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CSEM Program: Admissions

CSEM Program Admissions General Information

The UT Computational Science, Engineering and Mathematics Program is highly regarded internationally among graduate programs in computational science and engineering and in applied mathematics. The program draws exceptional applicants and the admissions process is competitive. The CSEM admissions committee takes a holistic approach in evaluating applications for admissions. Therefore, all aspects of a student's application are considered and decisions are not based upon one particular component of a complete application.

CSEM Program Admissions Criteria

Students may enter the CSEM program with any relevant undergraduate degree major of specialization, such as any of the Engineering disciplines, any of the Physical or Biological Sciences, Computer Science, Finance, or Mathematics.

Qualified applicants usually meet or exceed the following criteria:

The above scores are averages, not minimum requirements for applying. All aspects of an individual's application are taken into consideration for an overall evaluation.

Please note that for English proficiency, a score of 550 (paper-based test), 213 (computer-based test), or 79 (internet-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) OR an overall band of 6.5 on the Academic Examination of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is considered the minimum acceptable for admission to the University of Texas at Austin.

How To Apply

To be considered for admission to the CSEM program, a student must apply to both CSEM and The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School. The Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) handles applications for all graduate programs at UT-Austin.

Deadline

The deadline for applying for the Fall 2010 semester is February 1, 2010. The department cannot guarantee that materials received after February 1 will receive consideration. Students who are admitted and matriculate are expected to begin their studies during that year's Fall semester. Normally, we neither consider students for admission, nor allow them to begin the program, at any other time of year (such as the Spring semester).

Part One: Applying to the Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC)

To begin, apply electronically on the GIAC website. The electronic application is called the Texas Common Application. Please note that the CSEM Program is NOT housed within the Mathematics Department. When completing your online application and selecting your major, Computational Science, Engineering and Mathematics is listed as an Intercollegial Program, which is at the bottom of the “selecting your major” drop down menu.

The following items must be sent directly to GIAC:

  1. Complete transcripts, original and official documents, of previous academic work.
  2. GRE scores for the General Test reported from ETS. The GRE Mathematics subject test is not required.
  3. For international applicants who are not from an English-only speaking country, TOEFL or IELTS scores reported from the testing agency. If you hold a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institution or from an institution in another English-only speaking country, you will receive a waiver of the TOEFL or IELTS.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) code for the University of Texas at Austin is 6882. Test scores sent to this code are made available to all graduate departments.

Please follow all instructions on the GIAC website for submission of the above materials.

Part Two: Applying to the CSEM Program

The CSEM Program requires the following application materials:

  1. CSEM application. This is a PDF download and fillable PDF form with Adobe 7.0 or later. The CSEM Application must be sent directly to the CSEM Program Coordinator.
  2. Statement of Purpose. The Texas Common Application that you complete when applying to GIAC has a section for your statement of purpose and it will be made available to the CSEM Program. If you prefer to send your statement of purpose directly to the CSEM Program Coordinator, you may do so.
  3. Unofficial copies of transcripts. Official transcripts must be submitted to GIAC (as instructed in Part One). Please send unofficial transcripts directly to the CSEM Program to expedite application processing. There is no need to send official transcripts to the CSEM Program Coordinator.
  4. Letters of recommendation. The CSEM Program requires three (3) letters of recommendation that describe the applicant's accomplishments, intellectual ability, motivation, and potential for academic success in our program. Upon submission of the completed Texas Common Application online (instructions given under Part One), e-mail messages will be sent to the addresses you provide and your references will be asked to visit a web site where they can complete a questionnaire, including a written assessment. The information submitted online by your references will be made available to the CSEM Program immediately, and no separate letters need to be mailed to the CSEM Program Coordinator.

    If your references prefer to send their letters directly to the CSEM Program Coordinator instead of using the web site provided by GIAC, this is acceptable. A Request for Reference form can be downloaded from GIAC's website.
  5. Fourth Letter of recommendation. A fourth letter of recommendation is suggested for applicants who wish to be considered for a CAM Fellowship (for U.S. citizens only). The Texas Common Application only has space for three recommenders. However, after you submit your application and it loads on our system, you can send additional Requests for References through your online Application Status Check (http://utdirect.utexas.edu/nr/appstat.html) “Manage your recommendation requests” function.

Materials may be mailed to the address below or e-mailed to camgrad@ices.utexas.edu:

CSEM Program Coordinator, Admissions
Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station, #C0200
Austin, TX 78712

Please direct questions to the CSEM Program Coordinator at:
camgrad@ices.utexas.edu
512-232-3356
512-471-8694 (fax)