Graduate Information
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We welcome your application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences! All applications and supporting documents may be submitted through our convenient online application.
Applicants should apply by the deadlines listed below. Applicants who have obtained a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree are welcome to apply to any of the programs offered by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
In order to better support you, we are making the GRE more accessible. For our programs that require a GRE score, we will accept the GRE General Test at Home for our Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 applicants. Please send your official score report through ETS with our institution code 3087. You do not need to designate department or program codes and may therefore leave these fields blank. If the system requires you to enter a program code for any reason, you may use “0000” for the GRE.
GRS Statement on Holistic Admissions
The admissions committee of each of our graduate programs will be looking, as always, at the entire transcript and the cumulative GPA in their evaluation as well as additional test scores, recommendations, and personal statements, as required by specific programs. We encourage applicants to include special circumstances as well as achievements that may not be apparent due to modified grading policies in their personal statements. This policy has been adopted to ensure that applicants are not differentially evaluated by admissions committee due to the varied impact of COVID-19 on individuals and/or due to the specific grading policies of their colleges/universities.
Statement on the use of Generative AI
As an innovative research institution, Boston University encourages the exploration of new technologies and recognizes the growing importance of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT. However, the Office of Admissions believes that the most insightful and compelling personal statements and writing samples are representative of the author’s authentic voice, research, and effort—a nuance that generative AI tools have not yet achieved.
If you elect to use these tools at any point while writing your essays or producing any other material for your admissions application, they should only be used to support your original ideas rather than to compose your work in its entirety.
As potential future BU graduate students, we expect all applicants to adhere to the same standards of academic honesty as our current students, who are expected to act with integrity when producing academic work and to abide by the University’s Academic Conduct Code.
If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Admissions Office by e-mail at grsmams@bu.edu or by phone at 617-353-2696.
When creating your account, please be sure to use a permanent, non-school-related email address. You will be contacted through the email address you use to create the account, and correspondence may occur after your access to a school-related email account is disabled.
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African American Studies
Program offered:
- MA in African American Studies
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two recommendations
- Official GRE General Test score report
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Personal statement
- Writing Sample
Application Deadline:
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Anthropology
Programs offered:
- MA in Public Anthropology
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two recommendations
- Personal statement
Application Deadlines:
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Archaeology
Programs offered:
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two recommendations
- Official GRE General Test score report
- Personal statement
- Scholarly writing sample
Application Deadline:
Request More Information website
Biology
Programs offered:
Areas of Interest:
- Marine Biology
- Cell & Molecular Biology
- Ecology, Behavior & Evolution
- Neurobiology
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three recommendations
- Personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Application Deadline:
- Fall: Priority: January 12, Final: May 15*
*Priority will be given to applications received by January 12. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until May 15 if the class has not been filled.
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Biostatistics
Programs offered:
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two recommendations
- Personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Previous Coursework Document
Application Deadline:
- Fall: Priority: February 1, Final: May 1*
*Priority will be given to applications received by February 1. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning February 1 and until May 1 if the class has not been filled.
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Classical Studies
Programs offered:
- MA in Classical Studies
- MA in Classics & Archaeology
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three recommendations
- Personal statement
- Official GRE General Test score report
- Scholarly writing sample
Application Deadlines:
Students who wish to apply to the MA in Classical Studies dual with PhD in Philosophy should visit the Classical Studies website for information on how to apply.
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Computer Science
Programs offered:
- MS in Computer Science
- MS in Artificial Intelligence
- MS in Computer Science with a specialization in Cyber Security
- MS in Computer Science with a specialization in Data-Centric Computing
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two recommendations
- Personal statement
- Official GRE General Test score report
Application Deadline:
- Fall: Priority: January 19, Final: March 15*
*Applicants who wish to be included in the First-Round Review for Fall must submit their application (with all required credentials) by January 19. Priority for admission and merit scholarship will be given in the First-Round Review. It is strongly recommended that international applications (with all required credentials) be submitted by January 19.
