Retailing
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements conform to the general regulations of The Graduate School and regional and national accreditation standards. Applicants must submit to The Graduate School an application form, and a nonrefundable application fee, one official transcript from each post-secondary institution attended (mailed to The Graduate School) showing their complete academic record, two letters of recommendation, records of immunization, and reports of examination scores on the GRE or GMAT.
Applicants for admission to the Master of Retailing program will be evaluated using a combination of academic and professional factors. They normally are expected to have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 for all undergraduate coursework and either a combined GRE score of 300 on the verbal and quantitative components or a total of 500 on the GMAT. Applicants may request GRE/GMAT requirement to be waived under certain conditions (see GRE/GMAT Waiver Information).
Admission decisions may also take into consideration other criteria, such as professional experience, in the retailing industry, involvement in professional and/or student organizations, and strength of recommendations from professional and academic sources.
International applicants are required to submit with their application a certified transcript indicating the nature and scope of their academic training. An applicant whose native language is not English is required to submit a minimum TOEFL score of 570 (Paper-based Test, PBT), 230 (Computer-based Test, CBT), or 88 (Internet-based Test, iBT) on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS. Prior to enrollment in the Master of Retailing program, international students whose native language is not English are required to take an English diagnostic test administered by the English Program for Internationals. Students with deficiencies are provided opportunities for further study in reading, writing, and speaking English.
GRE/GMAT Waiver Information
Policy to Request GRE/GMAT Requirement Be Waived
We understand every student is unique and students with different background can bring various experiences and perspectives to our classrooms.
Although our admissions criteria include GRE or GMAT score, the Department of Retailing at the University of South Carolina also values other important factors than the standardized test scores in determining a student’s potential to succeed in our Master’s program.
A student may petition for a GRE/GMAT requirement waiver when he or she meets at least ONE of the following criteria:
- Four or more years of professional (managerial) experience in a retailing or service-oriented organization.
- A completed baccalaureate degree from The University of South Carolina, or from an *accredited institution, with a cumulative GPA of 3.40/4.00.
- A completed Master’s degree, with a 3.0 (or better) GPA from the University of South Carolina, or from an accredited institution1.
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To check if your school is accredited, visit http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx
You may submit a GRE/GMAT Waiver Request Form demonstrating that you have satisfied the above criteria prior to submitting your application. It is recommended that applicants requesting to have the test requirement waived submit their Request Form, along with supporting documentation as soon as possible. This will allow the applicant time to take the exam in the event that the request is denied.