Applicants must provide the following:
- Unofficial transcripts from each college or university attended to be uploaded on your online application. Official transcripts are only required after you have been admitted.
- Professional resume noting relevant work/academic experiences
- Three confidential letters of recommendation from three people who can evaluate your academic and professional achievement, describe your strengths and weaknesses, and comment on your character, integrity and motivation. Letters which speak to your ability to perform in a post graduate academic program are especially useful. These letters should be from professors, supervisors, or others (no family) who can attest to your work ethic, analytical thinking, communication skills, leadership potential, motivation, and commitment.
- Two formal statements demonstrating your writing ability and clarity of thought which includes a personal history describing your previous professional and academic achievements, and a formal statement of purpose, detailing current goals, and specifically how and why the MAS program will help you achieve them. In your statement of purpose you must also describe a potential capstone paper topic (required in the second year of study), including what you intend to study, why the subject is of interest to you, and how the topic relates to the MAS curriculum more generally. Your statement will be formally evaluated and is a significant part of your application. The Personal History** and Statement of Purpose writing samples are submitted electronically as part of your online application. The Personal History should be 600 words or less and the Statement of Purpose should be 800 words or less.
The GRE is NOT required for MAS applicants, however, the above writing samples are REQUIRED. Please be sure to follow the prompt outlined above. This is more specific than the prompt outlined within the standard graduate application.
Information for Prospective Applicants from Outside California:
State authorization is a regulation of the U.S. Department of Education that requires institutions offering distance education courses to be authorized by each state in which the institution enrolls students (if such authorization is required by the state). Each state has a different set of requirements when it comes to allowing out-of-state universities to offer online graduate degree programs to its residents.
To learn more about UCI online courses in your state of residence, please visit the UCI State Authorizations for Online Programs page.
The committee members will carefully consider each element of your application in balance, as they are seeking well-rounded candidates with a proven history of academic and/or professional success. Your personal statement is a critical element of the application instructions — an opportunity to describe your academic history and your career path. The committee is especially interested in the demonstration of your ability to think analytically and act strategically. Your letters of recommendation are another important part of the process and you should choose recommenders who can write clear statements about your character, achievements, and abilities.
Once you have completed your online application and provided all materials listed above, the Admissions Committee will begin reviewing your packet. The application cycle is for the 2024/2025 academic year. You are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure your space in the program while your materials undergo review.