Admission Standards
Graduate Certificates
Graduate certificates are available in several disciplines. Please visit https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply to view a full list of graduate certificates as well as admissions requirements.
Postbaccalaureate Programs
Postbaccalaureate programs are available in the following areas:
- Early Childhood Education (initial licensure)
- Educational Leadership (initial licensure)
- Elementary Education (initial licensure)
- Health Professions and Pre-Medical Sciences
- Instructional Technology
- Physical Education (initial licensure)
Students seeking admission to one of the initial licensure postbaccalaureate programs must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution of acceptable standing recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Postbaccalaureate Admissions requirements can be found at https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply
Candidates are subject to a review of their course backgrounds in the license areas; additional courses may be required in the content areas.
Accelerated Postbaccalaureate Licensure Program (APB)
An accelerated postbaccalaureate licensure program is available in the following subject areas:
- Biology (8-12)
- Chemistry (8-12)
- Dance (all levels)
- Earth and Space Sciences (8-12)
- English (5-12)
- Foreign Language: Spanish (5-12)
- History (5-12)
- Mathematics (5-8 or 8-12)
- Music (all levels)
- Physics (8-12)
- Theatre (all levels)
- Visual Arts (PreK-8 or 5-12)
Students seeking admission to one of these accelerated postbaccalaureate initial licensure programs must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Accelerated Postbaccalaureate Admissions requirements can be found at https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply
As part of the admission process, each candidate’s transcripts will be reviewed by the APB program coordinator in collaboration with the appropriate departmental graduate coordinator for relevant content area course work. A list of required topics has been determined by the specialized professional associations. The result of this review may require courses be taken in the content area in addition to the 15 core education credits; this course work must be completed prior to the practicum.
Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
Students seeking admission to the Master of Arts in Teaching degree program must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The MAT program is designed for high school and middle school teachers who have an initial license and are seeking a professional license in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Admissions requirements can be found at https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply
Master’s Degree Programs
Students seeking admission to a program leading to a master’s degree must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution. Students applying to licensure programs in the College of Education and Health Sciences must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution recognized by the Massachusetts Office of Educator Licensure, Elementary and Secondary Education. (College seniors may be admitted to graduate programs contingent on receipt of a conferred undergraduate degree.)
Master’s Admissions requirements can be found at https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply
If students fail to meet the parameters set by the program, they may have their acceptance to the program rescinded.
CAGS, EdS and Postmaster’s Licensure Programs
Students seeking admission to a postmaster’s, CAGS or EdS licensure program must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution recognized by the Massachusetts Office of Educator Licensure, Elementary and Secondary Education and a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Admissions requirements can be found at https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply
Application Procedures
To view the most up-to-date admissions requirements, application deadlines and to submit an application, please visit https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply
Applicants who have questions regarding graduate application procedures and deadlines should contact the Office of Graduate Admission at gradadmissions@bridgew.edu or 508.531.1300. It is the responsibility of graduate students to make certain that all application documents are received on time. Applicants should indicate a specific degree or licensure program (and also the area of study) when they request application information.
Certain programs require a formal interview with the graduate program coordinator. Please consult the department requirements presented in this catalog.
Applications and the application fee should be submitted online at: https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply. Any materials that are unable to be uploaded online should be sent to:
Office of Graduate Admission
Bridgewater State University
Maxwell Library – Room 019
10 Shaw Road
Bridgewater, MA 02325
Please note: all materials submitted to the university become the property of the university and will, in no case, be returned to the applicant or forwarded to any third party.
An application is not complete unless all of the required documents have been received by the Office of Graduate Admission. These documents may include:
- Graduate application and application fee
Prospective graduate students should create an account online and submit the required application fee to begin the application process. The application fee is NOT refundable.
- Official sealed transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
Official sealed transcripts must be mailed or emailed directly to the Office of Graduate Admission from the institution you attended and must bear the seal and/or stamp of the issuing college or university. Copies of transcripts are not acceptable. Graduates of Bridgewater State University and persons who have taken non-degree credit at the university do not need to request copies of their Bridgewater transcripts as the Office of Graduate Admission will obtain them.
- Letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation are required for most programs. Recommendations are to be completed through the online application. When you have submitted your application, you will be prompted to enter your reference’s contact information and send an electronic request to them. Each reference will answer evaluative questions and should upload a letter of support as well. Recommendations provide an estimate of applicants’ abilities to successfully pursue programs in their proposed fields or concentrations. Please consult program sections for any additional instructions.
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
For those programs requiring the GRE as an admission requirement, students are required to submit the results of the General Test. Applicants must arrange to have their official score report sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to the Office of Graduate Admission. Bridgewater State University’s CEEB code is 3517. Photocopies and scores submitted by applicants are not acceptable. Students who have earned a master’s degree may be exempt from the GRE requirement (subject to departmental approval).
- Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
Master of Business Administration applicants may be required to submit GMAT scores. Applicants must arrange to have an official score report sent directly from the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admission. Bridgewater State University’s CEEB code is 3517. Photocopies and scores submitted by applicants are not acceptable. Students who have earned a master’s degree may be exempt from the GMAT requirement (subject to departmental approval).
- Language Proficiency Exams
Students for whom English is not their native language will be required to submit official results from one of the below exams, unless their undergraduate degree was taught entirely in English (official documentation required):
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- Internet based test - Minimum score of 79
- Computer-based test - minimum score of 213
- Paper-based test - Minimum score of 550
- International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) - Minimum score of 6.5
- Pearson English Language Test (PTE) or Pearson English Test Online (PTE Online) - Minimum score of 53
- Duolingo - Minimum score of 110
- Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFRL) - minimum score of B2
- Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL)
Applicants may be required to provide a qualifying score on the Communication and Literacy Skills portion of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL) as a graduate admission requirement if applying to an educator licensure program. Visit https://www.bridgew.edu/grad-apply to view a full list of programs and admissions requirements.
- Additional departmental requirements
There may also be special departmental requirements relative to the application, such as an interview or a supplemental information form. Such requirements, if any, are to be found under each department’s description of its graduate program(s) in this catalog.
International Student Admission Requirements
For the most recent International Student Admission Requirements, see https://www.bridgew.edu/graduate/graduate-international
Admission Decisions
Action by the Academic Department
All completed applications are sent by the Office of Graduate Admission to the academic departments. After reviewing these applications, departments make admission recommendations to the Office of Graduate Admission.
Action by the College of Graduate Studies
The Office of Graduate Admission, after reviewing the recommendations of the academic department, notifies applicants of the decision.
Course Work at Bridgewater prior to Matriculation
Prior to matriculation, students can enroll in up to six credits in most programs with 39 or fewer credits. In programs requiring 40 or more graduate credits, students may enroll in up to nine graduate credits.
Transfer Credit
Please see the Transfer Credit section of the Graduate Academic Policies page.
Program Enrollment and Reinstatement
While graduate students are required to be continually enrolled in order to maintain active student status, we realize that unexpected situations sometimes require taking an academic absence at some point in their graduate career. Previously enrolled graduate students who have not enrolled in a course at Bridgewater State University for one academic year or longer (three consecutive terms inclusive of the summer session) are required to submit an Application for Reinstatement and be formally reinstated by the College of Graduate Studies. The reinstatement application can be found at https://www.bridgew.edu/GradRA. A student who has not been enrolled in over a year and matriculated more than six years ago must reapply to the program.
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