Prospective students must first apply to the University of Kentucky Graduate School as a Graduate Certificate or MA Student in Applied Environmental and Sustainability Studies. It is a fairly simple process and should take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
Deadlines
Applications for the Graduate Certificate and MA are accepted twice a year. The deadline for priority processing of applications for a Fall start is May 1st, and November 1st for a Spring start.
Prerequisites
Applicants to the Graduate Certificate or MA in Applied Environmental and Sustainability Studies are required to hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited U.S. Institution, or an international credential deemed equivalent to a four-year bachelor's degree. For degree-seeking students, the Graduate School requires an overall undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75 and 3.00 on all graduate work.
Application Materials
Applicants to the Graduate Certificate will be required to provide:
- A transcript from their bachelor degree-granting institution
- A 2-3 page statement of purpose
- A non-refundable $65 application fee ($75 for international applicants)
- TOEFL or IELTS score (international applicants only). Minimum scores are listed on the graduate school's admission page
Applicants to the MA program will be required to provide:
- A transcript from their bachelor degree-granting institution with a GPA of 2.75 or higher (see the rules of the Graduate School).
- A CV or resume
- A 2-3 page statement of purpose
- A non-refundable $65 application fee ($75 for international applicants)
- TOEFL or IELTS score (international applicants only). Minimum scores are listed on the graduate school's admission page
GRE scores are not required for admissions to the graduate certificate or MA.
Once the application is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Director and faculty of Applied Environmental & Sustainability Studies, who will notify the graduate school of their admissions decision. The student will then be notified of the decision and provided with further instructions for enrollment in courses.
For trouble-shooting the University of Kentucky application process, please contact gsadmissions@uky.edu
Costs
Full tuition rates (graduate program, professional) are available from Student Account Services. Information on tuition deadlines is available here, deadlines for tuition payment and refunds are listed on the Academic Calendar.
Financial Aid
We are not able to offer assistantships to students in this program. Other opportunities at the University of Kentucky can be found at the UK Jobs website.
In order to qualify for federally subsidized student loans one must be an official degree seeking student. This means that students enrolled in the graduate certificate in Applied Environmental and Sustainability Studies are not eligible for federal loans.
However, many employers offer tuition payment and reimbursement programs and we encourage you to check with your place of employment. You can also visit the University of Kentucky’s Financial Aid Office webpage for information on Alternative Loans.
The State Approving Agency for Veterans Education may approve the graduate certificate and MA in Applied Environmental and Sustainability Studies for veteran benefits payment. Please contact Amy Southwood (amy.southwood@uky.edu) at the UK Veteran's Resource center with any questions.
State Authorization
If you plan to complete a University of Kentucky online program while living outside of Kentucky, you should check the Out-of-State Students page to determine if the University of Kentucky is authorized to provide this program in your state of residence.
Billing
Students will be billed by Student Account Services and any financial questions should be directed to that office. Note: UK will send your billing notifications to your official University of Kentucky email address (your link blue account) so be sure to regularly check it and/or forward it to your normal account. Check out the FAQ for more information.
You can also email Student Accounts Services at studentaccts@lsv.uky.edu
