Essay Requirements
If your program is not listed, you should include a brief statement of your career goals and how they align with your program.
Art Therapy Applicants: Submit an essay of 350-word minimum addressing the three points outlined below:
- Describe your personal involvement in art.
- Describe your understanding of art therapy.
- Why have you chosen to pursue art therapy graduate education?
Autism Endorsement Online Program Applicants: Submit a 350-word essay describing how this program will enhance your current profession and advance your career goals.
Biotechnology Applicants: Submit an essay (1-2 pages) describing your career objectives and how the M.S. Biotechnology degree will assist with such goals.
Business Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in business (350-word minimum).
Counseling (School and Mental Health) Applicants: Submit an essay outlining professional and personal qualities that you believe will make you a successful school or mental health counselor. Applicants should be specific. Please review the follow resources prior to submitting the essay:
- American Counseling Association: www.counseling.org
- American Mental Health Counselors Association: www.amhca.org
- American School Counselors Association: www.schoolcounselor.org
- Pennsylvania Counselors Association: www.pacounseling.org
- Pennsylvania School Counselors Association: www.psca-web.org
Criminal Justice Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and the way in which the Criminal Justice program will contribute to these objectives (350-word minimum).
Education Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in education.
Interior Architecture Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in interior architecture.
Nutrition Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in nutrition or sports nutrition (350-word minimum).
Professional Writing Applicants: Submit an essay that meets the following criteria:
- A statement of purpose (two pages)
- An academic or professional writing sample (6 to 10 pages, can be excerpted from a longer work).
- Choose one of the two following prompts and write approximately 500-600 words in response:
- Write an op-ed piece for a local newspaper (local to you) persuading its readers of the importance of learning a second language. Please identify the name of the paper to which you have chosen to write in the header. Give your essay a title that could be used as a headline.
- Write a professional letter that could be sent to a real local business or a real local nonprofit agency arguing that their services to customers should be offered in both English and Spanish. Please identify the name of the business or agency.
Psychology Applicants: Submit an essay discussing your career objectives and why you want to pursue a career in psychology.
Public Administration/Health Services Administration Applicants: Submit an admission essay (350-word minimum) addressing the four points outlined below:
- Describe your professional work background.
- What attracted you to a M.P.A. / M.H.S.A.?
- What do you expect to receive in management training?
- How do you expect to use the management training and the M.P.A. / M.H.S.A. degree as a credential in pursuing your career objectives?
Social Work Applicants: Submit an informal statement of about 800 words (3 pages). This statement should include information about the following:
- Development of your interest in social work, including educational work and personal experiences as relevant.
- Your strengths in relation to social work practice.
- Gaps or limitations in your experience or attributes that would need attention in preparing for social work practice.
- Your preference for your future in social work.
Speech-Language Pathology Applicants: Submit a well-developed essay that responds to the following questions. Elaboration of responses, cohesive writing style, and writing mechanics (e.g. spelling, grammar, punctuation) will be considered when reviewing the essay portion of the application. The final essay response should be no more than 500 words total, double-spaced in 12 pt. font.
- What are your academic and professional goals? How and why do you feel the Communication Sciences & Disorders Department at Marywood University can help you to achieve these goals?
