Overview

Admissions Committee members evaluate an applicant’s scholastic and leadership achievements, motivation, interpersonal skills, and professional performance. We also review your academic record, employment history, resume, essays, recommendations, interview performance (if requested) and test scores to make an admission decision.

We encourage you to start your online application early. The application system provides you with support and instructions for successful completion. Once you start an application you can save it and continue at a later time. MSLOC staff can only view submitted applications, so your entries remain confidential until submitted.

Submitting Your Application

Applications must be submitted online by the deadline corresponding to the academic quarter you wish to begin. You may submit your application up to one year prior to your planned enrollment date. For example, you could submit an application for fall admission in the upcoming year on the November 1 deadline of the current year. MSLOC has a limited number of openings for each incoming class. We recommend applying early.

A non-refundable processing fee of $100 US is required with your completed application. Payment is submitted via credit card. Please contact our office if you would like to request a fee waivers.

If the Admissions Committee requires a personal interview, you will be notified via email. Interviews are awarded at the discretion of the Admissions Committee; not all applicants will be interviewed. Interviews are conducted via Zoom.

Incomplete Applications

You must submit your online application by the stated deadline. Transcripts and recommendations may arrive after the deadline. If we have not received all supporting documents (transcripts, recommendations, test scores, etc.) within four weeks of the application deadline, we may make the decision to move your application forward to the next deadline.

Notification

MSLOC will notify you by email regarding our admission decision. You should receive notification within six weeks of the stated deadline or the receipt of all application pieces.

Admission

If you are offered admission and wish to accept, you need to complete the web based “Intention to Register” form by the acceptance due date (instructions will be in your admission letter). You will be prompted to submit, via credit card, a non-refundable deposit of $500 US, which holds your place in the cohort.

Receipt of your form and deposit prompts us to initiate the University entry process and plan for your matriculation into the MSLOC program. You’ll also receive information regarding academic advising and dates to hold for MSLOC onboarding events (both in Evanston, Ill., and online).

Northwestern University Admission Policy

It is the policy of Northwestern University not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, age, disability, citizenship, or veteran status in matters of admissions, employment, housing or services, or in the educational program or activities it operates, in accordance with civil rights legislation and University commitment. Any alleged violations of this policy or questions regarding the law with respect to nondiscrimination should be addressed to:

Admission Requirements

¹ Qualified candidates are eligible to apply all credits earned while a certificate student to MSLOC degree requirements.

² For those applicants whose undergraduate GPA was significantly lower than the 3.2 GPA threshold, an academic addendum explaining the circumstances of the lower GPA may be added in addition or in place of GRE/GMAT scores to an application by emailing msloc.assisstant@northwestern.edu.

Work Experience

We require a minimum of two years full-time relevant work experience. Relevant experience includes work within an organization that exposes the candidate to the operations and strategy of the workplace. Example areas could include human resources, organizational effectiveness, project management, consulting, strategic planning, teaching/educational administration, training and development, marketing, process improvement or general management.

Academic Record and GMAT/GRE

For those applicants whose undergraduate GPA was significantly lower than the 3.2 GPA threshold, an academic addendum explaining the circumstances of the lower GPA may be added in addition or in place of GRE/GMAT scores to an application by emailing msloc.assisstant@northwestern.edu.

Academic Transcripts

We require one official transcript from every college, university or professional school attended, whether or not you graduated. If you attended academic programs located outside of the US, the admissions committee needs to see translated transcripts (see section below on transcript translation). Transcripts must be sent to the MS in Learning & Organizational Change Program in one of two ways

• Preferred: in an email, with accompanying PDF file of the transcript, originating from the issuing college or university to msloc.assistant@northwestern.edu
• In an envelope sealed by the issuing college or university to Master of Science in Learning & Organizational Change Program, Northwestern University, 1800 Sherman Avenue, Suite 3500, Evanston, Illinois 60208

Transcripts not received in this manner are not considered official and will not be accepted.

• Visa Status

  Start date eligibility depends on your Visa status. If you want to attend under an F1 student Visa, which allows you to work in the US, you may only start in fall quarter. This is because US Immigration law requires that 1) F1 Visa holders attend full-time for the first nine months of their program, and 2) at least two out of three courses taken during a given term/semester be "brick and mortar" vs. online design. MSLOC offers only online courses during the summer, which necessitates the fall start. International students with an H1B or another Visa status that permits unrestricted work in the US may start during any quarter.

  For F1 Visa holders, eligibility for paid work outside of the University starts after nine months of having been a student. Most International students choose a paid, full-time internship during their first summer. Then, after this period, F1 Visa holders are eligible to work outside of the University for 20 hours/week during the remainder of the academic year.

  You may also wish to review the the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States for additional information and resources.

• English Proficiency Requirements

  Much of your success in graduate study in the US depends on your ability to understand, read, write and speak English. If English is not your native language, evidence of proficiency in its use will be decisive in reviewing your application for admission.

  Applicants whose native language is not English must certify their proficiency in the English language in ONE of the following three ways:

  • Providing official documents for the TOEFL or IELTS. Official scores must be less than two years old. See descriptions of these terms below
  • Providing official documentation from a credential evaluation service (examples are WES and Educational Perspectives) verifying the equivalent of an undergraduate degree from an accredited four-your institution where the language of instruction is English
  • Providing official transcripts verifying a degree from an accredited institution where the language of instruction is English

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

  For the TOEFL, an applicant must score 100 or higher on the internet-based test (iBT), 250 or higher on the computer-based test (CBT) and 600 or higher on the paper-based test (PBT). TOEFL results must come directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Personal copies are not considered official.

  The institutional code assigned to The Northwestern University Master of Science in Learning & Organizational Change Program is 2591.

  The TOEFL is given at test centers throughout the world, including locations within the United States. For more information, e-mail: toefl@ets.org or access www.ets.org/toefl.

• International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) Examination

  The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) examination is designed to assess the language ability of applicants who need to study where English is the language of communication. The IELTS examination is offered as an alternative to the TOEFL exam. Applicants need not submit the results of both. The minimum overall band score for admission is 7.5. The minimum score in each of the four sections (reading, writing, listening and speaking) is Band 7.

  The IELTS exam is given at over 270 centers located throughout the world. A full list of the test centers is available on the IELTS website, www.ielts.org. Test centers run regular administrations, according to local need, and the results are available within two weeks. Personal copies are not considered official. Test takers must request that test results be sent directly to our office. There is not an institutional code assigned:

  • In an envelope sealed by IELTS to Master of Science in Learning & Organizational Change Program, 1800 Sherman Avenue, Suite 3500, Evanston, IL 60208, Northwestern University
  • In an email, with accompanying PDF file of the transcript, originating from the issuing college or university to msloc.assistant@northwestern.edu

• Transcript Translation

  If you attended academic programs located outside the US, the Admissions Committee needs to see translated transcripts. You must use a credential evaluation service that converts the scores and grade point average into US-based grades, as well as confirms the educational experience meets our requirements.

  Two organizations that offer transcript translation services are World Education Services www.wes.org and Education Perspectives edperspective.org. Other transcript translation services will be accepted as long as they are certified by NACES. Request the course-by-course or detailed report (vs. the document-by-document report). They will request that you have your academic program(s) send your transcripts to them, and they will, in turn, generate a report that is sent directly to us. You do not need to send your original transcripts to us.

  Direct the translation service to send transcripts to:

  • Master of Science in Learning & Organizational Change Program
    Northwestern University
    1800 Sherman Avenue
    Suite 3500
    Evanston, Illinois 60208
  • In an email, with accompanying PDF file, to msloc.assistant@northwestern.edu