MSNE Application

Application Deadlines

Applications are reviewed quarterly by the computer engineering faculty. Admitted students may begin taking courses the following quarter.

Application Deadlines:

December 1 for Winter Quarter. Classes begin first week of January.
February 1 for Spring Quarter. Classes begin in late March.
June 1 for Fall Quarter. Classes begin in late September.

Application Requirements

Students enrolling in this program are expected to have a bachelor of science degree or higher in computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering or related fields. Competitive scores on the GRE General test are required. Subject Advanced Tests in an appropriate science or engineering field are recommended. Also, applicants from countries where English is not the primary language, must score a minimum of 510 (paper-based) or 230 (computer-based) on the TOEFL exam.

Your completed application form (Program Application) must be accompanied by a $70 check, draft, or money order, payable to the UC Regents. The application fee is non refundable.

Applications to this program must include scores from the Graduate Record Examination General test. Though not required, subject tests are rec ommended and can be taken either in computer science or engineering.

Applicants from countries where English is not the primary language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum TOEFL score of 510 (paper-based) or 230 (computer-based) is required for admission.

Your Statement of Purpose should be a concise, well-written essay about your background and your reasons for pursuing graduate study in the field you have chosen. Selection committees place particular importance on the statement of purpose. It exhibits your ability to present ideas in clear, coherent language. Your statement of purpose should indicate:

How knowledgeable you are in the desired field of study
How your undergraduate studies and other experiences (work, community involvement, and so forth) serve as a foundation for graduate study
How and why you intend to build on this foundation of knowledge and apply your training to social or theoretical problems

Include official transcripts of all previous course work since high school, including certification of degrees received or documentation of status upon leaving each institution. UC Santa Cruz requires only one transcript from each institutio n. You must present official evidence that you have received a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education. Only official transcripts in English bearing the signature of the registrar and the seal of the issuing institution will be accepted. If you have work in progress at the time of application for course work which is necessary to satisfy more advanced courses in the program, then you must submit a final transcript of such course work before enrolling in those advanced courses. You must show evidence of course work sufficient to prepare you for graduate study in computer engineering. See information on "fundamental base requirements" below.

You should include three letters of recommendation in your application packet. These letters of recommendation should be prepared by professors or others who are in a position to analyze your abilities and academic promise in your chosen field of graduate study. The persons writing the letters must be given the opportunity to submit these recommendations in confidence. The recommendations can be mailed directly to the program address below.

Letters of recommendation may be submitted on the forms provided in your application packet or, alternately, sent directly to msce@soe.ucsc.edu. Once your letters of recommendation have been submitted, you are not permitted to inspect them; however, if you are admitted and enroll, you will have access to your letters of recommendation unless you have previously waived that right. If you wish to waive access, note this on a separate sheet of paper and include it with each letter of recommendation. Be sure to sign and date the waiver.

Students must be admitted prior to taking any of the program courses. Application packets are available by calling 831-459-5303 or e-mailing .

Students entering the program must have completed the equivalent of a bachelor's degree, demonstrated strength in their undergraduate studies, and performed satisfactorily on the GRE.

A UCSC Computer Engineering Faculty Committee will carefully review all parts of the application, including GRE scores, strength of undergraduate background, the quality of schools attended, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and any industry experience.

Fundamental base requirements

We also expect students to show proficiency in base areas of computer engineering, including data structures, computer architecture, logic design, circuits, and software systems. Students can show proficiency by having passed an equivalent course elsewhere or by passing the final exam (or project when deemed appropriate by the faculty responsible) of an associated course when it is regularly offered at UCSC. Some, but not all, of the base requirements can be satisfied by taking appropriate program prerequisite courses after the student has been accepted into the program. Fulfilling the base requirement is a degree requirement.

Application Submission

Every applicant is urged to be certain that all parts of the application are complete when it is submitted. If a file is incomplete, it may not be considered in a timely fashion.

Applications must be postmarked on or before the deadline dates noted above. Notification of acceptance are sent six weeks after the deadline. Denial letters are sent shortly thereafter.

Completed applications along with the $70 application fee (non-refundable and made payable to UC Regents) should be mailed to:

MSNE Program/SOE 3
c/o Colt Hangen
1156 High St
Santa Cruz, CA 95064

Graduate Record and TOEFL Examination Information

Detailed information on the Graduate Record Exams and TOEFL Exams, practice exams and preparation aids are available through Educational Testing Service at:

Educational Testing Service
Rosedale Road
Princeton, NJ 08541 USA
609-921-9000
609-734-5410 (Fax)
E-Mail: etsinfo@ets.org
Web Sites:
http://www.ets.org/gre/
http://www.ets.org
http://www.toefl.org

ETS now offers only the computer-based version of the General Graduate Record Exam. The computer-based version of the General GRE is offered locally in the bay area. To schedule a test time for the computer-version of the General GRE, call 408-257-7699 (San Jose) or 510-745-8192 (Fremont).

Note: On the day of the exam, please select the academic institution code R4860 for mailing of your exam scores.

Further Questions

For curriculum or administrative questions, call 831-459-5303 or e-mail msce@soe.ucsc.edu.