Individuals may register for up to 12 credits without applying for admission to a master's degree program.
(This is not applicable to international students.)
Register for graduate courses here.

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Application and Admission to Master’s Degree Program

The IIRP is dedicated to the graduate education of adult learners who are baccalaureate college graduates and who are currently employed as educators or youth counselors (or equivalent, such as tutors, school administrators, school counselors, therapists, psychologists, social workers, youth or child care workers, medical technicians in adolescent psychiatric units, probation officers, school resource police officers, etc.). However, if an applicant is not currently employed in such a role, there may be opportunities available for internship or practicum roles in the IIRP’s demonstration schools and group homes, under the auspices of the Community Service Foundation and Buxmont Academy (www.csfbuxmont.org).

Our commitment is to the growth of each adult learner. Therefore, our admissions criteria for either of our degrees are based on our professional evaluation of the potential for successful graduate study of each student.

Our Committee on Admission shall consider those potential students who:

• have graduated from an accredited college or university with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better, and
• have official academic transcripts sent directly to the IIRP from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended (by US mail to PO Box 229, Bethlehem, PA 18016 or by courier service-FedEx, UPS, etc-to 531 Main St., 1st Floor, Bethlehem, PA 18018 USA), and
• are employed as described above, and
• submit recent GRE (code 2589) or Miller Analogy (code 4030) or PPST scores (code 2323), and
• submit three letters of reference, along with the Graduate School Recommendation form (PDF). These letters should be from persons who know both the character of the applicant and the ability of the applicant to be successful in demanding graduate study in our professional discipline. Letters of reference must be submitted with the Graduate School Recommendation form.
• submit a 1-2 page letter or essay describing their reasons for seeking our specialized graduate education.

Our usual expectation is that candidates for our master’s degree program in Restorative Practices and Youth Counseling will possess an undergraduate degree in one of the social sciences. Likewise, our usual expectation of candidates for our master’s degree program in Restorative Practices and Education is that they will possess an undergraduate degree in education or equivalent credentials qualifying them as educators.

Those strong candidates who lack some part of these requirements may request an admissions transcript review interview with our faculty or staff. That interview’s outcome will be sent to the Admissions Committee. This may result in the prospective student being admitted unconditionally, in being admitted with specific conditions, or in not obtaining admission. The committee shall be the agency to hear any requests for special consideration for admission. Taking and successfully completing IIRP graduate courses before applying for formal admission would substantially strengthen an application by a candidate who lacks some part of these requirements.

Due to the specialized nature of the Institute’s programs, transfer credits will not be accepted. Admitted students must enroll within the academic year for which they have been admitted.

Application Requirements for International Applicants:

Our Committee on Admissions shall consider those potential international students who:

• have been awarded a degree equivalent to the four-year baccalaureate degree awarded by U.S. colleges and universities with an equivalent cumulative Grade Point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better, and
• whose transcripts and academic credentials of all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended have been evaluated on a course by course basis by World Education Services, Inc. (WES) http://www.wes.org and sent directly to the IIRP P.O. Box 229, Bethlehem, PA 18016 U.S.A. or by courier service-Fed Ex, UPS, etc.- to 531 Main Street, First Floor, Bethlehem, PA 18018 U.S.A. from WES, and
• are employed as described above, and
• submit recent GRE® (code 2589) http://www.ets.org or Miller Analogy http://www.milleranalogies.com (code 4030) and
• submit three letters of reference, along with the Graduate School Recommendation form (PDF). These letters should be from persons who know both the character of the applicant and the ability of the applicant to be successful in demanding graduate study in our professional discipline, and
• submit a 1-2 page letter or essay describing their reasons for seeking our specialized graduate education, and
• submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language TOEFL® (http://www.ets.org) code 2589 or scores from the International English Language Testing System IELTS (http://www.ielts.org). IELTS is jointly owned by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations.

International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL® and IELTS™ requirement if they have received a baccalaureate or a master's degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Wales.

The scores must not be more than two years old and must be sent directly from the testing agency to IIRP. The TOEFL® and IELTS™ cannot be utilized as a substitute for the GRE® or Miller Analogy standardized examinations.

The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL® is 550 for the paper-based test or a composite score of 80 (see below) with a 20 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT).

The minimum IELTS score is 6.5 (general training not accepted).

Once admitted, there are additional requirements necessary for students to receive a visa.

Apply for admission to a master’s degree program here.