College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Community Sustainability

Where to apply

Applicants will use the new application system, SLATE, found at: https://explore.msu.edu/apply/

Application Fee: We require applicants to pay the application fee before we review any application. Applications also must be complete before they are reviewed.

Application Instructions

Applicants who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents should select “domestic” within the portal to complete a domestic application. All applicants (both new applicants and those wanting to transfer from other MSU programs) should apply for fall admission.

Step A

Jump to Item below, or download the PDF document for Domestic Applicants.

1. MSU Online Graduate Application
2. Personal Statement
3. Academic Statement
4. Resumé
5. Three Letters of Recommendation
6. GRE Scores
7. Official Transcripts

Step B

Jump to:

• Application Review
• Department Decision
• University Decision
• Applicant Decision

Download Printable Application Instructions (updated June 2022)

Apply

Helpful Links

• Graduate Education at MSU (Academic Programs Catalog)
• The Graduate School at MSU
• Assistantships
• Graduate School Costs
• MSU Office of Admissions
• MSU Office of Financial Aid (Graduate Students)

Item 1 - MSU Online Graduate Application

Submit Item 1 using the MSU Office of Admissions Domestic Graduate Application portal.

If you forget your applicant ID and/or your password, contact the MSU Office of Admissions for assistance. Use the same name that appears on legal documents, such as a passport or identification card, to complete your application. No paper or email applications can be accepted. The online portal allows you to request letters of recommendation, request letter of recommendation cover forms from your recommenders, view and send email messages from/to the CSUS Department Graduate Office, submit your application, and check the status of your application.

Select the major code for your desired program on the applicant portal. Major codes are:

MS Codes – Plan A and Plan B

• 5389: CSUS (Community Sustainability)
• 5376: STPAM (Sustainable Tourism & Protected Area Management)

PhD Codes

• 5390: CSUS (Community Sustainability)
• 5377: STPAM (Sustainable Tourism & Protected Area Management)

Applicants must answer ALL the supplementary questions on the MSU online graduate application before submitting the $65 application fee.

The Personal and Academic Statements must be uploaded as individual PDF files on the applicant portal following the required formatting guidelines as described in the instructions below.

Item 2 - Personal Statement

Submit Item 2 using the MSU applicant portal.

A typed personal statement (external to the MSU application) is required of all applicants. The personal statement gives the applicant an opportunity to share personal experiences with the Admissions Committee. Prospective faculty advisors and other faculty members also read personal statements during the review and advisor selection process. The content below should be addressed in your personal statement, using format guidelines provided.

Content: Background and Life Experiences

• How have your background and life experiences (social, economic, cultural, familial, educational, and/or other opportunities or challenges) motivated your decision to pursue your selected graduate degree from the Department of Community Sustainability?
• Describe how these experiences have influenced and prepared you for your proposed degree work. You can choose to focus on a single aspect of your background or write about multiple experiences.
• Applicants who have overcome economic barriers or extreme personal, social, or cultural obstacles to seek a graduate degree are encouraged to include this information in the personal statement.

Format

Follow the format guidelines below in preparing your personal statement:

• Essay format
• Single-spaced, using 12-point font in a Word document, converted to PDF
• Maximum length: 500 words
• 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper, not A4 (use only white paper)
• Create a header at the top of each page, to include:
  • Personal Statement (title of the paper and as part of the page header)
  • Your first and last names (as they appear on your application)
  • Program and degree type for which you are applying (CSUS or STPAM: MS-A, MS-B, or PhD)
• Include page numbers at the bottom of each page (in the footer).
• Do not include any of the following anywhere on your personal statement:
  • MSU EMPLID (formerly MSU PID)
  • Phone number, address, email address
  • Photo

Item 3 - Academic Statement

Submit Item 3 using the MSU applicant portal.

A typed academic statement (external to the MSU application) is required of all applicants. The academic statement gives the applicant an opportunity to share proposed academic and career goals with the Graduate Admissions Committee. Prospective faculty advisors and other faculty members also read academic statements during the review and advisor selection process. Upload the statement to the applicant portal. The content below should be addressed in your academic statement, using the format guidelines provided.

