Your academic statement helps us to understand what your academic and professional interests are and to determine if you are a good fit for the program.  Please use the Academic Statement of Purpose to describe (within 1000 words):  How has your academic background, including any training, research, or other educational experiences, prepared you for graduate study.

1. the substantive scholarly questions you are interested in exploring in graduate study, 
2. your academic background, intellectual interests, and any training, research, or other experiences that have prepared you for graduate study, 
3. how our program would help you achieve your intellectual goals, 
4. any specific faculty members, if applicable, whose research interests align with your own interests, and 
5. your professional goals. 

Note that your potential advisor will ultimately be important in recruiting you to the department and providing financial support for your assistantship. We therefore recommend that you identify potential advisors you might want to work with ahead of time and include their names in your academic statement of purpose.