Admissions
You will apply through the CU Boulder Graduate School. You can also visit their site for application FAQs, information for international applicants and more.
Please review our program-specific requirements below.
- You must meet CU Boulder's minimum standards for graduate admissions.
- You need at least a 3.00 undergraduate grade point average or a 3.25 grade point average in graduate coursework
- For international PhD applicants, English proficiency requirements have been established by the Graduate School.
1. Transcripts
- Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended can be provided in the application
- If you receive and offer of admission and confirm your intent to enroll, you will be required to submit official transcripts
2. Three letters of reference
3. A personal statement of academic and research interests
Please limit to 1000 words; describe why you are choosing to pursue a research-focused doctoral program in engineering education and what has prepared you for this challenge. You should consider including the following information (you aren’t expected to address all bullets):
- Your academic and research interests, including what motivated you to apply to the Engineering Education program at CU Boulder
- Your long-term scientific and professional goals and how a PhD in Engineering Education from CU Boulder will help you meet your career goals
- Your research experiences such as publications, theses, research in progress, and other scholarly activities
- Relevant past experience, including industry work, teaching, challenging coursework, non-course educational experience, etc. How did the experience prepare or motivate you to do research?
- Your personal experiences and contributions to support diversity in your education, service activities, or research experiences. (if not addressed in diversity statement)
- Any relevant information that is not included in the other application components, such as leadership ability, perseverance, and commitment to justice.
4. Diversity statement (optional) that describes how your educational, professional, and/or personal experiences have prepared you to mentor and/or educate students from diverse populations; experiences that have shaped your professional goals and/or vision for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community; etc. (see full prompt on the graduate school application website)
5. You will be asked to list up to 5 specific CU faculty among our affiliates who you would be interested in working with.
6. GRE scores are optional
For admission in fall 2026, apply by Dec. 1, 2025.
Ready to get started on your PhD in engineering education?