MS in Biological & Environmental Engineering

Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate studies (if applicable) should be scanned and uploaded into the online application as part of the submission process. For students who are subsequently admitted and accept the offer of admission, a formal paper transcript will be required prior to matriculation.

Three letters of recommendation from faculty members or employers who can assess the applicant's academic potential for a graduate program are required.

Your Personal Statement should provide the admissions committee with a sense of you as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your personal background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You should also provide insights into how you will contribute to advancing Cornell’s founding principle and institutional core value to provide a community of belonging. You may draw from your service, leadership, scholarly activities, or personal experiences that address: Expanding access to education and opportunity Cultivating collaborative learning and research environments Fostering community engagement Within your statement, you may also include any relevant context around barriers you’ve encountered to make graduate education accessible to you as well as ways in which you have demonstrated resilience and persistence in navigating these challenges. The personal statement should reflect an your unique perspective and experiences while illustrating how they have shaped your potential to contribute meaningfully to Cornell’s academic and community life. Content in the Personal Statement should complement rather than duplicate the content contained within the Academic Statement of Purpose, which should focus explicitly on your academic interests, previous research and/or relevant professional experience, and motivation for pursuing your intended area of academic focus during your graduate studies.

Please use the Academic Statement of Purpose to describe (within 1000 words) the substantive research questions you are interested in pursuing during your graduate studies and explain how our program would help you achieve your intellectual goals. Additionally, detail your academic background, intellectual interests, and any training or research experience you have received that you believe has prepared you for our program. Within your statement, please also identify specific faculty members whose research interests align with your own interests.