M.A. in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership Admission Requirements
Applying to the Wheaton College Graduate School
Learn about the M.A. in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership at the Wheaton College Graduate School.
Application Deadline Information
Starting the program in summer is highly recommended because of course sequencing.
International Applicants
The formal application deadline for all international applicants is January 1st.
United States (Citizen, Permanent Resident, National) Applicants
The M.A. in Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership program will continue to review completed applications after May 15 on a rolling basis. Please note that decisions after May 15 are contingent upon availability of space in the program. We encourage you to follow the deadlines below to enhance your application experience.
Early Action Deadline: November 15 to receive an admissions decision by December 6.
Priority Deadline: January 15 to receive an admissions decision by February 5.
Regular Deadline: March 15 to receive an admissions decision by April 6.
Final Deadline: May 15 to receive an admissions decision by June 1. Applications will be received after May 15 contingent upon availability of space in the program.
Requirements for All Students
- Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited institution.
- GPA 2.75 minimum.
- Official Transcripts from all colleges where a degree was earned or is currently being earned.
- E-transcripts preferred. Address them to nancy.crane@wheaton.edu.
- Mail paper copies to Graduate Admissions Dept., Attn: Nancy Crane, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.
- Applicants who have earned more than 25% of their degree from institutions outside of their degree-conferring school will be required to supply official transcripts for those credits in the event they are not explicitly listed on their original transcript with course names and grades. Graduate Admissions will reserve the right to request additional transcripts as may be needed to meet departmental requirements or demonstrate proof of program-specific prerequisites.
- Application Form.
- Includes two essays and affirmations of the Statement of Faith and Community Covenant.
- Three Recommendations, which are online forms. Letters are accepted as supplements to the forms.
- Academic. An instructor from whom you have taken a class preferred. Alternative: a college-level instructor from whom you have not taken a class or an acquaintance with a doctorate or master's.
- Pastoral. Can be a Christian leader who is not a pastor.
- Professional. A person with whom you have had a supervisor-employee relationship, which can be in a non-paid context.
- Recommenders can upload an optional letter on their online recommendation page.
- Recommendations from relatives not accepted.
- Resumé. Chronological overview of professional and ministry/volunteer experience.
- Application Fee: USD $30, non-refundable.
Additional Requirements for International Students
International students, and permanent residents of the US whose native language is not English, are required to take either the TOEFL iBT Test, IELTS Academic Test or Duolingo English test with the minimal scores indicated below:
- TOEFL iBT Test: 80 with at least 18 in each category
- IELTS Academic Test: 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each category
- Duolingo English Test: 105
Applicants who wish to waive their English proficiency test, please refer to the English proficiency page for details.
An International Transcript Verification Report is needed for students who completed degrees outside of the United States.
Learn more about the program and the Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership program.
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