If you have written your statement of purpose, enter the information in the appropriate fields below. If you have not, please use the questions below as a template to create your statement of purpose.
1. Introductory paragraph *
Please provide a general introduction about you and your reason for pursuing graduate school. For example, you may want to say something personal about yourself that also connects to your reason for pursuing higher education and/or for applying to the respective program.
2. Describe your research project *
For example, what is the topic of your research? Why is it important? What research question(s) are you asking? Which scholarly literature informs your research project? Which scholarship are you building upon or which gaps are you attempting to address?
3. Which method(s) will you be using to conduct your research project? *
Academic disciplines collect evidence from different research sources, which could be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods. For example, Biologists typically do laboratory research; Humanities scholars might rely on literary analysis or art historians may use a mix of primary and secondary sources (works of art and art criticism or visual analysis); Social Scientists in Anthropology or Sociology scholars might get data from ethnographic observation/participation, interviews, and fieldwork; Historians usually gather data from archives or oral histories; Gender/Queer Studies scholars might depend on creative/feminist/queer methodologies; and Ethnic Studies scholars might use participatory action research, interdisciplinary, or transdisciplinary methods. Provide as many details as possible. For example, if you are planning to use archives, which ones, where are they located, and what evidence do you seek? If you are doing ethnographic fieldwork, where, for how long, and which connections do you already have to the community to seek to research? If you are doing interviews, how many, where, how long, what types of questions do you plan to ask (e.g., one-on-one; focus groups; panel interviews; structured or semi-structured interviews; open-ended or closed-ended questions; in-person; zoom; phone interviews)?
4. How is the school/program that you are applying to the best fit for your research project? *
Is there a professor(s) that specializes in your research project that could potentially serve as an advisor/mentor? Are there resources on that campus that will facilitate your work? Is there anything in particular about the program/department that meets your research needs?
5. In what ways are you prepared to pursue an MA, PhD, or other professional degree? *
For example, do you have previous research experience or relevant academic awards? Have you participated in an academic project or programs (like McNair Scholars) that have given you the experience to do research or professional training relevant to the respective field? Or, do you have a lot of work/professional experience that relates to your research project or field?
6. Optional paragraph
Here you can add relevant information that adds and strengthens your statement of purpose. Is there more information to elaborate on that wasn't mentioned in the paragraphs above? Do you have other experience/training that is relevant to your research or field of study, such as having experience with an internship, community engagement, academic conference participation, or leadership positions?
7. Conclusion paragraph *
Summarize who you are as a scholar and mention the broad impact of your research, why it's important, how the program/department is a good match, and how the degree/project connects to your professional goals (such as becoming a professor or etc).
