Application Center

Apply today to begin your graduate studies!

For questions, please contact:

Prof. Alan Takeall
MA Urban Affairs Advisor
Email: Alan.Takeall@qc.cuny.edu

Prof. James Vacca
MA Recruitment Advisor
Email: James.Vacca@qc.cuny.edu

Amanda Sweeney
MA Program Assistant
Email: Amanda.Sweeney@qc.cuny.edu 

How to Apply:

For general information on admission to graduate programs at Queens College, click here

The Urban Studies Department does not require the GRE or an interview, though we would be happy to meet with you or respond to any requests for further information via telephone or email.

When to Apply:

Our department accepts applications up until August 15th for the Fall Semester and January 15th for the Spring semester. However, we strongly encourage applicants to apply earlier.

You can apply to begin your studies for the Fall semester or Spring semester.

Application Materials:

In addition to the QC MA standard online application, you will also need to demonstrate or submit the following:

1. Undergraduate GPA Requirement of 3.0 or greater.

  • If your undergraduate GPA is 3.0 or greater, you can apply for matriculation, which admits you as a graduate degree student to earn a MA degree.
  • If your GPA is just under a 3.0, we may admit you on probation. In this case, you will need to maintain an average of 3.0 by the end of your second semester.
  • If your GPA is well under a 3.0 you can apply for non-matriculated status, which allows you to take up to 12 credits of graduate courses at which point you may apply for matriculation as long as your GPA through 12 credits is at least a 3.0.

2. Transcripts

  • U.S. Institutions: All transcripts should be mailed directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Transcript must be received from every previously attended post-secondary college/university. All transcripts must be official, and dated within the past six months.
  • International Institutions (Foreign Transcripts/Educational Credentials): All transcripts should be mailed directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions, using the Transcripts/Marksheet Request Form for Institutions Abroad on the Applying to a Graduate Program page.

3. Essay

Applicants must write and submit a 500-word essay explaining their objectives in applying for graduate study and including a brief personal statement.

4. Letters of Reference

The recommenders who will be submitting reference letters on your behalf may send their letters to our Graduate Admissions Office electronically through the online application or they may submit hard copies of their reference letter via post mail. For the recommenders who wish to submit a paper copy of their reference letter via mail, please download and print a copy of our reference form here.

5. Application Fee*

All applicants must pay a non-refundable $75 application fee. You have the option of paying by credit card, check or U.S. Post Office Money Order. Please make your check or money order payable to Queens College. If you choose to pay by credit card, please follow the instructions as indicated in the application.

*The $75 application fee is waived for students currently enrolled at Queens College in any undergraduate or graduate program or for all U.S. veterans and active duty military. It is also waived for Queens College graduates who are applying for the fall 2020 semester and have graduated from an undergraduate program between January 2020 and September 2020.

6. No Interview Required

We do not require an interview for admission, but once accepted you must make an appointment to meet with a department professor and bring a resume if you would like programmatic advisement.

Frequently Asked Questions:

If I am admitted as a non-matriculated student, how do I become a matriculated student?

As a non-matriculated student, you should plan on taking 12 credits of graduate courses and maintaining at least a 3.0 GPA.  Once you have completed 12 credits, you should apply for matriculation. During this new application*, you must use a different email address than what you used in your prior application. If you provided letters of recommendation and official transcripts in your original application, these materials will be moved over into your new application.  But if you did not provide these materials in your original non-matriculation application, then you will be required to provide three letters of recommendation** and official transcripts. Once you become a matriculated student, you can continue our program and complete the MA degree.  Also, the credits that you completed as a non-matriculated student will count toward your degree once you become a matriculated student.

  • * Application Fee: when non-matriculated students apply for matriculation, you will not have to pay for the application fee if you did not take a break in attendance once you began as a non-matriculated student and have applied for matriculation. If there was a break in attendance (like you missed a semester), then you do need to pay the application fee.
  • ** Letters of reference: letters may be from current Urban Studies faculty as long as they are not Admissions reviewers.

Can I do this program as a full-time or part-time student?

Yes, you can do this program either as a full-time or part-time student.  You can take up to 15 credits in a semester and as few as three credits in a semester.

I work full-time during the day, can I do this program while working?

Many of our students work full-time and we offer many of our courses during the evenings after work hours with an occasional class on the weekend or online.

I took some classes in a different graduate program, how do I transfer credit?

Students may be able to transfer in up to 12 Masters-level course credits from other programs within or outside the CUNY system as long as these transferred courses have an equivalent Urban Affairs course.  Eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis and is at the discretion of the Graduate Advisor.  While these forms may be completed once a student has begun their degree, it is best to have this completed within the first semester of a student’s study.  To have previously-completed courses considered, students should submit an unofficial transcript to the Graduate Advisor, and whenever possible, a syllabus of the course as well.  Only the following grades will be accepted for transfer credit: A+, A, A–, B+, and B.

Do you offer scholarship opportunities?

Here’s some general information about scholarships through the Queens College Office of Honors & Scholarships. Occasionally, the Graduate Studies office offers scholarship application opportunities through the Queens College Foundation. In these circumstances, we will post the information on our website or contact eligible candidates for scholarships. Typically these scholarships are not regular opportunities so if it’s not advertised on our website, then we don’t have any ongoing scholarship opportunities.