Admission - CJP

Application Process for Master’s Degrees and Graduate Certificates

• Complete the application and submit a resume or curriculum vitae. Both must be submitted for your application to be complete.

• Pay the application fee of $50 (U.S.) which can be paid online through CASHNet (International payments can be made using Flywire.) Cash and check are also accepted.

• Arrange for official transcripts from each college or university attended to be emailed directly to EMU.

• Include three references in your admissions application: one academic, one professional, and one character. Only two letters are required when applying for a graduate certificate. References will be emailed a reference form directly upon application submission. References will be able to submit their reference form directly through the form. Only reference forms received directly from the references will be accepted.

International Applicants

In addition to the above requirements, international students will need to: 

• Prior to application review, applicants whose native language is not English, submit scores for either the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo test. CJP requires a 79-80 on the internet-based TOEFL or its equivalent, a 6.5-7.0 on the IELTS, or a 104 on the Duolingo. (Institutional code: 5181)

• After acceptance, submit a financial certificate demonstrating the student’s ability to pay and a scanned copy of your passport ID page.

  • These two documents are required after admission in order for the program to issue a student visa application (I-20 form). Our recruitment specialist will contact you with more details about applying for a visa after you have been accepted into CJP.

Because the program works with many international students, the admissions committee assesses applicants’ preparedness and fit with the program through transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the essay.  (An arts-based option may be accepted in lieu of the essay. Contact cjpadmissions@emu.edu for more details.)

Guidelines and Requirements

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree.* A social science background is preferred but not required. Preference is given to students who have two or three years of paid or voluntary experience - or five years, if applying for the MA in Transformational Leadership - in any type of work that involves making the world more just and less violent. This includes, but is not limited to, community development, social movement organizing, mediation, relief work, restorative justice, working with communities traumatized by injustice or violence, and advocacy. If you want the practical tools and knowledge to help create a more just and equitable world but have been working in an unrelated field, please email the admissions director at cjpadmissions@emu.edu so we can have a conversation about how our programs might meet your goals.  

*In exceptional cases admission may be granted to applicants who meet qualifications for a rarely awarded non-Baccalaureate admission. This is typically done for older applicants who have extensive experience in the field and whose undergraduate studies were disrupted by violence.

Applicants should have an undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 (on a four-point scale). However, those who have a weaker academic background but extensive experience in the peacebuilding field are welcome to apply; if all other admissions requirements are met, the applicant may be conditionally admitted. If the student earns a 3.0 GPA in the first semester of studies, the student’s probation status is removed and will be considered fully admitted. 

Submission of GRE scores is neither required nor recommended.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  Scholarships are awarded at the time of admission review/acceptance. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please complete the scholarship essay option, which is included as part of the admission application as soon as possible in order to have that scholarship applied to the next academic year. Our academic year runs from August to June.  The initial admission review begins March 1 for the following academic year and is rolling until the beginning of a semester.