How to Apply for a Masters or PhD Course

1. How to Apply for a Masters or PhDCourse Dr. Najem A. Al-Rubaiey Department of Petroleum Technology University of Technology PO Box 35109 52 Street Email: nakalrub@yahoo.com

2. How to apply for a PhD If you're considering further study after your coursework degree, it's important that you've chosen the right degree to enable you to continue. If you'd like to pursue a Research Higher Degree (a Masters by Research or a PhD), your current degree needs to have a research component of at least 25% of your fourth year or Masters level. If you think you can only do another degree if you secure funding, you'll need to work doubly hard to obtain a high enough mark to be awarded a scholarship.

3. How to apply for postgraduate degee: Once you have a topic in mind, you should begin to seek a supervisor. Checking out the staff profiles on the department website is a good way to start before talking with a number of potential supervisors who seem to have similar research interests. In these relatively informal chats, you can get a sense of the personality of various staff and try to select someone with whom you think you can work for a number of years. Having selected a supervisor (who has agreed to supervise you in the event that you are accepted to undertake the degree), all you need to do is apply! We would like to encourage you to make your application to the university on-line, that way you will receive email confirmation and status updates tracking the progress of your application to a decision. Please make sure you carefully read the notes for guidance which will assist you with completion of your application.  On receipt of your application, the University’s Registry Services Office will send an acknowledgement of receipt (email) to you and provide you with an individual admissions reference number.

4. Steps for applying for a degree: 1- Choose your major 2- Get hold of a list of universities with those programs. 3- Take the GRE and, TOEFL Tests 4- Assess your chances of getting into a particular school of your interest. You'll need to take into account the following factors: - funding (Guarantee) - your college GPA - your research experience (CV) - your citizenship status (visa) - geographical location preferences (Traveling) - whether you want to go into a research institute or a full university - GRE and TOEFL scores 5- Choose the people you want to write the recommendation letters for you. 6- Write a statement of purpose (SoP) for your interest in each program. 7- Arrange for transcripts from each post-school institution attended. 8- Have the GRE and TOEFL scores reported to the appropriate department of the university. 9- Use a Calendar program to keep track of what documents are needed, which ones of them have been sent and which ones are pending

5. Important Notes: 1- Some schools and programs are not so popular on rankings but have great grad programs. 2- Do not hesitate to send any manuscripts under preparation to the admissions committee, if you are lacking enough publications already. 3- Get an international credit card. 4- Often people ask the order of importance of GPA, GRE, TOEFL scores, research experience, and reference letters in the application. 5- Take time to prepare for the GRE and try to take several practice tests. Gaining some sort of research or work experience in the field you plan to apply to will greatly improve your chances of admission. 6- Have a clear idea of which faculty you would like to work with in the programs you are applying to, and indicate this on your personal statement. If possible, contact these faculty before you apply. 7- It will help a lot if you already have an idea of what your dissertation or graduate research will be about when you apply. 8- Most schools interview potential candidates. 9- Strong applicants usually hear from grad committees in January itself. Most decisions are made known to the students by early March. Rarely, notifications are made in April. 10- The last date for the candidate to make his/her decision is usually mid-April.

6. Things you‘ll need: 1- GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test Score 2- TOEFL Score 3- At least three (3) Recommendation Letters from scientists and/or teachers who can assess your ability to perform research. 4- Your college GPA (Grade Point Average) 5- Your SoP (Statement of Purpose) 6- A research proposal if you are applying for an PhD (Research) program 7- Your CV 8- A credit card (Vizaor Mastercard) 9- A passport (and latter your visa status) 10- P.O. Box address and email address (gmail and yahoo)

7. English Language Requirements Overseas students applying for an MSc, MPhil/PhD degree should achieve an IELTS score of 6.0, a TOEFL score of 553, a Computer Based TOEFL score of 217 or an Internet TOEFL score of 81. If you are made an offer of a place, then please note that an original documentation is required of any language score report in order to satisfy a language condition. If you are unable to meet the language entry requirement then pre-sessional English courses of five, ten or fifteen-week duration may be available in the University’s Centre for Language Study.

8. What is a GRE: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) consists of two separate tests: the General Test and the Subject Test (Optional). The General Test is composed of three parts: verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing The verbal and the quantitative tests each yield a separate score between 200-800. Scores on the analytical writing test are reported in ½-point increments along a scale of 0 to 6. It is essential that you do well--at least 550 on each test (600+ is even better)--to get into most doctoral programs. Master's programs are less competitive, so lower scores (450-500 on each of the tests) are less of a problem. You will probably have trouble being admitted into any program with scores less than 450 on one of the tests.

9. Contents of your CV 1- full Name 2- phone number , email and mailing address 3- Education 4- Honors and Awards 5- Research experience 6- Teaching experience 7- Publications 8- Patents 9- Presentations and invited lectures 10- Professional training 11- Professional Affiliation 12- Professional services 13- Community service 14- Languages 15- Computer skills 16- Other 17- References

10. How to write a statement of purpose (SoP): If you've decided to apply for graduate studies, almost all universities will require you to write a Statement of Purpose (SoP). This letter, usually 1-2 pages in length, can make or break your application. Regardless of your grade point average (GPA), work experience, test scores, or undergraduate mastery of your potential future area of study, your Statement of Purpose is very influential at most institutions when determining your candidacy for admission. 

