Statement of Purpose
A statement of purpose describes your study interests, goals, and program fit
Your statement of purpose should be a typewritten, double-spaced, well-organized statement explaining why you wish to pursue graduate study through your program of interest at NYU. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and to inform the department about your goals, interests, and career plans as they relate to your intended academic pursuits. Please make sure to include your name as it appears on your application, the program you are applying to, and the date. This document can be uploaded directly to your online application portal.
For those applying as a Cyber Fellow: Applicants to the NYU Cybersecurity M.S. program who are also applying to be considered for the NYU Cyber Fellow scholarship must submit a well-organized statement of purpose that is a maximum of 250 words.
For all other applicants: Applicants to any other program or applicants to the Cybersecurity M.S. who are not interested in being considered for the Cyber Fellows scholarship must submit a well-organized statement of purpose that is a maximum of one- to two-pages.
How to write a strong Statement Of Purpose
Your statement of purpose should assure readers—primarily the faculty on the selection committee—that your background and experience will support your success in graduate study. Think of the statement of purpose as a composition with five key parts:
Part 1: Introduce yourself, your interests and motivations
Share your interests — what sparked your desire for graduate study? This should be short and to the point; you don’t need to spend a great deal of time on your autobiography. You can elaborate on your areas of academic interest later in the statement.
Part 2: Summarize your undergraduate and previous graduate career
Include details such as:
- Research you have conducted. Indicate with whom, the title of the project, what your responsibilities were, and the outcome. The graduate admissions committee is composed of faculty so write technically, or in the style of your discipline.
- Important papers or thesis projects you’ve completed, as well as related extracurricular activities.
- Awards or recognitions you’ve received for the scholarly achievements discussed.
- Related internship experience, especially if you’ve had any responsibility for testing, designing, researching or interning in an area similar to what you wish to study in graduate school.
Part 3: Discuss relevant recent activities
If you have ongoing projects or work experience, indicate the scope of that work. Whether for a company, non-profit, design team, etc, include your responsibilities, what you learned, etc. You can also indicate how this will help you focus your graduate studies. Cyber Fellows applicants: You can skip this portion for brevity!
Part 4: Elaborate on your academic interests
Use this part of your statement to indicate what you would like to study in graduate school in enough detail to show the graduate admissions committee that you understand the scope of research in a specified discipline. This can include engagement with current research themes, and/or reasons why this specific program would be a good fit for you.
Indicate your area(s) of interest. Ideally, pose a question, define a problem, or indicate a theme that you would like to address and questions that arise from contemporary research that you would like to investigate. This is a key paragraph!
Part 5: Wrap up with key takeaways!
End your statement in a positive manner, indicating your excitement and readiness for the challenges ahead.