Admissions

Thank you for your interest in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute graduate programs. To apply, visit the online application.

The Master’s degree program offered by the Technology Leadership & Innovation Department is an M.S. in Technology Leadership & Innovation.  This provides a strong core of technology courses as a foundation, and built-in flexibility to meet your specific study interests as guided by your advisory committee.

  • Two Research core courses are required of all students:  STAT 501 or STAT 511 and TECH 64600; Analysis of Research in Industry and Technology
  • The remainder of each student's plan of study is tailored to their professional goals by the selection of courses for the plan, which is built around a "primary area" and one or more "related areas." The program is 30 credits with a minimum of 21 credits of coursework and 9 credits of thesis.

Admission is determined by the TLI Department Graduate Committee, and all application items are considered in their deliberation including your transcript, statement of purpose, resume, writing sample, GRE scores, letters of recommendation and TOEFL scores if appropriate.  It is required that you make contact with a professor or two in the TLI Department before your application is complete.  By getting their interest in working with you and listing them on your application as your preferred professor(s), you will improve your chances of being accepted in the program.  The items in the list below must be on file in our office in order for your application to be considered complete and ready for review for consideration:

Applications and all supporting documents should be filed electronically via the link above. The $65.00 processing fee can be mailed to Graduate School Admissions, Purdue University, 170 Young Graduate House, West Lafayette, IN 47906-6208 USA, or can be paid by credit card when completing your application.
 

Academic Statement of Purpose – A statement, not exceeding two pages in length, is encouraged. The following topics should be addressed in your Academic Statement of Purpose.

  • What are your professional plans and career goals? How will attending graduate school assist you in reaching those goals?
  • Describe your research, scholarly, or creative interests. What topics are of particular interest to you? Reviewers know that interests change over time but try to be as specific as possible.
  • Discuss how your experiences, skills, and abilities have prepared you for graduate study. Relevant topics may include coursework, work and research experiences, internships, presentations, exhibits, publications, and community service. If you describe a research or scholarly experience, include information on the topic, research mentor, your role, and outcomes.
  • Describe how your skills, preparation, and interests are a match for the program to which you are applying. Identify faculty who share your research and scholarly interests. Reviewers will want to know that you have researched the program, faculty, and key focus areas.

The document should be concise, clear, and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. You should have others review your document for content, organization, and to ensure that there are no errors. Information in the Personal History Statement should complement but not duplicate information in the Academic Statement of Purpose.

The Personal History Statement –

Required:

  • Describe how your background and life experiences contribute to your ability to be both persistent and resourceful in graduate school.
  • Describe how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to an academic community where scholars with diverse research interests, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences are supported, respected, and valued.

Optional:

Please address concerns that you may have that your academic record does not reflect your true capabilities and discuss mitigating factors that have affected your academic record. Reviewers will be interested in understanding your accomplishments relative to your opportunities.

Documents should be concise, clear, and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The Academic Statement of Purpose and the Personal History Statement are two of the most important documents in your graduate school application. You should have others review your document for content, organization, and to ensure that there are no errors. Information in the Personal History Statement should complement but not duplicate information in the Academic Statement of Purpose.

Resume - Provide a resume descriptive of your education, work history, significant skills and experiences as well as accomplishments.

Letters of Recommendation - Recommendations must come from three persons who can attest to your academic ability and scholarly potential - this does not include family friends, ministers, etc. If the admissions committee determines that any of the three recommendations received are unacceptable, additional recommendations may be requested, thus creating a delay in the processing of your application.

Transcripts - Official original transcripts from each college or university at which you have completed course work are required before an application can be processed. We require an official transcript. Applicants are expected to have completed a BS degree with a grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale. Request for official transcript

Writing sample - that clearly conveys the ability to communicate in a written form, such as a final term paper, excerpts from an undergraduate or graduate thesis, or a published article for which the applicant is the sole author. Please limit writing samples to five (5) pages or fewer.

GRE Scores - Scores from the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required before an application can be considered for admission and must be on file at the Graduate School at Purdue University before an application can be forwarded with a recommendation to admit. While there is no absolute GRE standard for admission, the requirement is for students to be at the 50th percentile for admission without conditions.  NOTE: You do not have to wait until you have taken the GRE to submit your application for admission to the Graduate School. For more information on scheduling the GRE contact Sylvan Learning Center's Lafayette Office at (765) 447-5996 or go to http://www.gre.org.

TOEFL Score -  International non-native speakers of English must achieve a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 or higher on the paper-based examination or 80 on the web-based examination. Note that web-based scores have minimums in each category (Writing > 18, Speaking > 18, Listening > 14, Reading > 19). The overall and minimum scores are established by the Graduate School. The score must be no more than two years old.

The Graduate School accepts the Duolingo English test. To learn more about this test option visit https://englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants. 

Minimum Duolingo English Test Score Required by the Graduate School for Admission is a total score of 115 and 115 on each subscore.

To be valid for admission, English proficiency test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, and Duolingo English Test) must be no more than two years old at the time the recommendation for admission is received at the Graduate School.

Please request to have your results submitted to: Purdue University Graduate School.

Optionally, you may provide a sample of your work that demonstrates other important accomplishments that evidences your skills.

General Deadlines for Application to the Graduate School Programs – Please apply at anytime.

Domestic Applicants
Fall: April 1
Spring: October 1
Summer: April 1

International (if outside the U.S.)
Fall: April 1
Spring: September 1
Summer: February 15