Click here for an Application Checklist and outlined procedures (PDF document).

Please note:  Fall 2009 admission has been finalized and is now closed.  The next admission deadlines are September 1, 2009 for Spring 2010 consideration and January 1, 2010 for Fall 2010 consideration.  If you plan to apply for Spring or Fall 2010, you must wait until the 2010 application is available, after July 1, 2009.  Please do not fill out the 2009 application if you are applying for 2010, you will be required to complete the 2010 application anyway!

The Application

Applications are administered on-line through Embark by the Cornell Graduate School http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/?p=1.  In addition to the application form, we require the following documents to be uploaded to your Embark account (uploading instructions are available after you create an account in Embark):

• Statement of purpose: must be submitted on-line with your application
• Resume: must be submitted on-line with your application
• Unofficial Transcripts: must be submitted on-line with your application (a scanned or PDF copy)
• Official Transcripts: an official transcript should be mailed to the department
• Three letters of recommendation: must be submitted on-line, be sure to register your recommenders in Embark so they are able to submit their letters
• Official GRE scores: (college code – 2098, department code – 0107)
• Official TOEFL scores*: (college code – 2098, department code – 30)

*For international students whose native language is NOT English (for exemptions visit http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/index.php?p=7)

The following documents are not required; however, may be submitted by mail:

• Publications list
• Presentation abstract

Materials should be mailed to:

Department of Food Science
Cornell University
109 Stocking Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester (begins in August) - January 1st
Spring Semester (begins in January) - September 1st

Notification of admittance/declination (approximate):
Fall Semester - March 1st
Spring Semester - October 15th

Funding

All students admitted into the Field of Food Science, excluding MPS candidates, are funded by one of two mechanisms.  MPS candidates are responsible for their own funding.

Outside Fellowships/Scholarships We strongly encourage applicants who have received full funding from a sponsor (i.e.. Fulbright, CAPES, etc.) and have an interest in food science to apply to our field. A letter of verification from your sponsor with details regarding your funding will be required before an admission decision can be made. While your sponsor generally will be responsible for covering all costs of your degree program including tuition, health insurance and living expenses, the department, graduate field, or a research advisor may provide supplemental funding if necessary. These decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Internal Funding Applicants who do not have an outside funding source can only be admitted if funding can be secured for the entire MS or PhD program. Internal funding sources include Graduate Research Assistantships, Teaching Assistantships, and Fellowships. Assistantships and fellowships provide full-tuition, health insurance and an annual stipend (currently $26,667 for a 12-month period). Continuation of funding is contingent upon academic performance, constituting good standing in the graduate field, and satisfactory performance in any teaching or research assignments. (Please read University Policy 1.3 at http://www.policy.cornell.edu/vol1_3.cfm for further details.)

Admission Criteria

The following factors are considered: Grades, GRE scores, English fluency, evidence of research experience and research productivity, letters of recommendation, the statement of purpose, fit of the student and their stated goals to our programs and faculty, related professional experience such as internships, teaching or employment in research, meaningful extracurricular activity, awards or other evidence of academic achievement and diversity.

There is no single aspect which can disqualify a student; the committee looks at the entire application.  Decisions are necessarily subjective.Our goal is to admit only the most excellent candidates.  Even very good candidates may be denied admission if the rest of the pool is very strong in a given year.  We also consider the number of available faculty slots (this is determined by a poll of the faculty) and the number of potentially funded openings. The number of well-qualified students usually exceeds the number of available positions by a factor of 4 (with 15 to 20 openings, we will often have 60 to 80 well-qualified applicants from a total pool as high as 160).

Some specific issues.In examining grades we are looking for strong performance in science courses.  Guidelines for GREs are set by the graduate field (minima of 450 Verbal and 650 Quantitative) but these are not firm cutoffs that automatically disqualify an applicant.  We look at the whole person.  In assessing English fluency, we look for a consistency of GRE, TOEFL scores and a well-written statement of purpose.  The Test of Written English sub-score (T.W.E) should be 4.0 or higher.

In assessing research capability we are looking for tangible evidence of research productivity, such publications and presentations at professional meetings. Merely working in a laboratory is usually not sufficient.  Publications and presentations are especially important for Ph.D. applicants. Other considerations are whether the student has any patents or inventions, has contributed to a grant proposal, or has extension service (workshops, presentations, etc).  Letters of recommendation may also show evidence of research experience and should reflect specific knowledge of the student beyond the visible academic record.

We are also looking for a specific fit to faculty programs.  Students who have contacted faculty or been interviewed may express interest in a specific program or programs.  Many students apply to Cornell but have no specific idea of what they want to study or what the professors are working on. This knowledge is usually evident (or not) in the statement of purpose.  At the discretion of the DGS, the application folder may be forwarded to specific faculty for evaluation and to assess their interest in mentoring and/or sponsoring the student.  If a field faculty member expresses interest in a student, this will be included in the application packet and it is weighted very heavily in decisions to admit an applicant.  Faculty contact is indicated on the graduate school application form and may be evident in the statement of purpose.