M.S. Required Application Materials

Deadline: December 15, 2009

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Application Checklist

1. Apply online

You will receive a PIN and password so that you can return to work on your application over several sessions. Your information is transmitted through a secure server and is kept confidential until you submit your application. Please write down your PIN, password and ApplyYourself (AY) number for your reference.

2. $100 application fee

You may use a credit card (preferred method) or a check or U.S. bank money order in U.S. dollars when submitting your nonrefundable application fee online. When using a check or U.S. bank money order, be sure that your name appears on the front and that it is payable to Columbia University. We do not accept wire transfers, cash or postal money orders. The School does not waive application fees.

3. Official transcript(s)

You must submit an official transcript from each of the undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended. After you have begun your online application, have your official transcripts mailed to: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, MC 3800, New York, NY 10027.

If you completed coursework through a study abroad program, you must provide a separate transcript from the host institution unless all study abroad course titles and grades are listed on your primary transcript. All academic transcripts must be official documents bearing the institutional seal and signature of the institution's registrar. They must be submitted in the original, sealed envelope from the institution. Unofficial transcripts printed from a school website will not be considered.

If an original transcript (mark sheet, degree certificate, diploma, or academic record) is not in English, the applicant must submit both the official transcript and its verbatim English translation. Both the official transcript and the translation should be submitted in one sealed envelope. If the institution attended does not provide an English translation with the official transcript, a certified, verbatim English translation from a translation service must be obtained and submitted in a sealed envelope, endorsed across the seal. Columbia University has no preferred translating services. However, many of our applicants use World Education Services to assist in English translation and verification. Please note WES charges an additional fee for this service.

4. Three letters of recommendation

All M.S. applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation. To expedite this process, you must ask your recommender to use the online recommendation form located in the online application. During the online application process, you will identify the names of three recommenders and their email addresses. An email is sent to each person instructing him/her how to write, upload and submit their recommendation letter. If your recommender wishes to submit his/her recommendation on paper via U.S. mail, he/she must contact the admissions office directly admissions@jrn.columbia.edu to receive instructions.

5. An active e-mail address

During the admission process, we will communicate with you by e-mail. In addition, please be sure to disabled any pop-up blockers and bulk mail filters that might interfere with our communications. Note: the admissions office will post copies of all e-mail communication in the on-line application message center.

6. Tests

Writing Test (M.S. program only): The writing test administered by the School is required of all Master of Science degree applicants. Students are tested, in English, on writing skill and general knowledge of current events and historical facts. The 90-minute exercise will examine problem solving and critical thinking skills, along with reporting and writing skills. The test format is short answer and open ended questions. We do not have a sample test online.

The writing test is either given at the school between December to the end of January or under the supervision of alumni proctors elsewhere in the United States and abroad during the same periods. Students do not have to travel to New York City to take the writing test. Information on registering for the test is e-mailed to all applicants after they have applied. For those taking the test outside of New York City, the admissions office will contact the proctor directly. Ph.D. and Master of Arts applicants do not take the writing test.

GRE: The GRE is not required for admission to the following degrees: Master of Science, Master of Arts and dual degree programs with International and Public Affairs, Law, Business and Sciences Po.

The GRE is only required for admission if you are applying to the dual degree M.S. program and Religion. The Ph.D. in Communications also requires the GRE exam. Religion and the Ph.D. in Communications are offered in conjunction with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, which requires the GRE. The GRE is administered by the Educational Testing Service and information about it may be found at www.gre.org. Only currently valid test scores will be accepted. GRE scores are valid for five years from the test date.

TOEFL or IELTS: All international applicants who are non-native speakers of English (even those who have studied in the United States) must submit scores for either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) when submitting their applications. Only currently valid test scores are accepted. TOEFL scores are valid for two years from the test date. Waivers of this requirement are rarely given and must be approved before the application deadline. Waivers requested after the application deadline will not be considered. You will find information about the TOEFL at www.toefl.org and the IELTS at www.ielts.org.

We require the following scores for consideration:

TOEFL Paper-based: Computer-based: Internet-based: IELTS Overall:

650 280 114 8.5

7. Personal essays

Essay A: Autobiographical Essay (750 word limit)

In a short autobiographical essay, tell us about yourself. You can write about your family, your education, your talents or your passions; about significant places or events in your life; about books you have read, people you have met or work you’ve done that has shaped the person you have become. Our only requirements are that the essay be informative, well written and reflective of your own voice; our only cautions are that you avoid poetry, purple prose or writing about yourself in the third person.

Essay B: Professional Essay (750 word limit)

What led you to your interest in journalism? What experience, if any, do you have in journalism? What do you hope to gain through your work at the Graduate School of Journalism? In addition, this is an opportunity to explain any strengths or weaknesses in your application. Examples: career changes, great journalism or life experiences, low GPA, lack of experience and/or interruption in work or studies.

Essay C: Toni Stabile Center: Investigative Journalism Specialization Essay (750-word limit)

Please complete Essay C only if you are interested in the iInvestigative journalism specialization.

We urge you to think very carefully about your skills, educational goals and professional ambitions before applying to the Toni Stabile Center investigative journalism specialization. The bulk of this essay should make the case for your admission to the investigative journalism specialization. Please describe how your educational or professional experience has prepared you to undertake the investigative journalism specialization within the concentration you have selected. It will be helpful to the admission committee if you discuss some ideas for your master’s project or thesis, since this will be the most significant investigative piece you will complete at the School.

8. A current résumé or curriculum vitae

Please include any honors or awards you have received as a student or working journalist. Note important stories you have developed or covered, particularly those that relate to the concentration to which you are applying. Try to keep your résumé or CV to one to two pages.

9. Writing samples (Optional, but highly encouraged for Master of Science applicants)

All M.S. applicants are encouraged to upload up to three examples of your journalistic or other written work with your online application. We will not accept hard copies of your writing clips or samples. The total number of pages submitted is not to exceed 15; any excess pages or other articles will not be considered. If you are submitting a broadcast/radio journalism sample, please cut and paste your hyperlink and upload a word document or PDF to our online application. The total running time of your broadcast should not exceed 15 minutes. Materials submitted in support of an application will not be returned.

Re-application

Applicants may reactivate their applications one time, only for the class immediately following the original application. We only keep application materials on file for one year. To reactivate your application you must submit a new online application. Please indicate you are a re-applicant in Essay A. In addition, you will need to submit a current resume, new essays and letters of recommendations. M.S. Students must retake the writing test. You do not need to resubmit your transcripts or TOEFL/IELTS scores unless they are over two years old.

E-mail Notifications

All notifications, including your final admissions decision, will be made via e-mail. We do not send out admission letters. Therefore it is imperative that the e-mail address you submit with your online application is your primary e-mail address free of filters and blockers that would impede the delivery of the admissions emails.

From your application submission date to the day you get your decision e-mail, you must check your e-mail for updates from our office. (You must check the junk mail folder for our e-mails as many e-mail programs put mass mailings, such as ours, in junk mail folders. In years past, this has been the case with Hotmail, MSN and Yahoo e-mail accounts.) We will also post updates on the AY message center.

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Contact the Admissions Office Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism 2950 Broadway (at 116th St.) Room 203 (lobby) New York, NY 10027 (212) 854-8608 admissions@jrn.columbia.edu