General Admissions Procedures
Application Deadline
The deadline for fall admission is January 15th. Spring admission is not available.
Admission to the School of Information MSIS Program requires:
- Meeting the MSIS Program Requirements
- Admission to the University of Texas Graduate School
- Admission to the University of Texas School of Information
GRE Scores: For the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, the School of Information will not require GRE scores as part of the application for the MSIS, dual dregree, and PhD programs. Submission of scores is optional for applicants who would like to provide the Admissions Committee additional information about their potential for success in the program.
Dual Degree Programs
Students seeking admission to one of our dual degree programs must identify their interest by selecting the dual degree program code on ApplyTexas. These are listed in a separate "Dual Degree Programs" section at the bottom of the list of majors. To enter a dual degree program, the student must first be accepted by both of the individual programs before admission can be granted to the dual degree program.
Master's Student Funding
New students are considered for iSchool scholarships automatically with their application. Additional funding is available through the Graduate School: Graduate Student Funding
MSIS Program Requirements
Applicants meeting the following specific requirements will receive first consideration:
- Bachelor's Degree: The completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States or proof of equivalent education at a foreign institution.
- Grade Point Average (GPA): A GPA of 3.0 or higher in all junior- and senior-level upper division and graduate level-coursework attempted or completed.
- (Optional for Fall 2024 applicants.) A satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE): The median GRE (combined Verbal and Quantitative) of School of Information master's-level students in recent years has typically been slightly above 312 for GRE's taken after August 1, 2011. GMAT scores are not accepted.
- Statement of Purpose: A clearly and thoughtfully written statement of purpose. (See below.)
- Letters of Recommendation: Three strong letters of recommendation discussing the applicant's academic abilities.
Statement of Purpose
The Statement of Purpose is a key document in your master’s application. Please address each of the following items in your statement:
- Areas of Interest: Discuss the areas of interest that you wish to study in the MSIS program as well as identify any significant issues or problems within those areas that you would like to explore or address during your studies.
- Background & Experience: Describe how your academic background and work experiences have prepared you for graduate studies in the field of information and why you wish to study specifically at the UT Austin iSchool.
- Career Objective(s): Discuss your long-term career goals and how you anticipate the completion of your MSIS degree advancing your career.
Please limit your statement of purpose to 1,000 words.
Submission Guidelines: ApplyTexas gives two options for submitting your Statement of Purpose: 1) "Submit your essay online" (which mentions a plain-text editor), and 2) "Preferred: Upload your essay". Please choose the second option and upload your Statement of Purpose as a PDF after your application is submitted. If you use the first option the statements are presented to the committee in a way that is awkward to read.
Short Answer Questions
We would like to learn more about you, your interest in our program, and your career goals. All applicants must answer the following three questions. Please limit your responses to 150-200 words.
- Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in the Information Studies program and contribute to the university community and the field or profession.
- Think of yourself in five years. What kind of job would you like to have? Feel free to create a job title if you like. Why is this program your preferred option to pursue?
- The core values of the iSchool are a people-first perspective, information serving humanity, technology for social good, and an interdisciplinary approach. How do your career goals relate to these values?
Admission to the University of Texas Graduate School
Admission to the iSchool requires applicants to complete the following general application procedures for the UT Graduate School. Please allow plenty of time to process your application. For further information, please refer to the Graduate School’s Admissions page.
Required materials for the UT Graduate School:
- Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) application for admission and admission fee: The application is available at GoApplyTexas.org.
- One official transcript from each college or university attended: Submit electronic copies of your official transcripts according to the OGA website. Please avoid mailing paper copies to ensure a quicker processing of your application.
- (Optional for Fall 2024 applicants.) An official report of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores: Scores must be sent from the official testing agency to OGA, using the codes for The University of Texas at Austin (GRE Code: 6882).
- Statement of Purpose: Once your application is submitted, electronically upload a statement of purpose describing areas of interest, background and experience, and career objectives (see above).
- Three letters of recommendation: You will be asked to submit the names and contact information of three recommenders at the time of your online application. After submitting the application, each contact will receive an email with directions for submitting a recommendation letter online.
- Resume/CV
- TOEFL or IELTS scores (international students only): International students must submit official test results from either the TOEFL or IELTS exams, according to the guidelines provided by OGA.