Content: Plans for Graduate Study

• Identify the program option to which you are applying (CSUS or STPAM).
• Identify the degree option for which you are applying (MS-A, MS-B, or PhD).
• Discuss with specificity what you want to study/research during your degree work. If you have ideas for your research or project focus, we encourage you to include that.
• Identify faculty members you believe most closely match your interests (review faculty bios on the CSUS faculty advisor page; click names for links to information). You should have conversations with potential advisors prior to applying.
• Include a summary of discussions you have had with potential faculty advisors and explain why one or more are a good match.

Content: Academic Interests, Passions, and Careers Goals

• Discuss why you want to earn the degree specified above.
• Describe what motivates your interest in this program.
• Describe what experiences have led to this choice.
• Explain why this interdisciplinary, systems-based program (rather than a disciplinary program) is a good fit with your goals.
• Explain how the CSUS or STPAM graduate program will help you meet your educational and career goals.

Content: Contributions

• Discuss what you will contribute to the Department of Community Sustainability graduate program, to Michigan State University, and to fellow students (especially in your cohort).

Content: Weaknesses

• If you have apparent weaknesses in your application materials, explain them in your academic statement and describe strategies for addressing them in the future.

Format

Follow the format guidelines below in preparing your academic statement.

• Essay format
• Single-spaced, using 12-point font in a Word document, converted to PDF
• Maximum length: 750 words
• 8.5 inch by 11 inch white paper, not A4 (use only white paper)
• Create a header at the top of each page, to include:
  • Academic Statement (title of the paper and as part of the page header)
  • Your first and last names (as they appear on your application)
  • Program and degree type for which you are applying (CSUS or STPAM: MS-A, MS-B, or PhD)
• Include page numbers at the bottom of each page (in the footer).
• Do not include any of the following anywhere on your academic statement:
  • MSU EMPLID (formerly MSU PID)
  • Phone number, address, email
  • Photo

Item 4 - Resumé

Submit Item 4 using the MSU applicant portal.

A typed resumé is required of all applicants. The resumé must be two pages in length and formatted on 8.5 inch by 11 inch white paper (not A4). Do not include a photo. Upload your resumé to the applicant portal.

The following content should be included in your resumé:

• Education
• Professional experiences (paid and/or unpaid)
• Other relevant experiences and skills (if any)
• Certifications, honors, awards (if any)
• Professional organization memberships and/or involvement
• Publications and professional presentations (as relevant)

NOTE: The applicant portal has sections for “Employment” and “Activities.” If this information is included in your resumé, you need not complete these sections in the portal.

Item 5 - Letters of Recommendation

Request Item 5 using the MSU applicant portal.

Three letters of recommendation are required of all applicants. Applicants must request letters from 3 different recommenders via the portal. Be sure to indicate whether or not you waive your right of access to the recommendations.

• MS applicants: at least 1 (preferably 2) of your letters of recommendation should be academic. PhD applicants: at least 2 (preferably 3) of your letters should be academic. Be sure they speak specifically to your match with CSUS programs.
• After the applicant identifies a recommender on the portal, an auto-recommendation request is sent (by email) to the recommender.
• Applicants may not submit the recommendation materials on behalf of the recommenders.
• Applicants may view their recommendation status in the portal.
• Applicants should follow up with their recommenders to ensure letters of recommendation are submitted before the CSUS application deadline.

Item 6 - GRE Scores

Request Item 6 from testing agency.

Effective Spring 2024 - GRE scores are not required but are optional to submit. Applicants must contact ETS and request GRE reports be sent directly to the MSU Office of Admissions, using one of the codes below. The MSU general code is 1465. The general code identifies to ETS to which university/universities you want your GRE scores sent. Select only one of the ETS codes below to identify your MSU degree program interest. It does not matter which code below you select.

• 0110 – Resource Management
• 0111 – Parks and Recreation Management
• 0113 – Renewable Natural Resources
• 5101 – Interdisciplinary Programs

Requirements and Procedures for GRE Scores

• GRE scores must be no more than 5 years old at the time of application.
• Contact the Graduate Program Coordinator via email if the name on your GRE report is different than the name on your MSU online application. The Graduate Program Coordinator must notify the MSU Office of Admissions of the name discrepancy to prevent a delay in the processing of your scores.
• Although you may enter scores in your application, those scores and copies of scores sent by the applicant to MSU or CSUS via email and/or postal mail are deemed unofficial by the University and will not be considered.
• Official scores must be accessible to CSUS by the application deadline. Thus, the applicant must order a GRE report from ETS long before the application deadline (and take the exam long before that, to allow time for ETS scoring and reporting). GRE reports can take 1-3 weeks to arrive at MSU and an additional 2-4 weeks to be processed after they are received by the MSU Office of Admissions. Thus, it could take as long as 7 weeks for your report to become available to the Department. The scores are not accessible by the Department until processed by the Office of Admissions and you have paid the application fee. Plan accordingly.

