J.D./M.I.A. Program

Recommendation letters should be written by individuals well placed to discuss your academic qualifications for graduate study (unless you are five or more years removed from your undergraduate studies).

Recommendations that come from former supervisors should comment on and provide examples of your performance as an intern and/or an employee, including the nature of your work and what you contributed to the company or organization.

Please note that letters from personal acquaintances or those who are not familiar with your academic or professional qualifications are not helpful to the admissions committee.

Provide a current résumé or curriculum vitae, which includes your education, employment history, awards and accolades, international exposure, publication credits, and leadership roles in any volunteer and/or extracurricular activities.

You are required to upload copies of official transcripts/records/degree certificates from all institutions you've attended. All transcripts and academic records uploaded to the application are then considered “unofficial” and will be used for application purposes only.

Official/original transcripts/records/degree certificates are required for any degree or diploma earned, as well as any and all institutions attended that are listed on your application to the Graduate School. If you are recommended for admission to a graduate degree plan of study, you will be notified with detailed instructions on how to submit the documents.

If your transcript is in a language other than English, you are asked to provide an official translation of the entire transcript and an explanation of the grading system of the university. You are strongly encouraged to use a credential evaluation service, particularly if you are not sure of how to obtain original transcripts or face difficulties obtaining them. See the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services for a list of providers. Transcripts and translations must be received by the Office of Admissions before the relevant deadline, so please make any requests well in advance.

While Penn State’s School of International Affairs permits the use of AI to generate ideas, assist with structure, and check grammar and spelling, your statement of purpose should ultimately be entirely in your own words. Authenticity – the extent to which you tell your story in your own voice – is a central criterion for our evaluation of your essay AND for decisions regarding admission and merit scholarship awards. Although not guaranteed, applicants who write their statement of purpose authentically are more likely to present a stronger application and be more competitive for admission and larger merit-based scholarships.

Please complete the prompt below. You must save your statement in PDF format before uploading.

In a statement of 600-800 words, tell us about your academic interests and career objectives, why these are important to you, the preparation and skills you would bring to SIA, and how a degree from SIA will help you pursue your objectives.

Academic Integrity: Follow academic integrity guidelines regarding plagiarism – "using someone else's words or ideas without properly giving credit." Plagiarism includes the use of material from sample essays and any website. To ensure academic integrity, all essays will be confirmed through iThenticate software. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in a "deny" decision.

Updated form coming soon.

An application will not be reviewed until the application fee is paid. Applicants should pay within the application as the final step after all other sections of the application are completed. All application fees are nonrefundable.

Prospective students interested in applying to the Master of International Affairs (MIA) program may request a fee waiver by completing the following fee waiver form. Please note that fee waivers are approved on a case-by-case basis and not all fee waiver requests will be granted.