Master Scholarships in Microsystems Engineering, Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, UAE

The Nano-Optics and Optoelectronics Research (NOOR) Laboratory is growing and we need multiple students to work on our ongoing and future research projects. To become a student at NOOR Lab, one needs to apply directly to the Institute through the Institute’s admissions website. While all admission decisions are made by the Institute, it is in our best interest to see qualified students interested in NOOR Lab research admitted to the program.

If the research areas mentioned above do not sound familiar to you, please do not feel discouraged. Some background in photonics is a plus, it is by no means a requirement. We accept students with different backgrounds, and in fact many faculty think that prior experience in photonics is relatively unimportant compared to the overall abilities and the level of motivation of the applicant.

The Institute is currently accepting students to Master program. During the two-year program, students are taking classes and pursuing research in their selected field. A thesis is submitted at the end of the program. While peers and faculty represent over 30 different nationalities, all instruction is conducted in English.
Applicants from all parts of the world are welcome. There is no application fee.

All admitted students will have the following benefits:

• Scholarships / research assistantships providing full financial support is available to students of all nationalities. It includes all tuition fees, medical insurance, housing, travel expenses, laptop, and a cost of living allowance;
• Access to the cleanrooms and the electron microscopy lab, expected to be fully operational by the end of 2012;
• Opportunity to work in laboratories with state-of-the art equipment.

The students can work on design, fabrication, and/or characterization, regarding on their preferences.

How to apply

We are a part of the Microsystems Engineering program, so to become a student at NOOR Lab, one needs to apply for MSc in Microsystems Engineering at Masdar Institute. The latest official information about application requirements and application instructions can be found on Masdar Institute Admissions pages. All applications should be submitted directly to the Institute, and all questions regarding the application process should be directed to the Institute’s Admissions Office.

Masdar Institute has a one-year admission cycle for the Masters program; the applications are accepted until May 31 of each year, and admitted students start their studies in September. Applications for Fall 2013 can be submitted online starting November 1.

Here is a brief summary of admission requirements with some advice:

• TOEFL (or academic IELTS) – The minimum TOEFL score required is 91 (Internet based) on the international TOEFL. Equivalent paper/computer based TOEFL is also accepted. The TOEFL can only be waived for native English speakers. The minimum academic IELTS score required is 6.5.
• GRE General Examination. The most important part of the exam is Quantitative, where the minimum score of 700 (old scoring system) or 155 (new scoring system) is required, and higher score is recommended. GRE Subject test is not required. If you are not familiar with TOEFL / GRE exams – these are standardized multi-choice tests which are widely used in the US to evaluate applicant to graduate schools. Masdar Institute is built with MIT standards in mind, so similar admission requirements have been adopted. These tests are administered in many countries around the world. In some countries the testing is available only few times a year (and it takes some time for the test scores to reach us), so please plan in advance. If you passed the tests, but you don’t think the test scores will arrive on time, please contact the admissions office, it might still be possible to consider your application.
• Statement of Objective, which is a 1-2 page long document explaining your motivation for pursuing graduate studies at Masdar. Statement of Objectives is an important part of the applications. You can view it as your letter to the admission committee, where you have a chance to explain why you think you will become a successful student. If there is some specific positive aspect about your application you think we should know about, please mention it. For example, if you have a GPA (average grade) of 3.2 out of 4.0, which might look low to us, but if you mention that your school is notorious for strict grading and your GPA of 3.2 is actually in the top 5% of your class, and also point out that your low grades were mostly in humanities, then your GPA of 3.2 becomes a completely different story. It helps to be specific – facts are always better than general statements (i.e. if you argue that you should be admitted because “you want to save the Earth”, this is not very specific). It is important to mention your the area of research you are interested in. It helps to mention specific topics you are interested in and the names of the faculty you might consider working with, but this is not really necessary, we understand that students usually do not come with the specific research program in mind, and they need help formulating it.
• The minimum required GPA is 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale. As mentioned above, it really helps if you explain how your GPA should be interpreted – different schools and countries often have completely different grading standards.
• 3 recommendation letters are required. At the time of the application, you will need to provide contact information of your referees, and Masdar Institute will contact them directly.
• The resume/CV is required, and it is an important part of your application, because it provides a good format for a concise summary of your strengths.
• The application deadline is May 31 of each year, but applications are reviewed throughout the year, so you are welcome to apply early. This year, the Institute will start accepting applications on November 1.

Please note once again that what the above information is not not official, and our comments represent our opinion, but not necessarily the position of the Institute. For the official information, please refer to Masdar Institute Admissions page, which is the only official source of up-to-date information.
For more information, please visit official website: nanophotonics.labs.masdar.ac.ae