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PhD Admissions
Online Application Is Available. We offer a Web-based application to make our application process as easy and convenient as possible for you. You can get started right now.
The following are requirements for admission to graduate study in Telecommunications and Networking for pursuing a PhD degree:
- A master’s degree from an accredited university, a recognized international
program, or the equivalent. Students must submit official transcripts as evidence.
Only official transcripts will be accepted. Exceptional students with a technical bachelor’s degree may be admitted on occasion.
Such students must still satisfy all other requirements that follow; - Attainment in graduate work of minimum quality point average of 3.3 (on a scale with A having a value of 4 points per credit). An international student’s quality point average (QPA) will be calculated on the basis of equivalency from universities that use a different scale;
- Submission of scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within five years of the date of application. Sources on all three sections (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) of the GRE must be submitted;
- At least three references from persons in the professional and academic communities. MORE letters may be required.
- Submissions of an application fee determined by the School of Information Sciences;
- As evidence of the ability to undertake doctoral work, an essay (not exceeding 1,000 words) indicating, as specifically as possible, the student’s academic and professional goals in relation to the telecommunication doctoral program and identifying potential areas and/or topics in which the student expects to pursue dissertation research;
- Evidence of academic completion of:
- Two different scientific computer programming languages
- Coursework in probability and statistics
- Differential and integral calculus
In addition, a candidate may elect to include the following optional material:
- A complete curriculum vitae that provides an overview of education, work, publication, and other professional activities;
- An example of published writing;
- A description of any published or unpublished research, contributions to the professional or scholarly literature, and other professional or academic experience relevant to an assessment of his or her capacity to pursue doctoral study successfully.
The completed application and supporting documents should be submitted online here.
International Applicants
There are different documentation and admission requirements for international students. These are explained here.
Credentials of prospective students are reviewed by the admissions committee. Students whose complete credentials are not available for full admission may register as special students until the completed credentials are received, provided all other requirements have been satisfied. Students with deficiencies in either coursework or scholastic achievement may be admitted provisionally. Prerequisite courses should be completed within the first two terms. Only students whose transcript shows full graduate status may graduate.
Application Fee
The application fee is $50 for all applicants and must be paid when you submit your application. The fee will not be waived, deferred, or refunded. Applications will not be considered until the fee has been received. Receipt of payment will be acknowledged by email from Apply Yourself.
Deadlines
Admissions occur on a rolling basis throughout the year. See Financial Aid for Financial Aid Deadlines.
Term of Admission |
Domestic |
International Application Deadline |
| Fall | January 15 | January 15 |
| Spring | September 15 | June 15 |
| Summer | January 15 | December 15 |
Application Processing and Notifications
The School of Information Sciences makes every effort to issue a determination about applications within 4-6 weeks of the application deadline. This is, of course, dependent upon the timely receipt of all required application materials. You will be notified via e-mail when an admissions decision has been posted to your Apply Yourself account.
Please note that, during the December–January timeframe, numerous applications are received. Due to the volume of submissions, there may be a delay in notification of receipt of materials.
You may always check your Apply Yourself account to ascertain if documentation has been received or if an admissions decision has been made. The status of your application, related documents and admission decision cannot be verified until you have submitted the application fee (which is the final step in submitting your application).
