Complete and digitally sign the online Application for Admission.

A current professional résumé or curriculum vitae is required. Please include information regarding current and/or past employment history as well as professional development, internships completed, and volunteer experiences.

A brief statement of interest is required with a suggested word limit of approximately 500-1000 words.  

This personal statement is a request for admission and should include:  

• Reasons for pursuing the doctoral degree
• Overview of professional background and goals
• Discussion of professional philosophy. 

This essay requirement is automatically waived if you have completed or are in the process of completing a graduate-level degree.

If you haven't completed a graduate-level degree, please provide a one-page essay explaining how your graduate credits:

• Align with and support your chosen area of specialization or academic focus and
• How these credits have prepared you for advanced study and contribute to your readiness for doctoral-level work.

Three letters of recommendation are required. When selecting your references, choose individuals such as professors and employers who can attest to your potential for success in a graduate program.

You will enter the names and email contacts for your three references into the online application. Your references will be contacted electronically with directions for submitting our letter of recommendation form on your behalf.

EdD or PhD with Principal or Superintendent Licensure

For those applying to the EdD or PhD with Principal or Superintendent licensure, one letter of recommendation must specifically be from an immediate supervisor and a second letter of recommendation should be from an administrator who can speak to the candidate’s potential for effective district-level leadership. 

We require official transcripts from:

• Any institution where you earned (or will earn) a bachelor’s degree. 
• Any institution where you earned a post-bachelor’s (graduate) degree.
• Any institution where you earned credit you would like considered toward an endorsement or graduate degree.

Upon application review, you may be required to provide additional transcripts, including those with courses taken while in high school or at a community college.

Those with college credit from non-U.S. institutions are required to submit an official International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP) Course-by-Course Evaluation (preferred) or a Basic Course-by-Course Evaluation from World Education Services (WES). The evaluation must come directly from WES to Drake. If you submit an official ICAP Course-by-Course Evaluation, you do NOT need to submit transcripts from non-U.S. institutions to Drake. 
 
Official transcripts are designated as those coming directly from the university or college of attendance to Drake University.
 
Official transcripts may be sent via secure electronic transmission from the issuing institution to soegradadmission@drake.edu. This is preferred and will expedite the admission process.
 
Official transcripts may also be sent via postal mail to:

Graduate Admission Coordinator
School of Education Drake University
Collier-Scripps Hall Room 221
2702 Forest Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa  50311-4505

Transcripts and other supporting materials are not returned to the applicant and become the property of Drake University.

1. Language Proficiency: Applicants whose native language is not English must submit a valid language proficiency test score. The minimum accepted scores are: 

• TOEFL iBT: 79
• IELTS: 6.5
• Duolingo English Test: 110

Test scores must be from within the last two years and reported directly by the testing agency. Exemptions are granted to those who hold a U.S. bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, or an equivalent degree from a university in a country where all instruction is in English.  

In general, students may receive credit for academic courses taken through doctorate programs at accredited institutions. 

• Graduate credits completed up to five years prior to admission will be considered for full credit transfer whereas graduate credits completed from five to ten years prior to admission will be considered for half credit transfer.
• Courses accepted for transfer credit must parallel courses offered at Drake University or otherwise be appropriate for doctorate level credit.
• Graduate courses considered for transfer must be beyond the required 30 masters-level credits required for admission into a Drake doctoral program.
• The maximum number of credits that can be transferred into a Drake doctorate program can be no more than a third of the total credit for the full degree program. 

Submitting a Request for Transfer Credit Acceptance

• Transfer credit requests must be at the time of application into the program. Syllabi should be provided at time of request. Typically, research courses are not accepted for transfer, but will be considered by the committee for exceptions.
• Transcripts must come directly from the institution; we will not accept any transcripts from students.
• Requests are formally evaluated by a subcommittee of the doctoral faculty. Applicants will be notified of accepted transfer credits in writing.
• You must have earned a grade of "B" or better in the transfer course. 

Transfer Credit Considerations 

• Financial aid implications
• May not change graduation date
• May be gaps in coursework
• Cohort model may require duplicate courses

Contact the Coordinator of Graduate Admission to request a review of transfer credits.