Admissions and Aid

Transcripts must be submitted from each college or university attended even if you did not complete a degree or did not enroll in courses in your current field.

This includes: (1) All credit bearing coursework even if that did not lead to a degree on a transcript from the issuing institution where the courses were originally taken, (2) all credit bearing coursework even if that was for a degree program unrelated to the discipline now being pursued, (3) all credit bearing coursework that may be in progress (transcripts that only list courses in progress for the current semester must still be uploaded for review, even if they do not yet contain grades for the current or most recent semester), (4) all coursework that was transferred to another institution must be also submitted on a transcript from the original issuing institution, including community college coursework that was transferred to a 4-year degree program (the community college transcript must also be uploaded to the online application).
 
This does not include: (1) Credits from study abroad coursework or credits taken as part of AP or other high school college level coursework, or (2) coursework that was non-credit bearing or taken at non-academic institutions such as religious, career, or non-academic technical colleges.
 
An unofficial transcript is all that is needed for review purposes.  If you are admitted, however, an official transcript must be submitted to the Office of Admissions prior to enrolling in the program. 

You must submit 2 letters of recommendation. These letters should be from professors who have had you in class and can speak to your strengths as a student and a scholar.  If you absolutely cannot obtain academic letters, then professional letters of recommendation may be submitted.

An applicant must submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) unless they have a post-secondary degree from an institution in which the language of instruction is English-only and located in a country that recognizes English as an Official Language. Please note applicants who have only studied in Puerto Rico or India must complete the TOEFL or IELTS. The TOEFL test is administered internationally by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and you need to request that the ETS report examination results directly to College Code 2113. The IELTS test is administered by Cambridge English Language Assessment.

Your applicant statement should be approximately 2 double-spaced pages and should:

1. Connect your scholarly passions to your personal motivations for pursuing this degree
2. Convey your research interests and experience, as well as explain why you are interested in working with the faculty members you listed, in order of preference
3. Discuss how your academic and professional background has prepared you to do well in the program and in the lab
4. Address any weaknesses in your application (e.g., poor grades, lack of research experience) and how you have addressed those weaknesses

Please briefly summarize the Question, Alternatives, Logic, Methods, Results, and Inferences (QALMRI) of a research article from a faculty member with whom you might want to work. (500 words max)

The general admissions requirements, including the application fee, apply to this program. For more details, please see the Admissions page.

Because the Admissions Committee takes into consideration all elements of an application, the area of your undergraduate degree is not critical. We have accepted students with backgrounds in the humanities with limited science and math prerequisites, and they have done very well in our courses. However, the coursework may be challenging without a strong foundation in basic science and math courses. In fact, the Neuroscience core courses may be especially challenging because many of instructors will expect some basic knowledge in cell biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students have some undergraduate coursework in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, statistics, and psychology.

You may submit a resume as a part of your application. 

Each student will be billed for a Graduate School student activities fee, a University student senate fee, a University consolidated services fee and a technology fee. These fees are not refundable.

While The Graduate Center does not currently offer full-tuition scholarships or additional stipends for living expenses, there are funding opportunities available to master’s students that can help cover the cost of attendance, including scholarships, federal and private loans, and federal work-study.

Learn more about financial aid for master’s students »