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 will help you meet your career and educational objectives. This 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 reason for wanting to study survey and data science. (250-300 word limit)

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 U-M. Please do not repeat your Academic Statement of Purpose. (500 word limit)

• 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 their preference for study emphasis: statistical science, social and psychological science, or data science. We ask that applicants submit a supplemental form (Summary of Prerequisites Courses) describing coursework they have taken which will prepare them for the MPSDS. We strongly recommend the following courses:  

• • Statistical Science: three courses in calculus, one course in linear algebra, one statistics course
  • Social and Psychological Science: two quantitative courses, at least one of which must be a statistics course, and at least two undergraduate courses in the social sciences 
  • Data Science: some background in computer science, a minimum of two semesters of programming coursework, and at least one semester of statistics.