Dear Professor :

I am interested in applying for a PhD position starting in the fall of 2008. I have recently received my MS degree in mechanical engineering from , and have done research on . I would be interested in working with you. Are you likely to be taking students in the near future? Additionally, are students with master’s degrees required to take coursework in your department if admitted to the PhD program, or may they start doing their thesis research immediately?

Sincerely,

PS – please see my attached CV

Note – I added in that last sentence because you probably will be interested to know this, and many US universities require certain coursework of all students.