Graduate Program
Application
Application materials become available in late September for admission effective the following year. Prospective students must apply on-line (http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/ grad/ admissions/ grad_app.shtml). All applicants should list an email and postal address that will be effective through the entire application period.
The Graduate Division web site (http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/ grad/ prospective/) provides a detailed picture of the university's requirements. We admit students for Fall semester only.
Applicants should return all supplementary materials directly to: Group in Buddhist Studies, 3413 Dwinelle Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2230, USA, Attn: Jan Johnson, Graduate Assistant. Please note that 2 copies of all official transcipts are required in envelopes sealed by the issuing institution.
A writing sample in English must be included with the application. The writing sample is intended to gauge an applicant's academic writing ability, and should be a paper that the student feels best represents the quality of his/her work. An ideal writing sample will be 15-20 pages on a topic related to Buddhist studies, but a paper on another topic or of a different length may be acceptable. The writing sample should be emailed to the Graduate Assistant as a .pdf file whenever possible. Paper submissions will not be returned to the applicant.
ALL APPLICATIONS FOR FALL ADMISSION MUST BE SUBMITTED ON-LINE BY DECEMBER 7TH, 2009 . While we can accept letters of recommendation, transcripts, and GRE and TOEFL scores after the deadline for applications, please keep in mind that letters, transcripts, and scores arriving after mid-January will not be part of the application review process.
Students thinking of applying to the Ph.D. program are strongly encouraged to visit the Berkeley campus and meet the Buddhist Studies faculty and students prior to submitting their application. Students should contact the Graduate Advisor in advance of their visit for help in setting up faculty appointments and arranging to visit a graduate seminar.
Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation are required. GBS accepts online letters of recommendation as well as paper letters. Letters in languages other than English should be translated into English, but the original letter, in the original language, must be included. Paper letters must be submitted with Form G. The Group recommends that letters of recommendation come from faculty members who can comment on the applicant's intellectual capacity, analytical skills, ability to write English, and general aptitude for scholarly work. Letters from nonacademic referees are rarely helpful.
Graduate Record Examination: All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Only scores from the past five years are acceptable. Applicants should plan to take the GRE General Exam well before the application deadline. To send an official score to Berkeley be sure to list the institutional code for Berkeley (R4833) and the ETS departmental code for Religious Studies (2904). For more information, contact Educational Testing Service, Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000; (609) 771-7670 or 1-800-GRE-CALL.
Applicants from Abroad: International applicants are urged to examine closely the requirements for certification and translation of records and TOEFL requirements provided in the Graduate Application and the information on legal residency and fees. International students with F-1 or J-1 visas must pay nonresident tuition every semester of graduate study in addition to instate fees (with a 75% reduction in nonresident tuition after advancement to Ph.D. candidacy).
For more information on TOEFL see http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/ admissions/ admis_require.shtml#4_3. Since it will take six to eight weeks for us to receive the TOEFL scores after a request is made to the Educational Testing Service, students should mail a photocopy of their score reports, if available, directly to the Group in Buddhist Studies. This will allow the Admission Committee to begin their review of the file immediately. (Note: An official report must still be submitted to the Group from Educational Testing Service before a student can be admitted.)