In order to apply to the PhD program you must complete two different application forms: one to the University of Texas at Austin, Graduate and International Admissions Center (GIAC) for admission to the Graduate School of the University, and one to the School of Information itself (pdf | word). The School of Information is a division of the Graduate School.

Note: When submitting your official documents to GIAC, please allow sufficient time for GIAC to process your documents and forward them to the School of Information, who must receive them prior to the deadline date.

All application credentials must be received by the following deadlines:

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early in order to receive an early decision on your application.

Admission to the Graduate School of the University

Admission to the University of Texas at Austin is under the direction of the registrar and director of Admissions. For more information about applying to the Graduate School refer to the Graduate Catalog (http://www.utexas.edu/student/registrar/catalogs/). The catalog is the document of authority for all students.

Applicants must submit the following materials to GIAC by the appropriate deadline:

• An Application for Admission to Graduate Study at the University of Texas at Austin. Applicants may request a Graduate Admissions Bulletin by phone (512-475-7390), or apply electronically using the GIAC online application http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac/.
• An official copy (i.e., a copy bearing an official seal from the registrar) of transcripts of the work you have done at every senior college you have attended. You must request those transcripts form the registrar of each institution.
• A copy of the report on your Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test from the Educational Testing Service (ETS), sent directly to the Office of Admissions. If you are an international student whose native language is not English, you also must submit to the Office of Admissions a report of your score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from ETS. Note: If your score on either the GRE or TOEFL is no longer available from ETS, you will be required to take the appropriate test again.
• The GIAC application fee. See the Graduate Admission Bulletin for more information about fees.

Send the completed materials to the following address:

The Office of Admissions
The University of Texas
P.O. Box 7608
Austin, TX 78713-7608

After all the above credentials have been collected by the Office of Admissions, your application papers will be forwarded to the Graduate School of the University and then to the School of Information for consideration.

Admission to School of Information

Admission to the program for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Information is subject further to the recommendation of the School of Information Doctoral Program Committee and to the approval of the dean of Graduate Studies.

To be admitted to the doctoral degree program, an applicant ordinarily must have either a master's degree from a school of library and information science accredited by the American Library Association, a master's degree in a related field, or an equivalent degree from an institution outside the United States. Often, applicants have had a substantial period of appropriate work experience after completion of the master's degree.

For regular admission to doctoral study, you must have a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale in all upper-division (junior- and senior- level) and graduate-level course work that you have attempted and you should have a high score on the Verbal and Quantitative Aptitude portions of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test. Applicants must meet regular admission requirements before they are eligible for admission under special conditions.

Applicants must submit the following materials:

• An Application for Admission to Doctoral Study - pdf | word
• A Request for Reference form for each of the references whom you list on page 6 of the application. The Request for Reference form is available from the GIAC web site http://www.utexas.edu/student/giac/. Please ask your references to send the completed form and attached letter of recommendation directly to the School of Information, not to you or to GIAC.

Please submit the completed forms directly to:

Coordinator, Doctoral Studies Program
School of Information
The University of Texas at Austin
Sanchez Building (SZB) 564
1 University Station D7000
Austin, TX 78712-0390

You will be notified of a decision on your application shortly after the Doctoral Program Committee has reviewed all application materials.

See also: PhD degree program description

Funding Resources

For information about funding resources including grants, TAships, and more see Funding Resources.