Info for Students
GRADUATE / Frequent Asked Questions
- How do you decide who to admit? How much do GRE scores count? I had poor grades because (fill in reason). How much will that hurt me?
- Why are applications rejected?
- What about financial aid?
- Is a master's degree required to get into the Ph.D. program?
- Can I get a list of Communication Graduate Courses?
- Can I apply for spring admission?
- Do you offer an MPS (Masters of Professional Studies) degree?
- Is there a minimum TOEFL score?
- If I studied at a school where the language of instruction was English, do I have to take the TOEFL?
- Is a master's degree really required of students from India before they can get into a masters program here?
- Can non-U.S. students get teaching assistantships?
Q. How do you decide who to admit? How much do GRE scores count? I had poor grades because (fill in reason). How much will that hurt me?
A. Grades and GRE scores are most informative about the first criterion. Most members of the faculty weigh grades more heavily than GRE scores. However, many also think that exceptional students should also be able to get good GRE scores. We often have to make judgments about the potential of students whose records are somehow a problem. Some students become motivated about study and research later than others. Others had to work their way through school. Some graduated from college many years ago. We try to be as fair as possible. But the more evidence you give us of your potential to be an excellent student, the more likely we are to admit you. We admit students with a fairly wide range of GRE scores. However, the average GRE score for admitted students is very competitive. Most students admitted to graduate studies in the Field of Communication in the years 2000-2005 had combined verbal and quantitative scores above 1200. A low GRE score doesn't make it impossible to get in, but you'll have to convince us. Letters of recommendation and your statement of purpose help us to judge your motivation. Your statement of purpose is extremely important. Do not neglect it. Be very specific about how your goals fit in with our specific program. See the next section for more about that.
Q. Why are applications rejected?
A. Our programs are very competitive. Good grades and test scores do count. But even many excellent students are rejected. The most common reason is poor fit with our program. We are not like every other Communication program. We want to make sure that the students we admit can achieve their goals within our particular program.
Before you apply, read our materials very carefully and make sure that Cornell's program is really the one you want. It's a good idea for you to contact a member of the faculty who seems to share your interests. Discuss your goals with him or her and find out how those goals fit our program. In your statement of purpose, you need to be very specific about your goals and how you would achieve them in our program. Please don't just repeat what we say in our materials. We are looking for evidence that you really understand our program and have given some sincere thought to how your goals could be achieved here.
A. The Department of Communication has a certain number of Graduate Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Research Assistantships (RA). If you are admitted to the M.S. or Ph.D. program, you will be considered for one of those assistantships. The number of available assistantships, the needs of the department, and the available pool of graduate students varies so much from year to year that it is impossible to predict your chances of getting an assistantship. There are other sources of financial aid. To find out more about those contact the Graduate School directly. They have a fellowship web page.
Q. Is a master's degree required to get into the Ph.D. program?
A. If you do not have a master's degree and know you are interested in a Ph.D., you can apply to the M.S./Ph.D. program. If you are admitted as an M.S./Ph.D. student, you are admitted to the Ph.D. program. However, you must complete a master’s on your way to the Ph.D. We only admit a few very exceptional students to the M.S./Ph.D. When we receive an M.S./Ph.D. application we first consider it for the Ph.D. If we decide the student is not ready for the Ph.D., we then consider the application for admission to the M.S. In most cases when we admit students who have applied for the M.S./Ph.D., we accept them only into the M.S. program. If one of those students wishes to continue for a Ph.D., he or she must reactivate the application (essentially, re-apply).
Q. Can I get a list of Communication Graduate Courses?
A. You can look at Cornell's complete course catalog, including communication at
http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Academic/Courses/
Q. Can I apply for spring admission?
A. No. We only admit students for the fall semester.
Q. Do you offer an M.P.S. (Master of Professional Studies) degree?
A. We are no longer offering an M.P.S. degree.
Q. Is there a minimum TOEFL score?
A. Yes. If you are required to take the TOEFL, you must have a TOEFL minimum score of 600 paper-based, 250 computer-based, or 100 on the new Internet-based test, before we will consider your application. Our experience indicates that students with scores below 600/250/100 have great difficulty completing a degree here.
Q. If I studied at a school where the language of instruction was English, do I have to take the TOEFL?
A. Maybe. Applicants whose first language is not English should have a TOEFL minimum score of 600 paper-based, 250 computer-based, or 100 on the new Internet-based test, or should have studied for two or more years in an undergraduate or graduate program in a country where both the language of instruction and an official language is English.
Q. Is a master's degree really required of students from [insert your country here] before they can get into a master's program at Cornell?
A. The issue of degree equivalencies is a complex one and is governed by Graduate School rules, not Field of Communication rules. The Graduate School website provides general guidelines for international degree equivalencies. If you are unsure of whether your preparation is appropriate, we suggest you send to the Graduate School, via e-mail or regular mail, information regarding your diploma program. If you have a transcript, that would be helpful in their evaluation.
Q. Can non-U.S. students get teaching assistantships?
A. All M.S. and Ph.D. students admitted to our program are considered for research and teaching assistantships. Many of these assistantships require very high levels of skill in written and spoken English – particularly -in public speaking and writing classes. Because of this, while we do provide some international students with assistantships, there are fewer assistantship opportunities for international students, especially those -from non-English-speaking countries. We urge all international students to aggressively seek other sources of funding. A good place to start looking is the Graduate School Fellowship page.