11. How to Write a Formal Email A formal e-mail should be written as if it is a business letter. You should be sure whom it should be addressed to and how you plan to communicate your clear intentions throughout the e-mail correspondence. The following are the list of steps for writing a formal e-mail. 1- Begin with the full name, title, business and email address of the person to whom you are writing. 2- Write the actual message in a clear and concise manner. Don't forget to check for spelling and grammatical errors once you completed the message. 3- Check the message to make sure you included and justified all the reasons you are writing the e-mail. 4- Fill out the To and From fields in the Email. 5- Pick a subject that will draw the attention of the reader. Do not pick a random subject that has nothing to do with the reasons that you are e-mailing the person. This also makes it easier for the person to search for your e-mail if you call them in reference to your e-mail.

12. Sample of applying Letter Dear Professor Jim Field, My name is Mohamed S. Ali and I am from Baghdad, Iraq. I would like to pursue my PhD degree in Petroleum Engineering. I am currently holding an MSc degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Technology, Baghdad. I have been following your work in the field of using Catalyst in Petroleum industry and I would like to follow my research in this field. I would like to state here that I have got a scholarship from the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. This scholarship covers all my study expenses. I am writing this letter as an application to apply for a PhD in Petroleum Engineering at your university. If you accept to be my supervisor I would appreciate it if you could send me a letter of acceptance to carry out my PhD course at your department starting from 1st of September. Finally, I enclosed my CV and I am ready to send you any necessary information you require. Thank you for your time and consideration and looking forward to hearing from you. Regards. Mohamed S. Ali

13. Sample of Recommendation letter Re: Mr. Mohammed S. Ali I have known Mr. Ali since 2003 when he graduated from the University of Technology/ Department of Chemical Engineering. He later joined the department as a colleague with an MSc degree. Mr. Ali is an active participant in the department where he has showed a skilful ability as well as good lecturing performance especially in the practical side in the field of physical chemistry. As for the potential of his ability of serving in the field of petroleum industry, I am very optimistic toward his future and I believe he will be very successful in doing something for the department and for the University of Technology. I believe that the applicant has got the undergraduate and postgraduate training in chemical engineering and therefore he has obtained relevant experience for this work and acquired the expertise and capability to continue his work in this field. I feel confident that he will continue to succeed in his work. Mr. Ali is a dedicated person and has proven to be a take-charge person who is able to successfully develop plans and implement them. He has shown excellent performance in this university and I can attest to his perseverance and positive attitude. It is for these reasons that I offer high recommendation for Mr. Ali without reservation. His drive and abilities will truly be an asset to the University of Technology. Finally, if you have any questions regarding this recommendation, please do not hesitate to contact me. Asst. Prof. Dr. Najm A. Al-Rubaiey Fulbrighter Department of Petroleum Technology University of Technology 52Street, P.O. Box 35109 Baghdad, Republic of Iraq Mobile: +964 7700485959 Email: nakalrub@yahoo.com or dr.najm@uotechnology.edu.iq

14. Sample of PoS Personal of Statement I open this statement with explaining the reasons behind my application to the Fulbright program. My reason for applying is twofold: first to expand my qualification in IT field and second to prepare myself for a better future carrier in Iraq. My diverse work and experiences have constantly given me a clear understanding of the opportunities which are available to me. I have always been as a child fascinated with the idea of becoming a successful lecturer at the University of technology. I came from a middle class family which usually parents have less opportunities for their children to become professors or doctors. This case has always invoked me to work hard to achieve my goals. This was sometimes quit difficult if you know that I have to work hard with my father in supporting our big family. I think by becoming an engineer I have reached the stage where I achieved my family emption and also part of my objectives. On the other side, my work at the University of Technology as a computer engineer led me to realize the importance of this field in the facilitating of our life in Iraq. I have been charged with the cross-function E-University Unit where we design the University's official website, thus made the connection of the University with outside world possible despite all the obstacles we faced. In addition, I have the honor in serving with Iraqi-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I have professionally learned document translation and worked directly with numerous coordinators and pressmen on a wide variety of projects. I suppose that the Fulbright program will make me one of those who will contribute to fill the professional gap in information technology of my country. I possess a board-based education in computer engineering but in order to attain what I am aiming for. An international exposure coupled with the immense opportunity in the US will help me fulfill this target. Based on the criteria and conditions of this program and according to my area of expertise I found myself eligible to apply.

15. Some useful web sites: ETS: for TOEFL and GRE tests http://www.ets.org/  World lists of Universities: http://www.univ.cc/world.php  American Universities http://www.clas.ufl.edu/au/  British Universities: http://www.studyoverseas.com/study-in-the-uk/college-search/university-and-college-list/388-british-universities.html  Australian Universities: http://www.australian-universities.com/  Canadian Universities: http://www.aucc.ca/canadian-universities/our-universities  Indian Universities: http://www.indianchild.com/universities.htm  Malaysian Universities: http://www.4icu.org/my/

16. Thank You