Item 7 - Official Transcripts

Request Item 7 from former institutions.

Official transcripts are required of all applicants for each previous academic institution attended. Applicants must arrange for one OFFICIAL transcript to be sent directly to the MSU Office of Admissions from EACH university or college listed on the online graduate application. ALL colleges and universities attended (even if no degree was granted) must be listed on the online application.

Requirements and Procedures for Transcripts

• Transcripts are deemed official if they are sent directly to the MSU Office of Admissions from the respective institutions via official e-transcript (if electronic service is available at those institutions) or in a sealed envelope via postal mail, FedEx, DHL, UPS or other delivery service.
• Digital, photocopied, and scanned copies of transcripts are considered unofficial and will not be accepted or reviewed.
• Any transcript received by the Department or the MSU Office of Admissions from an applicant or from an entity other than the institution is considered unofficial and will not be accepted or reviewed. (Applicants may send unofficial documents to potential advisors while interacting with them, at their option.)
• If any previously attended institution has transcripts/diplomas not written in English: Official English translations of non-English transcripts/diplomas confirming degree completion must be submitted with the original official transcript. A translation is deemed official if it is sent with the official transcript/diploma in a sealed envelope via postal mail directly to the MSU Office of Admissions from the institution or Ministry. (All must arrive at the MSU Office of Admissions with time for them to process and post it by the CSUS application deadline.)
• Applicant must order each official transcript (and translation, if applicable) long before the application deadline and ensure that each institution sends the transcript directly to the MSU Office of Admissions. Transcripts can take 2-8 weeks to arrive at the MSU Office of Admissions, plus require additional time to be processed and posted by that office. Plan accordingly.

Transcript Mailing Instructions

The applicant must contact each institution, pay the required transcript, diploma, and translation fee(s), if applicable, and request official transcripts and diplomas be sent to:

Official Electronic Transcripts (if university has the service):
admis@msu.edu 

Official Hard Copy Transcripts:
Office of Admissions
Michigan State University
Hannah Administration Building
426 Auditorium Road, Room 250
East Lansing, MI 48824

Note: Previous Degree Completion

If you have not completed a required previous degree at the time of application (bachelor’s degree for MS applicants, or master’s degree for PhD applicants), a departmental acceptance will be “conditional” until you officially complete your previous degree – prior to beginning your CSUS/ STPAM degree. Be sure to submit official confirmation of your degree completion, with transcript, as soon as it is available.

Application Review

Completed applications are reviewed by the CSUS Graduate Admissions Committee, a committee of CSUS Department faculty.

Applications that pass Admissions Committee review are made available to all faculty in the Department for review (2-week time window). Faculty indicate their interest and ability to accept an applicant, and if they are able to provide any funding.

Department Decision

Typically, applicants can expect a Department admissions decision by email 8-10 weeks after their application is complete (all items uploaded into the application portal), depending on when in the review cycle it is completed.

If you are accepted, initial advisor assignment and funding information are provided in your Department offer letter. Assistantship details, if applicable, will follow in a separate letter.

If you are accepted, the CSUS Department’s decision is preliminary to MSU’s review and official acceptance.

University Decision

The MSU Office of Admissions reviews application items of applicants who are admitted by the Department.

If an applicant is accepted by MSU, an official notice of acceptance will appear in the applicant’s portal (you will receive an email that the decision is in the portal).

Notify the Department Graduate Secretary and Graduate Program Coordinator if and when you receive correspondence from the MSU Office of Admissions.

Applicant Decision

If you are admitted by the Department and the University, send an email notification to the CSUS Department Graduate Secretary and Graduate Program Coordinator that you accept or decline the offer. Please CC your assigned advisor.

Send this decision by email as soon as possible, or by April 1 or (if you applied near the March 1 deadline) no later than two weeks after you receive the official University acceptance notification.