How to Apply for CIA
Master’s Degree Programs

Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions in the United States from which credit has been earned should be mailed to the CIA Admissions Office. Transcripts should either be sent in an envelope sealed by the school’s registrar, or emailed to CIA via an official online transcript provider.

• If you have already completed your bachelor’s degree, your transcript must state your degree and degree conferral date to be considered official.
• If you are currently completing an undergraduate degree, your degree must be conferred by July 1 in order for you to be granted admission. All U.S. institutions must be accredited through one of the bodies officially recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions outside of the United States from which credit has been earned must be submitted to the CIA Admissions Office for review and evaluation. Applicants must demonstrate that they have successfully completed a degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree before they may be considered for admission to a master’s program. Please be advised CIA will not review graduate applications while a bachelor’s degree is in progress at a higher education institution outside the U.S. Applicants applying to a master’s program should complete the degree before submitting official transcripts.

For applicants with foreign (non-U.S.) transcripts: We require academic transcripts to be sent to us in English, and SpanTran is our recommended translation service. If you need to have your transcript translated into English, you can request their service here: SpanTran Translations Application.

Additionally, while Foreign Credential and Transcript Evaluation is not required for your CIA application, SpanTran offers this service as well. If you wish to have your transcript evaluated by an external provider (optional) and sent to the CIA Admissions Office, you can access their application here at a discounted rate: SpanTran Application.

Please write a personal statement that describes your purpose for pursuing this master’s degree and why you are a strong candidate for the program. Your response should be 500–1,000 words, and include the following:

• Your professional goals and how this program will help you achieve those goals in the food world
• Any relevant academic and/or professional achievements that allow us to understand you better
• Specific qualities and/or skills that you possess that will help you excel within this program
• For master’s in Food Business applicants: Please include your sense of which track you are interested in pursuing during the second year of the program—Restaurant/Foodservice, Food Product/Concept, or Strategy Management—and note how your track selection relates to your goals.

Through the online application, you will be prompted to provide the contact information for one recommender. He or she will then receive an electronic request with instructions for submitting a recommendation through the application portal. The email will be sent immediately upon saving your application.

• The recommendation should be completed by supervisors or professional colleagues who can attest to your professional abilities.
• A recommendation from a former professor is acceptable for applicants with limited professional experience.
• Your recommender can submit his or her letter before you submit your application.

Please email a copy of your résumé or CV to Graduate.Admissions@culinary.edu or upload it with the rest of your application.

That’s it! You’re on your way to enrolling at CIA. Once our admissions staff has reviewed your application and supporting materials, we’ll contact you if anything else is needed.