Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts 02454

Overview
Brandeis University is a private, coeducational, and nonsectarian institution of high education and research. Founded in 1948, Brandeis brings to American higher education a unique cultural perspective reflecting Jewish traditions of scholarship and community service and the commitment to social justice personified by Louis Dembitz Brandeis, the distinguished Supreme Court Justice for whom the University is named. While Brandeis maintains a special relationship with the Jewish community, it is not affiliated with any religious organizations; it offers no theological instruction and it welcomes students and faculty members of all backgrounds and beliefs.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student profile is a diverse one, with students from all parts of the United States and various countries around the world. More than 1,000 students are enrolled in the Graduate School, of whom 28 percent are international, 47 percent are women, and 90 percent are full-time students. The average age of the GSAS student is 30 years.

After completing their programs, graduates regularly go on to positions in academics and in industry. Recent graduates have obtained tenure-track positions at Yale, Rutgers, Colgate, Boston College, University of California (Berkeley), and Virginia Commonwealth University. Postdoctoral positions have been held at Harvard Medical School, Yale Medical School, University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, the Joslin Clinic, and Beth Israel Hospital. Placements in the private sector include those at IBM, Chase Manhattan Bank, and Dupont-Merck.

The Location and Community
The Greater Boston area is rich in culture, education, and opportunities. Brandeis University, located just 10 miles west of Boston, consists of more than 90 buildings on 235 acres of rolling land and is in proximity to museums, theaters, and other attractions of the city, as well as to ocean beaches, canoeing on the Charles River, historic towns, and countryside for hiking or cross-county skiing. Brandeis is easily accessible by major routes and by public transportation.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
Doctoral study is the foundation of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Required teaching and research components are an integral part of the educational development of all doctoral students. Ph.D. degrees are offered in American and comparative history, anthropology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, English and American literature, mathematics, molecular and cell biology, musicology and music composition, Near East and Judaic studies, neuroscience, physics, politics, psychology, sociology, and structural biology and biophysics. Terminal master's degrees are offered in most of the Ph.D. programs; master's and postbaccalaurete programs are offered in coexistence and conflict, genetic counseling, Jewish communal service, Jewish studies, premedical studies, studio art, teaching of Hebrew, and theater arts (acting and design). Joint master's degrees are offered in women's studies with anthropology, English, Near Eastern and Judaic studies, or sociology. A Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) (elementary) is offered.

Facilities & Resources
Research facilities include the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life; Women's Studies Research Center; the Volen National Center for Complex Systems; the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory; the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project; the Gordon Public Policy Center; the Andrei Sakharov Archives and Human Rights Center; the Lown School of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies; the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center; the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry; and the Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism.

The University's four libraries house nearly 1 million volumes, 838,000 microtexts, 345,000 government documents, 31,000 audio recordings, and 6,500 journals. Students have access to VAX systems and Macintosh and DOS computers at three microcomputer clusters. The Spingold Theater Center and the Slosberg Music Center provide state-of-the-art performance spaces as well as other areas for every facet of the performing arts. The Rose Art Museum is the focal point for the University's collection of contemporary art, which is without parallel in the greater Boston area.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition is $33,160. Annual tuition for the postbaccalaureate studio art program is $19,000. Annual tuition for the Master of Arts in Teaching (elementary) program is $22,250. Tuition for postbaccalaureate premedical studies and part-time residence is $3970 per course, per term.

Financial Aid:
All doctoral candidates are offered a 100 percent tuition scholarship and fellowship, renewable for at least four years. Advanced doctoral candiates may apply for a number of other awards, including the Dissertation Year Fellowship, a University Prize Instructorship, and the Sachar Awards for research and study abroad. A limited number of need-based and merit-based awards for up to 50 percent of tuition are available to master's candidates.

Housing/Living Expenses:
Most students live either in Waltham or Cambridge/Somerville. Both areas have large student populations; many local services are easily accessible to students without a car at Brandeis. On-campus housing is extremely limited, and preference is usually given to first-year international students from outside North America.

The coordinators of Graduate Student Services actively assist graduate students with their housing search. A large-scale house hunting weekend is held every July. In addition, Graduate Student Services monitors an e-mail list of available rental units and those seeking apartments and maintains a Web page that includes links to local housing Web sites and classified advertisements. The cost of living is comparable to that of most large metropolitan areas.

How to Apply / Application
The Graduate School generally accepts students for the fall semester, and electronic application is encouraged. The deadline for applications to the Ph.D. programs is January 15; deadlines to the master's and postbaccalaureate programs vary by department. The application fee is $55. Admission to the graduate programs is based on each applicant's prior scholastic achievement, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and for most programs, results of the GRE. Applications for the programs in theater or studio arts are evaluated on the basis of the applicant's portfolio. Nonnative speakers of English must submit official results of the TOEFL, with a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test or a minimum score of 250 on the computer-based test.

International Students
The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) is a unit of Academic Affairs at Brandeis University. The office is designed to assist international students and scholars in any way with their arrival and adjustment to Brandeis.

The ISSO determines visa eligibility and prepares and issues all immigration documents needed for non-immigrant students, scholars and their dependents to obtain visas to come to Brandeis University to study, teach and/or conduct research. The office assists international students, scholars and their dependents with immigration benefits and procedures (i.e. extensions of stay, transfer of visa status to and from Brandeis, changes of status, work permission, etc.) as well as advise them about their rights and responsibilities as non-immigrants living, studying and working in the United States. The ISSO also advises and counsels international students and scholars on financial, academic and personal issues which may impact their legal status in this country and at this university.

The ISSO offers programs which aim to enhance the American educational experience for our international students and scholars. The office also offers programs aimed at helping the campus community benefit from the presence of people from diverse cultures.

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