How to Apply to the Master's Degree Program in Ethics and Society
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
- Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
Application deadlines
We encourage you to submit your application early to connect with faculty and other students. For more information, see Application Deadlines.
Application fee
For more information, see GSAS Admissions.
Application documents and materials
Statement of intent
Up to 500 words, submitted electronically, via the online application.
Supplemental essay (optional)
You may choose to answer this optional essay question. Your answer will help the admission committee get a better understanding of your unique perspective and potential contributions to our community.
Please discuss how your life experiences, perspective, or worldview have motivated or inspired you, posed challenges, helped you build skills, or taught you valuable lessons. We are eager to learn how these experiences have helped shape who you are and prepared you for graduate study, in keeping with our mission of "graduate education for the global good."
Official graduate record examination (GRE) scores:
Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores are optional. Applicants who wish to submit GRE scores may do so, but scores are not required (scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences – Code #2259)
Three letters of recommendation
Submitted directly via the online application. Enter the following information for each of your recommendation providers: name, address, email address, phone number, and institution. Make sure you enter your recommenders' email addresses correctly so that they each receive an automated email instructing them on how to submit their recommendations online. Mark the waiver statement for each recommender you enter.
Resume or CV
Submitted directly via the online application.
Writing sample
Five (5) to twenty (20) pages of an original example of your academic writing that focuses on an issue or question in ethics. The sample must be written in English and may be uploaded either as a Word or PDF document.
Academic transcripts
To be eligible for admission, applicants must hold a four-year bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the United States, or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution abroad (for some countries, this may be a three-year degree from a member institution within the Bologna Process). If you are applying during your final (senior) year of undergraduate study, you may submit your application with an unofficial transcript that includes all completed coursework to date.
When you apply, you are required to upload unofficial transcripts from the institution where you earned or will earn your bachelor’s degree, and if applicable, master’s degree, including any institutions where transfer credits counted toward either an undergraduate or graduate-level degree.
If you are offered admission to a GSAS program and accept the offer, you must submit official final transcripts with final grades and the title of the degree conferred. Official transcripts must be received by Fordham GSAS Admissions before the first day of classes.
English Proficiency Requirements
International applicants whose native language is not English are required to complete and submit to GSAS prior to matriculation their official scores from one of the following accepted English language competency exams:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - GSAS accepts the following TOEFL tests:
- TOEFL iBT including the Home Edition (we will accept the Paper Edition if less than two years old)
- TOEFL Essentials
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS)—Cambridge English Proficiency Level
- Duolingo English Test
- PTE Academic
- Cambridge English Qualifications - We accept the B2 First, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exams
Official TOEFL, IELTS, DET, PTE Academic, Cambridge English Qualifications scores should be sent directly by the testing service to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Fordham University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (our ETS TOEFL score code #2259).
Preferred minimum score requirements:
| Exam | Score |
|---|---|
| TOEFL iBT | Taken before January 21, 2026 - Minimum score: 100 Taken on or after January 21, 2026 - Minimum score: 5 |
| IELTS | 7.0 band score |
| DET | 130 |
| PTE Academics | 68 |
| Cambridge English Qualifications | 185 Overall Score on the B2, C1 Advanced, or C2 Proficiency exam |
Exemptions to the English Language Requirement
Exemptions are considered on a case-by-case basis and are generally permitted for international applicants who:
- are native English speakers from countries where English is an official language (click here to view the list of countries accepted); and/or
- have completed, within the past five years, at least two years of study at an undergraduate or graduate institution in the United States or in a country where English is the official language of instruction.
- you received an undergraduate or graduate degree from a university in India. (In some cases, we may request language proficiency test scores.)
GSAS reserves the right to require a language proficiency evaluation from any applicant. Requests for exemption from this requirement should be indicated directly within the application. The Fordham English Language Test (FELT), administered by Fordham’s Institute of American Language and Culture (IALC), may be required for those students whose English proficiency scores do not meet GSAS program requirements. Additional coursework may also be recommended by the IALC.
Students are permitted to register for two GSAS courses during the academic term in which they are completing any IALC-recommended coursework, which generally occurs during their first semester of study.
Please note: Tuition costs associated with the learning of English as a second language are the responsibility of the student and will not be covered by a GSAS tuition scholarship. GSAS merit-based tuition scholarships are not applicable to the costs of additional coursework recommended by the IALC.
Please contact [email protected] with any admissions-related questions.
Non-matriculated applicants
Applicants who wish to enroll in Ethics and Society courses as a non-matriculated or non-degree-seeking student should complete the online application (select “Non-degree in Ethics and Society”). Prospective non-degree students will also be required to submit a current resume or CV and transcripts from previous academic institutions.
Fordham undergraduates: The Accelerated BA/MA in Ethics and Society
Matriculated undergraduate students at Fordham with a GPA of 3.2 or better may apply for early admission in the spring semester of their junior year. Accelerated BA/MA students are not required to take the GRE and the application fee is waived.
Financial aid
Generous merit-based financial aid is available to qualified students through Fordham’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Contact the Associate Director of Academic Programs, Megan Bogia, Ph.D., for information about possible graduate assistantships and tuition discounts for the 2024-2025 school year.