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Admission – International Applicants
to the student’s program of study and have not been used to fulfill requirements for another degree may be considered for transfer credit. A maximum of 9 credit hours for Master of Science programs may be transferred for coursework in which grades of B or higher have been attained. It is the responsibility of the academic department to determine the student’s comprehension of the material before such hours are shown on the program of study for credit toward the degree. Research credit from another institution cannot be accepted for transfer credit.
Graduate Student Status
At the time of acceptance, each student is classified as regular, provisional, or nonmatriculating.
Regular Status Candidates who have met all requirements for admission to a graduate degree program are admitted as regular students. The transcript must show sufficient and satisfactory undergraduate preparation in the major field, and (if applicable) a TOEFL, ITEP, PTE, MCPHS EPE, Duolingo, or IELTS score. (Please refer to the International Applicants section.)
A graduate student is considered to have full-time status if they are
• registered for 9 or more graduate credits, or • registered for 6 or more graduate credits while appointed as a graduate assistant for 15 to 20 hours per week, or • registered for PSB 880 Research (at least 1 graduate credit), or • registered for PSB 895 Graduate Student Extension (Thesis/Dissertation completion, no credit), or • registered for DHY 895 Graduate Extension of Thesis, or • registered for PBH 895 Prep Seminar, Culminating Experience, or • registered for CHE 880 Research (3 cr) or CHE 885 Literature-based Research (3 cr), or • registered for CHE 895 Graduate Study Extension (no credit), or • registered for DRA 814 Data Analysis and Presentation Capabilities in Regulatory Affairs , or • registered for PEP 840 Capstone Data Analysis and Presentation Capabilities in PEP, or • registered for MCR 804 Graduate Project in Clinical Research
Provisional Status The University may, at its discretion, admit candidates into a graduate degree program on a trial basis as provisional students to ascertain their ability to do graduate work. Provisional students are those who have not met the minimum undergraduate grade point averages. Provisional status also may be applied to students whose credentials do not meet specific program requirements. Provisional students must adhere to regulations established by the Graduate Council and be working toward a degree on a full-time basis.
In order to achieve regular status, the student must complete the equivalent of two academic semesters (at least 9 credit hours) of full-time work with an overall grade point average of 3.0.
At any time during the first year of matriculation following completion of the above criteria, a student may initiate an Approval for Change of Student Status in the Office of Graduate Studies. However, the student’s graduate advisor also may initiate the change and should do so when the student has met the required criteria, or may request the change of status before the student has completed 9 semester credits. The change from provisional to regular status must be approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. No student may remain on provisional status for more than two consecutive semesters. If a student admitted on provisional status fails to meet the conditions stated in the letter of admission, the student may be dismissed from the program.
An application for first-year admission is reviewed when the file is complete. To be considered complete, the international freshman applicant’s file must contain all of the following:
• Completed MCPHS Application (portal.mcphs.edu) or Common Application (www.commonapp.org) • Official high school transcript(s) from all secondary schools attended; including most recent grades (seniors must include a list of senior courses) • Official transcripts from colleges or universities attended, if applicable • One letter of recommendation (from a mathematics or science teacher or a guidance counselor) • SAT and ACT are optional. If an applicant chooses to submit either test, the score(s) will be considered as one of many factors that the admission committee uses to evaluate applicants.
• Candidates for whom English is not the primary spoken language are required to take the TOEFL, ITEP,
MCPHS on-campus English Proficiency Exam (EPE), Duolingo, OSSLT, or IELTS. This test requirement may be considered satisfied, on an individual basis, for applicants who have attended all four years of high school in the United States (exclusive of ESL courses) who have completed four years of study in a U.S.-accredited,
IB or UK curricula outside the United States where English is the only medium of instruction (exclusive of ESL courses) or who have an earned degree (bachelor’s or higher) from a U.S. college or university. (Please refer to the International Applicants section.)
Transcripts - Transfer, Fast Track, Postbaccalaureate, and Graduate Applicants
Transcripts must clearly indicate all grades received and indicate coursework currently in progress. All transcripts must be official with the institution’s stamp or a college/university official’s signature. All official transcripts from U.S. institutions must be submitted per the application requirements of the program to which a candidate is applying. Please see Admission, Freshman Admission, Transfer Admission, Fast Track, Postbaccalaureate and Graduate Admission for more information. Final high school transcripts stating graduation from secondary education must be sent directly from the student's high school prior to the start of classes if applicant does not have a prior bachelor’s degree. All applicants, including U.S. citizens and permanent residents, who have academic credentials from countries outside the United States are required to supply additional documents in order to be considered for admission.
Non-U.S. Transcripts
Candidates must submit official transcripts of coursework taken outside the United States to an approved credential evaluation service. Currently approved credential evaluation services are:
World Education Services (WES) www.wes.org https://www.wes.org/partners/credential-evaluation-requirements-for-the-massachusetts-college-of-pharmacy-andhealth-sciences/
and
Education Credential Evaluators (ECE) www.ece.org https://accounts.ece.org/TPO/MCPHS-AF
A course-by-course evaluation is required for foreign transcript evaluation. Photocopies of transcripts and test scores are not accepted. Official transcripts for courses taken outside the United States also must be submitted directly to the Admission Office in addition to the WES or ECE evaluation.
