How to Apply

PhD, Educational Communication and Technology

You are required to upload a copy of your most recent résumé or curriculum vitae as part of your application.

Please submit a typed statement of no more than 2500 words, that responds to the following prompts:

What is an area of research that interests you? Why? How did your prior experiences lead you to this interest? In your response, specify the content area (e.g., math education), audience (e.g., high school students, medical professionals), and context (e.g., classrooms, workplaces, museums) of your research interest.

If admitted into the doctoral program, what specific research question(s) might you like to pursue for your dissertation? Explain the theoretical perspective and methodological approach that you would adopt. What data would you collect? How would you analyze it? What are your hypotheses? What are the potential implications of this project for theory and/or practice?

Why are you applying to NYU's Educational Communication and Technology (ECT) program? With which ECT faculty member(s) would you be most interested in working, and why? What, specifically, about the program do you feel will help you to achieve your personal and professional goals?

Submit three letters of recommendation. Be sure to request them well in advance of the deadline. Read detailed instructions.

Letters should address your interests, skills, abilities, and accomplishments relevant to the design, development and use of educational media and technology-based learning environments, and your ability to pursue and complete graduate studies in this field successfully. Letters may be written by former professors, faculty advisers, academic administrators, or employers knowledgeable of your academic work or professional accomplishments.

Upload one official copy of transcripts from every postsecondary institution (college/university) you have attended or are attending. Please note: This includes transcripts from institutions where you received transfer credits or did not complete a degree.  Make sure to request an official copy of the transcript(s) in advance of the deadline.

Transfer Credits

We understand accepted transfer credits may be clearly listed on your degree awarding institution’s transcript. The Office of Graduate Admissions still requires a transcript from the initial credit-granting institution where you took the course(s). Delay in listing and uploading these transcripts can significantly delay the application review process.

Institutions Outside the US or Canada

If you completed or are completing a degree at an institution outside of the US or Canada, you are required to provide a WES or ECE international credentials evaluation. Please review our requirements for translation and a course-by-course evaluation of your transcripts.

See detailed instructions on submitting transcripts.

Required. See testing requirements. 

See testing requirements.

As part of your application, you have the option of submitting published papers, chapters, presentations on relevant topics, research studies and reports, and original educational media projects directly to Professor Jan Plass. This is not a requirement.

Start your application now

After you fill in and upload the required information, you can submit your completed application. Your application must be completed, dated, electronically signed, and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST of the stated deadline.

You will be prompted to pay a $75 application fee, payable by major credit card only. After submitting your payment, you will see your application status change from “saved” to “submitted.” Please print this screen for your records, as it confirms that your application has been successfully sent to our school. If you have problems submitting your payment, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Learn more about our fee waiver policy.

If any application materials need to be mailed to our office, mail the materials to NYU Steinhardt, Office of Graduate Admissions, 82 Washington Square East, 3rd Floor New York, NY 10003-6680.  Please do not mail your materials in binders or folders. Any mailed materials must be received by, not postmarked by, the stated deadline. Only completed applications will be considered and reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt of mailed materials.

Application deadlines are "in-office" deadlines, not postmark deadlines. It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline, and we reserve the right to return any application that arrives after the deadline. Only completed applications will be considered. Should a deadline fall on a weekend, the in-office deadline will be the next business day. We advise you to apply early.

Please check the online system to confirm that you have successfully submitted your application. Due to the volume of applications and related materials received, the Office of Graduate Admissions will only contact you if your application was successfully submitted and is deemed incomplete because of missing required materials. Otherwise, you will hear from us when the admissions committee has made its decision.

Deferral policy: NYU Steinhardt does not allow deferrals. Applicants who wish to be considered for a future semester must reapply by submitting a new application with all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.

You will be notified about your decision by email. Typically, decisions will start going out in late March or early April for fall enrollment. You may learn of your decision before or after this timeline.