Admission Requirements for Degree-Seeking Students

The applied physics and computer science program is designed to serve students with a baccalaureate degree in applied physics, computer science, electrical and/or computer engineering or mathematics. Students with degrees in other areas are encouraged to apply. Departmental graduate advisors will establish the background courses needed for such students. This program is also designed to serve students who want advanced study in the electronic or optical properties of materials, computer science, computer systems engineering or computer controlled instrumentation.

1. A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale
2. An official transcript from the baccalaureate institution and official transcripts for all graduate work taken at other institutions
3. Three letters of recommendation from people who can attest that the applicant is likely to be able to be successful in graduate level academic work
4. Scores from the Graduate Record Examination General Test taken within five years prior to the date of admission. GRE scores are used as one of several indicators of the applicant's ability to succeed in graduate studies. A GRE score of at least 1000 for Verbal and Quantitative sections combined is highly desirable. For those applicants already holding a master's degree, the GRE may be waived by permission of the director of graduate studies.A letter to the director requesting a waiver is required
5. International applicants must supply their TOEFL scores and the appropriate documentation
6. Applicants who have completed interesting research or design projects as undergraduates or as a part of their work are invited to submit descriptions of such projects as support for their application.

Academic Policy for Non-Degree Students

Students seeking non-degree admission status must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Non-degree students are limited to 12 hours of graduate study. Up to 12 credits of graduate study may be applied to the graduate degree should a non-degree student apply and be accepted to degree-seeking status. Should a non-degree student desire additional courses beyond the 12-credit limit, he or she may petition the program coordinator for a waiver of this limit. Before enrolling in any graduate course a non-degree student must obtain consent of the instructor.The instructor will determine whether the student has the academic background prerequisites for the specific course.

Academic Prerequisites

See each concentration for the specific requirements. An accelerated schedule of undergraduate prerequisites can be arranged for applicants whose qualifications do not entirely satisfy the prerequisites for graduate study. Good computer programming skills are critical to a student's success in many of the courses, especially those courses with the CPSC prefix.