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Earth & Environment
Programs offered:
- MS in Energy & Environment
- MS in Remote Sensing & Geospatial Sciences
- MA in Earth & Environment*
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three recommendations
- Official GRE General Test score report
Please note that GRE will not be considered for applicants to the MA in Earth & Environment
Application Deadline:
Request More Information website
Economics
Programs offered:
- MA in Economics
- MA in Global Development Economics
- MA in Economic Policy
- MA in Economics + MBA (must apply to both Questrom School of Business and Economics)
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two academic recommendations (MA)
- Personal statement
- Official GRE General Test score report
Application Deadlines:
- MA in Economics
Fall: Priority: January 5, Final: March 15*
Spring: October 15
- MA in Economic Policy
Fall: Priority: January 5, Final: March 15*
Spring: October 15
- MA in Global Development Economics
Fall: Priority: January 5, Final: March 15*
*Applicants who wish to be included in the First-Round Review for Fall must submit their application (with all required credentials) by January 5. Priority for admission and merit scholarship will be given in the First-Round Review. It is strongly recommended that international applications (with all required credentials) be submitted by January 5.
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English
Programs offered:
- MA in English & American Literature
- JD/MA in English (must apply to both the School of Law and English)
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three academic recommendations
- Personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Scholarly writing sample (page limit of 15-25 pages)
- Official GRE General Test score report (optional)
Application Deadline:
- Fall: Priority Deadline: January 17
After January 17, we will review applications on a rolling basis until March 15.
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History
Programs offered:
- MA in History
- JD/MA in History (must apply to both the School of Law and History)
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three recommendations
- Personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Foreign language(s) proficiency (please list the languages in which you are fluent)
- Writing sample
Application Deadline:
Request More Information website
History of Art & Architecture
Programs offered:
- MA in History of Art & Architecture
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two recommendations
- Personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
- Writing Sample
- Personal Background Statement (optional)
- Listing of related coursework and foreign language proficiency (For required background in coursework and for foreign language proficiency, please see the History of Art and Architecture Graduate Program Handbook)
Application Deadlines:
- Fall: January 10
- Spring: October 12
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Linguistics
Programs offered:
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two academic recommendations
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Writing Sample
- Personal statement
Application Deadline:
Request More Information website
Mathematics & Statistics
Programs offered:
- MA in Mathematics
- MA in Statistics
- MS in Statistical Practice
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two academic recommendations
- Personal statement
Application Deadlines:
- MA programs in Mathematics and Statistics
Fall: March 15
- MS in Statistical Practice
Fall: Priority Deadline: January 19, Final Deadline: March 15
*For inquiries about applying to the MA programs in Mathematics and Statistics, please contact the department directly.
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Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Programs offered:
- MA in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three academic recommendations
- Personal statement with detailed research interests included
Application Deadline:
- Fall: Priority: January 12, Final: May 15*
*Priority will be given to applications received by January 12. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until May 15 if the class has not been filled.
The Division of Graduate Medical Sciences also offers MA programs in Biochemistry. Please visit the GMS website for more information.
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Preservation Studies
Programs offered:
- MA in Preservation Studies
- JD/MA in Preservation Studies (must apply to both the School of Law and Preservations Studies)
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three recommendations (at least two from faculty members)
- Scholarly writing sample
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Personal statement
Application Deadlines:
- Fall: February 15
- Spring: November 15
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Psychological and Brain Sciences
Programs offered:
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Two academic recommendations
- Official GRE score report
- Official GRE Subject Test (recommended but not required)
- Personal statement
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Application Deadlines:
Request More Information website
Romance Studies
Programs offered:
- MA in French Language & Literature
- MA in Hispanic Language & Literature
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three academic recommendations
- Personal statement
- Summary of related coursework
- Writing sample
Application Deadline:
Request More Information website
Sociology
Programs offered:
Application Requirements:
- Transcripts
- Three academic recommendations
- Personal statement
- Academic writing sample
Application Deadline:
Request More Information website
If you are a current undergraduate at Boston University looking to apply for a BA/MA or BA/MS program, please apply online.