The personal statement should provide a clear representation of who you are as a person and your potential for success as a student in a doctoral program. In your personal statement, please address relevant experiences that have brought you to applying for the doctoral program, the kind of work you would like to do as a doctoral student, and why this program is a good fit with your academic interests and professional goals.
We do not expect applicants to have a defined research interest or to enter the program with a fixed dissertation or capstone focus. Interests evolve as students move through the program and are exposed to new fields, theories, and methodologies. However, keep in mind that applying to a doctoral program means that you are applying to do sustained individual research to culminate in a published dissertation or capstone project. Faculty reading your application are attempting to assess your interest in and likelihood of success undertaking sustained, independent research.