end of March. A waitlist is maintained in the event that some candidates decline admission.

How to Apply

Required Application Materials

  1. WSU Graduate School Application
  2. Statement of Purpose. Suggested Guidance: Please provide a 1-2 page statement of purpose that introduces yourself and motivations for advanced graduate training. Summarize your undergraduate education and any graduate work you’ve done so far. Finally, please 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.
  3. Research Interests Statement. Suggested Guidance: Your research interest statement should be a 1 page narrative. It should include a brief 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.
  4. Resume
  5. 3 to 4 Letters of Recommendation
  6. TOEFL, IELTS or MELAB scores, if applicable (Minimum scores and English language proficiency waivers)