Walker College of Business

Graduate School Application

Applications must be complete (online application submitted, the fee paid, and all required supporting documents received by the Graduate School) and ready for review by the applicable deadline. If it appears to be too late to apply, please contact the program manager to discuss options.

There is an application processing fee of $65 (which supports the technology and manpower needed for data entry). When you submit your application (by pressing the submit button on the last page), you will be given an application identifier. Please include this identifier on your check or money order if you chose the option 'pay by check' so we can be sure that your payment is properly recorded.

Access the Graduate School application.

Transcript

Applicants need to include Official (sealed) transcripts from each college or university attended.

The Official transcript must be mailed directly to the Graduate School from each of the colleges and universities attended since high school, even if the credits transferred elsewhere. The mailing address is: Cratis D. Williams Graduate School, Box 32068, Boone, NC 28608. If you have attended Appalachian, you do not need to supply the Appalachian transcripts. If you transferred credits into Appalachian from another college, you will need to arrange for those to be sent. If you are using UPS or FedEx, our street address is Appalachian Graduate School; 287 Rivers Street, Room 232; Boone, NC 28608.

GMAT/GRE

For this program a test score (no older than 5 years) from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is equally accepted. Test scores are applied toward a minimum formula score, including the GPA. For additional test score information see the Graduate Bulletin.

NOTE: Prospective MSADA students may qualify for a waiver if they have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better; and

• Five or more years of full-time, professional work or military experience; or
• Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma; or
• Acumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.5 or higher in a degree earned at Appalachian State University; or
• An earned master's degree or doctoral degree in a related discipline with a 3.0 GPA or higher 

Please contact the Program Director to verify eligibility. An approved waiver request does not guarantee admission to the program.

Personal Statement

Please upload a 2-3 page (500/750 words), double-spaced Personal Statement on what has prompted your interest in obtaining an MS in Applied Data Analytics degree, and what appeals to you about the program at Appalachian in particular? What professional plans or ambitions do you have once you have completed your master’s degree.

References

We strongly encourage you to have references that are relevant to your field of study, such as faculty who have taught you in related courses, employers who can comment on skills directly relevant to your intended major. Personal references (friends, clergy, etc.) are not as useful to the reviewers.

On the application you will be prompted for email addresses for your references when you fill out the on-line application, and we will contact that person with submission instructions. In the event that you are requesting a reference from someone without an email address, please contact us for instructions. We can arrange for a paper copy of the reference information to be sent. Three reference letters are needed for admission.

A current résumé should accompany the application and include a history of work experience with emphasis on any managerial or leadership responsibilities and team projects. 

The resume should be prepared as or scanned into a .doc, .docx or .pdf file (.pdf preferred) and uploaded during the on-line application process. The resume needs to at the least document your education, military and work experience for the last five years.

Applicants should schedule an approximate one hour interview prior to the admission decision. The preference for this interview is in-person, but may be conducted by phone or video with the Director's permission. 

TOEFL

Applicants whose native language is not English and/or whose principal language of university instruction was not English must submit scores from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Information and test registration for the TOEFL is available at www.toefl.org. TOEFL scores are valid for two years post exam date.