Should I reach out to, or secure the commitment of, a program faculty member prior to submitting my application?

No, all applications to our Ph.D. program are reviewed by our full program faculty, and we place admitted students with a faculty advisor at the time of admission based on faculty member availability and interest. We do not have research groups or require a faculty member’s prior commitment for admission. Sending your admission materials to individual members of our faculty will not improve your chances of admission to the program, and we can only consider you for admission if you have submitted a complete application through Kent State University’s Admissions portal.