留学如何转换专业

　　Admittance to graduate school is all about match:

　　How well do you match the program? In other words, do your interests, preparation, and career goals match the graduate program's orientation? Do you have the experiences and competencies to succeed? How do you show your fit?

　　研究生项目的专业选择并不局限于你的大学本科专业，但是你必须努力证明在你选择的新专业方向你会是一个很好的候选人。也就是说你要证明“你和这个项目有多匹配？” 换句话说，你的兴趣、准备和职业目标是否符合研究生课程的方向？你具备成功的相关经验和能力吗？你如何表现你的匹配度？

　　首先，在本科大肆申请美国高校的时候就可以试图转换专业。其次，也可以在进入美国研究生院之后再申请。而后者由于你有更多机会接触到目标专业的课程和教授，相对申请会更容易。

　　At the graduate level, each department does its own admissions. So if you want to switch to another master program, you have to submit an application to the program just like anyone else. You'll be competing for a seat against every other applicant from around the world, most of whom will have completed a full undergrad major in that field. You might be able to improve your odds by getting to know faculty in the math program before you apply, perhaps discussing （or working on） research projects with someone there.

　　不过要申请博士项目的专业转换要难得多，首先你要明确你对专业的强烈学术研究兴趣。毕竟博士项目都需要花费四年以上的时间，如果你不确定你的专业兴趣就不要轻易决定攻读博士。一般博士阶段的专业转换都是在第一年或者第二年完成，而且相关的奖学金将无法转接到新项目。

　　Wanting to pursue a PhD in the abstract is a poor idea. In order to get any satisfaction out of a PhD program, you need to be pursuing a PhD in X because your love for X is so strong that you want to have a career doing X. If you think it might be X, Y or Z, I worry that you don't have a deep enough commitment to any of the three to make it worth the time, effort and career uncertainty of today's very harsh job market.

　　如果你非常明确你的博士学位目标，要么找一所能被你学术能力和学习成绩留下深刻印象的学校，允许你在一个研究小组里呆上1至2年。或者你可以去一个更有竞争力的学校学习，在你选择的研究领域先攻读硕士学位。

　　本科文科背景的学生

　　许多学生获得文科领域的学士学位，如英语、历史或心理学。而所有专业的本科学生都必须参加文科领域的一些课程来满足教学大纲要求。

　　文科专业的学生通常被要求参加多个领域的课程，因此学生具备了广泛的知识基础。那么文科学生在申请跨专业硕士项目的时候，可以强调这些技能作为研究生学习的准备。

　　提前了解目标专业要求

　　但是很多硕士项目要求本科阶段完成必修的专业课程，例如生物医学、金融学等。因此，有志于转换专业的本科学生应该提前了解目标硕士项目的本科专业课程要求，力图在本科阶段完成并有相关学分。

　　GRE 专业考试并不必要

　　很多申请数学博士的同学倾向于考GRE subject考试，但其实GRE专项考试并不是那么重要。根据具体学校和项目要求而定是否需要花费时间去准备。

　　USE YOUR ADMISSIONS ESSAY TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR FIT

　　更重要地是通过你的申请材料尤其是个人自述来说明你为何与目标专业项目匹配？

　　You must draw links between the two fields and illustrate how the competencies that you developed

　　Discuss your interest in the field and how your experiences have prepared you to succeed in the field. Draw attention to courses you've taken or experiences that illustrate your interest or competence in the area to which you aspire.

　　Explain why you're making a transition from one field to another, why you have the background to do so, why you'll be a good graduate student, as well as your career goals. Ultimately graduate school admissions committees want to see evidence of your interest, knowledge, and competence.

　　They want to know if you have the ability to fulfill degree requirements and if you're a good risk. Keep the admissions committee's perspective in mind and you'll have an advantage in the admissions process despite having the "wrong" undergraduate major.

　　哥伦比亚大学研究生院的转专业申请要求

 

　　申请转换项目其实就和重新申请一样。学生要和目标项目的负责人先取得联系，了解相关要求，评估自己是否有资格申请。如果目标项目负责人同意接收申请，该项目会在研究生院调取之前学生的申请材料。然后由目标项目师资和研究生院院长最后裁定。

　　Change of program requests cannot be made within the first semester of enrollment.

　　如果是跨学院的转换，那么难度会更大一点。包括GRE还是GMAT/LSAT等考试要求的区别，还有专业课程学分有多少可以转换等方面的考虑。

　　Reference:

　　https://gsas.columbia.edu/student-guide/policy-handbook/change-department

　　https://www.thoughtco.com/grad-school-in-a-different-field-1685964

　　https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/23935/is-it-easy-to-change-your-major-after-starting-your-phd-or-masters-if-it-is-nec