2011-2012 Bulletin – PDF - SEAS Bulletin - Columbia University

graduate admissions
35
Office of Graduate Student Services
524 S. W. Mudd, MC 4708
500 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
Phone: 212-854-6438
Fax: 212-854-5900
E-mail: seasgradmit@columbia.edu
www.engineering.columbia.edu
The basic requirement for admission
as a graduate student is a bachelor’s
degree received from an institution of
acceptable standing. Ordinarily, the
applicant will have majored in the field
in which graduate study is intended,
but in certain programs, preparation in
a related field of engineering or science
is acceptable. The applicant will be
admitted only if the undergraduate
record shows promise of productive and
effective graduate work.
Students who hold an appropriate
degree in engineering may apply
for admission to study for the Ph.D.
degree. However, students are
required to obtain the master’s degree
first. Applications for admission as a
doctoral candidate may be made after
completion of 15 points of work as a
candidate for the master’s degree.
Students may be admitted in one
of the following six classifications:
candidate for the M.S. degree,
candidate for the M.S. degree leading
to the Ph.D. degree, candidate for the
professional degree, candidate for the
Doctor of Engineering Science degree,
candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy
degree (see also the bulletin of the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences),
or special student (not a degree
candidate). Note: Not more than 15
points of credit completed as a special
nondegree student may be counted
toward a degree.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit an online
application and required supplemental
materials, as described below. When
filing the online application, the
candidate should obtain one official
transcript from each post-secondary
institution attended and submit
them in the original sealed envelope.
Consideration for admission will be
based not only on the completion of an
earlier course of study, but also upon
the quality of the record presented and
upon such evidence as can be obtained
concerning the candidate’s personal
fitness to pursue professional work.
Additionally, candidates must provide
three letters of recommendation and the
results of required standardized exams.
The Graduate Record Examination
(general) is required for all candidates.
GRE scores are valid for five years from
the test date. The Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International
English Language Testing System (IELTS)
is required of all candidates who received
their bachelor’s degree in a country
in which English is not the official and
spoken language. TOEFL and IELTS
scores are valid for two years from the test
date. Applicants can only apply to one
degree program per admission term.
English Proficiency
Requirement
Admitted graduate students who
are required to submit official TOEFL
or IELTS results must attain levels
of proficiency as described below.
Students will not be cleared for
graduation unless they satisfy the
following requirements:
• M.S. and Professional Degree
candidates must reach level 8 on
the English Proficiency Essay Exam
offered by Columbia’s American
Language Program (ALP).
• M.Phil., Ph.D., and Eng.Sc.D.
candidates must attain level 10 on
the English Proficiency Essay Exam
offered by Columbia’s American
Language Program (ALP).
The English Proficiency Essay Exam
must be taken at Orientation (the fee
for this administration of the exam will
be covered by SEAS). A student who
misses this administration of the Essay
Exam must take the exam at his or her
own expense at the beginning of the first
semester enrolled and submit the official
score to the Graduate Student Services
Office. (CVN students are exempt from
the English Proficiency requirement.)
A student who does not pass the
Essay Exam at the required level of
proficiency may be required to enroll in
an appropriate ALP course. For more
information on the administration of
the Essay Exam, please contact the
Graduate Student Services Office.
The Graduate Student Services Office
reserves the right to modify the English
Proficiency requirement at any given time.
Application Fees
The following nonrefundable application
fees are required:
• Eng.Sc.D., M.S. leading to Ph.D., and
Ph.D. applicants: $80
• M.S. only, professional degree, and
nondegree applicants: $95
Graduate Admission
Calendar
Applicants are admitted twice yearly, for
the fall and spring semesters.
• Fall admission application deadlines:
December 1 for Ph.D., Eng.Sc.D.,
and M.S. leading to Ph.D. programs,
and applicants to the M.S. program
in financial engineering; February
engineering 2011–2012