Statement of Purpose (part two)

Part 2 of the application is a Statement of Purpose (SoP). A statement of purpose will allow us to gauge your commitment to developing as a researcher and obtaining a graduate degree.

• Statement of Purpose
  
  • We recommend going to the Writing Center for revisions of your SoP.
  • Send the final SoP in either a PDF or Word document.

The standard document format for a statement of purpose is 12-point font Times New Roman, double-spaced with 1’’ margins.  We do ask the statement of purpose not exceed 2 pages.

Please make sure your SoP covers the following prompts:

1. Personal Statement — describe your personal education and professional journey. We want to know your academic narrative and understand what shapes your academic interests and motivates you to pursue your goals.
2. Research Interests — describe what are you interested in researching or further studying in academia and why.
3. Graduate School Interest — describe your interest in graduate school, the type(s) of graduate programs (M.S., Ph.D.) you have considered, and how will these support your professional goals. 
4. McNair Program — describe what you expect to gain from your participation in the McNair program and how the McNair program will support your academic and professional goals.
5. Leadership and Co-curricular Engagement — describe your leadership experience and how you engage with your communities.