Official Language Proficiency Test Scores - All Applicants
MCPHS requires all students whose first language is not English to submit official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or iTEP (International Test of English Proficiency), Duolingo English Test, OSSLT (Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test), or PTE Academic (Pearson Test of English) test scores, or pass the MCPHS English Proficiency Exam (EPE) prior to matriculation. This test requirement may be considered satisfied, on an individual basis, for applicants who have attended all four years of high school in the United States (exclusive of ESL courses), who have completed four years of study in a U.S.-accredited, IB or UK curricula outside the United States where English is the only medium of instruction (exclusive of ESL courses), who have an earned degree (bachelor’s or higher) from a U.S. college or university who have scored 480 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the SAT, or who have scored 21 or higher on the English section of the ACT.
• The minimum required TOEFL score for all MCPHS undergraduate programs is 79 for the Internet-based exam (83 required for Nursing program). The minimum TOEFL score for all lab-based or clinical graduate programs is 90 on the Internet-based exam. • The minimum required IELTS score is 6.5 for all undergraduate programs. The DPT, CAPPS and all lab-based or clinical graduate programs require a score of 7. • The minimum required iTEP score is 4.0 for all undergraduate programs and 4.5 for lab-based and clinical graduate programs. • The minimum required MCPHS on-campus English Proficiency Exam for all undergraduate programs is 57.
The DPT, CAPPS and all lab-based and clinical graduate programs require a higher proficiency level of 62.
• The minimum required PTE Academic score for all undergraduate program is 58 and 73 for all lab-based and clinical graduate programs. • The minimum required Duolingo score for all undergraduate programs is 105 and 115 for all lab-based and clinical graduate programs. • The minimum required OSSLT score for all undergraduate programs is 300. • International applicants applying to the New England School of Acupuncture whose native language is not
English are required to provide proof of English proficiency for admission to degree, certificate, and nondegree graduate programs. This must be demonstrated by one of the following means:
1. The applicant must have completed one of the following: • four years at a U.S. high school demonstrably delivered in English; • at least two-years (60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits) of undergraduate- or graduate-level education in an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education; • at least two-years (60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits) of undergraduate- or graduate-level education demonstrably delivered in English; • high school or two-years (60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits) of undergraduate- or graduate-level education in an institution in one of the following countries or territories: American Samoa; Anguilla; Antigua & Barbuda; Australia; Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; Botswana; British Virgin Islands; Cameroon; Canada (except Quebec); Cayman Islands; Christmas Island; Cook Islands; Dominica; Federated States of Micronesia; Fiji; The Gambia; Ghana; Gibraltar; Grenada; Guam; Guyana; Ireland; Isle of Man; Jamaica; Kenya; Lesotho; Liberia; Malawi; Montserrat; Namibia; New Zealand; Nigeria; Norfolk Island; Papua New Guinea; Philippines; Pitcairn Islands; Sierra Leone; Singapore; South Africa; South Sudan; St. Helena; St. Kitts & Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Swaziland; Tanzania; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands; United Kingdom; U.S. Virgin Islands; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe. • In all cases, English must have been both the language of instruction and the language of the curriculum used.
OR
2. The applicant must have completed one of the following assessments at the required level: • Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT - Total: 61), • International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Academic Format (Overall Band: 6), • Duolingo English Test (Score of 90), • China Standard of English Language (CSE – Score of 6), • Cambridge First Certificate of English (FCE – Score of C), • Cambridge English Advanced (CAE – Score of C), • Common European Framework Reference (CEFR – Score of B2), • Occupational English Test (OET – Score of 250, C), • Pearson Test of English (PTE), Academic (Overall: 45).
MCPHS does not accept scores that are more than two years old.
Official score reports must be sent directly to the Admission Office from the testing agency.
TOEFL exam information may be found on the Internet at www.ets.org. IELTS exam information may be found at www.ielts.org. iTEP exam information may be found at www.itep.org. PTE Exam information may be found on http://pearsonpte.com/. Duolingo exam information may be found at https://englishtest.duolingo.com/home. OSSLT exam information may be found at https://www.eqao.com/the-assessments/osslt/.
Academic Bridge Program
Freshmen and first-year transfer students who are academically admissible but who have not reached Language Proficiency may be eligible for the Academic Bridge Program. The Academic Bridge program provides a full-time, structured transition-to-university curriculum, combining content courses for degree credit with English language courses taught by ESL faculty. For more information, go to https://www.mcphs.edu/admission-and-aid/internationalapplicants/bridge-program.
Advanced Course Credit
Students may be awarded a limited amount of MCPHS course equivalency credit in transfer for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, CLEP exams, and/or college coursework taken during high school. Specific policies that govern MCPHS transfer credit equivalency are explained in detail in the Freshman and Transfer Admission sections of this catalog. An official transcript from a regionally accredited college or university must be submitted for dual enrollment credit. A grade of “C” or higher must be earned for all programs with the exception of Nursing. A grade of “C+” or higher is required for Nursing.
