Academic Writing Description and Requirements

In partial completion of the application for acceptance into the Towson University Instructional Technology Ed.D. Program, each applicant must submit an academic writing sample.   This writing sample should demonstrate graduate level academic writing skills.   The writing sample can be, but is not limited to, a research paper written for a graduate class, a published article, a professional conference paper or a Master’s thesis. Each writing sample submitted will be reviewed by the doctorate admissions committee based on the following elements:

• Correct use of grammar and spelling.
• Consistent use of style conventions (American Psychological Association (APA)).
• Clear thesis statement.
• A clear, logical, and well-organized argument to support the thesis statement.
• Argument appropriately supported by academic research literature.
• If a primary research project, the research methodology (i.e., quantitative or qualitative techniques) are appropriately applied and analyzed.
• Complexity and depth of writing sample.

Towson University
College of Education
Department of Educational Technology and Literacy
8000 York Rd.
Towson, Maryland 21252