Ph.D. Required Application Materials

Deadline: December 15, 2009

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, make sure your name appears on the front and is payable to Columbia University. We cannot accept wire transfers, cash or postal money orders. The school does not grant application fee waivers.

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 an online application, have your official transcripts mailed to: Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 2950 Broadway, MC 3800, New York, NY 10027 or to you directly.

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 official 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 Web site will not be considered.

If an original transcript (mark sheet, diploma, degree certificate or academic record) is not in English, the applicant must submit both the official transcript and its 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 Ph.D. applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation. To expedite this process you must ask your recommenders 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 admissions process, we will communicate with you by e-mail only. It is essential that you have a reliable email account that you check on a daily basis and that blockers and bulk mail filters are disabled from this account. Mail filters sometimes interfere with our communications. The admissions office will post copies of all e-mail communication in the "Apply Yourself" message center.

6. GRE

All applicants to the Ph.D. program must submit scores from the general GRE taken not more than five years before the application deadline. This requirement is firm and will not be waived. We accept only score reports sent directly from the Educational Testing Service Office. For information on how to register for the test, please consult the Educational Testing Service Web site. The School code to reference is 2120. The scores will take four to six weeks to reach the school.

7. TOEFL or IELTS

All students whose native language is not English -- no matter where they have studied or where they may now live -- must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores. This requirement is firm and will not be waived. TOEFL scores must not more than two years old as of the application deadline. Information on taking the TOEFL can be found at the Educational Testing Service Web site at the Educational Testing Service. Information about the IELTS can be found at the IELTS Web site.

We require the following scores for consideration:

8. Two personal essays

Essay A: Autobiographical Essay (750-word limit)

In a short autobiographical essay, tell us about yourself. Our only requirements are that the essay be informative, well-written, and reflective of your own voice. We caution you to avoid poetry, purple prose and writing about yourself in the third person.

Essay B: Academic Interests (750-word limit)

Please describe the academic and intellectual interests, progress, and achievements that have contributed to your decision to apply for post-graduate study. You should include a thoughtful description of your tentative plan of study or area of inquiry at Columbia as you now envision it, the kind of research questions you intend to pursue, and what you hope or expect to do after you've completed the degree.

9. Current resume or curriculum vitae

10. Writing samples

Applicants for the Ph.D. in Communications should not submit journalistic clips. If they choose, they may submit brief excerpts of their scholarly work (no more than 15 pages), but such submissions are optional.

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. 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.

Admission decision letters will be e-mailed on or before April 1.

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