How to Visit
Transportation and Lodging
How to Apply
Program Costs
How to Visit
At least two weeks prior to your visit, please contact Tracy Aagaard at ta12@cornell.edu or 607-255-3092. Please include the date(s) you will be visiting, the faculty you would like to meet, and some information about your background and your research interests. Tracy will set up interviews for you with individual faculty and can provide other advice.
Transportation and Lodging
For information on places to stay, transportation, and the surrounding Ithaca area, please click here. The department has a very modest budget to help defray some of your visitation costs only after admission has been granted. Please contact Tracy Aagaard for more information.
How to Apply
The Department of Development Sociology works together with The Cornell Graduate School to process applications. Consequently, there may be some confusion about whether to send application materials to the Department or to The Graduate School. For the fastest application process, do this:
- Go to The Cornell Graduate School website and fill out their online application form. You can pay the $70 application fee by credit card or check. Note that the field of study is “development sociology” and not “developmental" or "rural sociology.”
- After filling out the online application, send required materials (such as sealed transcripts and any letters of recommendation that your recommenders opt not to submit via the on-line system [must be sent in sealed envelopes; we will not accept emailed letters]) and optional materials (such as a short writing sample, a CV) directly to the Department at: Tracy Aagaard, 136 Warren Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Required Documents:Optional Documents:
- on-line application form
- statement of purpose
- three letters of recommendation (two of which must be from academic recommenders)
- official (sealed) transcripts from all previous universities you list on your on-line application
- GRE general test
- TOEFL Exam (for Non-Native English Applicants)
- academic CV
- short writing sample (under 10 pages)
Application Fee Waiver:
In cases of extreme financial need, the Graduate School will consider a request for a fee waiver. A letter of request for a waiver and documentation of need, such as a letter from a college financial aid office, must be sent to the Graduate School. E-mail must be sent to Janine Brace (jmb20@cornell.edu) the Graduate Services Representative for our field of study.
Applicants are required to submit GRE general test scores (Use the Cornell code of 2098 and the development sociology code of 2102). Completion of a Bachelor's degree is a prerequisite to acceptance into the MS/PhD program. Completion of a master's degree in sociology or a closely related field at an institution of recognized standing is prerequisite to acceptance into the PhD program. International students who are offered admission must submit evidence of full financial support for the duration of their study program.
Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL and have the official score reported to Cornell from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Only student who have studied for two or more years at a college or university where English is the language of instruction located in a country where English is the native language are exempt from the TOEFL.
In September 2005, Educational Testing Service provided a new Internet-based Test (iBT) version of the TOEFL. This new version will test all four language skills important for effective communication: writing, listening, reading, and speaking. Each section has its own score, and the Graduate School has set the following minimum scores for admissions:
Writing: 20
Listening: 15
Reading: 20
Speaking: 22
The Graduate School will continue to accept scores for Computer Based (cBT) (213 minimum) and Paper Based (550 minimum) versions of the TOEFL that were taken within two years of the date the student submitted the application for admission. Please note that the cBT and Paper-based tests are being phased out by Educational Testing Service. ETS will send results directly to the Graduate School so long as the applicant indicates Cornell's institutional code on the exam. (Cornell's institutional code for all versions of the TOEFL is 2098 and the department code to use for Development Sociology is 96.)
The application deadline for Fall admittance is January 15. There is no Spring admittance.
Program Costs
Tuition for one year is $20,800. (For more information, see the University Bursar Services website.) For 2009-10, the estimated living expenses (cost of books, housing and meals, personal expenses, and medical insurance) for a single graduate student for twelve months are between $16,096 and $23,467. Additional annual living expense for a spouse is estimated at $10,035. Tuition, travel, and income taxes should also be budgeted.