The Academic Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written statement about your academic and research background, your goals, and how study in the Program in Survey and Data Science graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives.  (450-500 words)

The statement of purpose is the applicant’s opportunity to convey to the Admissions Committee information that cannot be found in transcripts, letters of recommendation, or test scores. It should clearly explain the applicant’s reasons for wanting to study survey and data science.

The personal statement should describe how your personal background and life experiences including cultural, geographical, financial, educational or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan.  (500 words). Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose.

Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English proficiency and are required to provide evidence of proficiency.

TOEFL scores are sent electronically from ETS directly to the University of Michigan (institution code: 1839). Official ECPE, IELTS and MELAB scores must be sent directly to the Rackham Graduate School. Test scores are valid two years from the test date.

Your curriculum vitae or resume describes your education, work experience, research and teaching experience, professional affiliations, volunteer activity and community engagement, honors and awards.

Three (3) letters of recommendation are required and should reflect the academic and, if relevant, job capabilities and experience of the applicant. Academic recommendations should be from faculty members in the major discipline.

• All applicants must upload a copy of their official transcript/academic record to be used for initial review by our admissions committee. You are not required to have your official transcript sent to Rackham Graduate School to complete your application. If MPSDS recommends you for admission, you will then be required to submit an official transcript(s) to complete your admission. Instructions for sending transcripts will be communicated to you by Rackham at that time.
• All applicants should report their Grade Point Average (GPA) in the Degree Institution Information section of the online application. The GPA should be reported using a standard U.S. four point scale. Applicants who attended an institution outside the United States should follow the instructions to convert their international average grade point to a U.S. four point GPA (see “How to Convert Grades to a U.S. GPA” here). The average undergraduate GPA for MS applicants admitted in Fall 2023 was 3.62 on a 4.0 scale.

All applicants will be required to provide the following:

• preference for their study emphasis: statistical science, social and psychological science, or data science.
• names of three faculty members with whom they would like to work and a brief reason for their interest in working with the faculty member.
• writing sample that is relevant to their application for admission in the MPSDS-PhD program. The sample should be from a publication (published, submitted or in preparation), a conference presentation or a thesis listed on their CV. Where possible, please specify the source of the writing sample and, if in the publication process, where it stands.