The Materials Science and Engineering Doctoral Program will no longer require GRE scores for Ph.D. applicants to our Ph.D. program starting Fall 2025. Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores will be optional for all students. While it is possible that strong GRE scores will enhance an application, the absence of reported scores will have no negative impact on a candidate’s chance of admission.
Please note that since our program is heavily research-based, we tend to admit only Ph.D. students. Only under special circumstances and when initiated by faculty members, M.S. degrees may be granted. At this time, M.S. students are not being admitted and M.S. inquiries might go unanswered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to reach out to faculty and inquire about such positions.
Application Deadlines
Applications for admission are accepted for fall and spring for both doctoral and master's degree programs. All admissions decision are made in the context of laboratory space and resources available each year.
Please also note that since our program is very heavily research-based, we tend to admit only Ph.D. students. We do admit master's candidates occasionally when a faculty member has an opening in their research group for an M.S. student. It is the responsibility of the applicant to reach out to faculty and inquire about such positions.
Fall Admissions
Domestic Students: ALL materials are due by December 15th. No late materials will be eligible for review so please plan accordingly and begin your application well before the deadline.
International Students: ALL materials are due by December 15th. We will accept TOEFL/IELTS & GRE scores until January 15th. This means they must be submitted by then, not that you can take your exam on January 15th. Since the availability of testing centers is sparse in some regions of the world, we would like to accommodate international students within reason by extending the deadline for only those two materials. The rest of your application must be completed by December 15th without exception.
Spring Admissions
Domestic & International Students: ALL materials are due by October 1st. No late materials of any kind will be eligible for review so please plan accordingly and begin your application well before the deadline.
Applications that are incomplete as of the listed deadline, including all documents and scores, will not be given full consideration. The deadline is absolute and we cannot grant extensions due to the condensed timeline of the admissions process.
After submitting your application for admission through the Cockrell School of Engineering, it can take up to 48 hours to receive a link to upload required documents. Please take this into consideration and submit your application early.
Admissions Decision Process
Our program handles admissions in a manner that is unique among materials graduate programs. Most programs will offer general admission to qualified students. When those students enroll, they will then have a semester, or in some cases, a full year to choose a research supervisor and project.
We prefer to do things differently. We consider the research interests of the applicants alongside the research interests of faculty who are seeking new students. We match the research interests of both parties to ensure a satisfactory research experience on both sides. This takes a little time during the admissions process, but it saves the student and the faculty supervisor a great deal of time when the student enrolls. Entering a graduate program with a faculty supervisor in place allows students to begin research immediately, which in turn enables the students to choose courses that are directly related to their research projects.
As stated above, these faculty-applicant matches are made during the admissions process, which means it takes a little longer for admitted applicants to receive offers of admission. However, when an admitted applicant receives an offer, it comes directly from a specific faculty member, giving the applicant a clear idea of what to expect regarding his or her research project.
Holistic Review
The MS&E admissions committee takes a holistic approach to application reviews. We fully review every application that we receive by the established deadline. We do not use cut-off scores to eliminate applicants from the pool, and we do not require minimum GRE scores to apply. The committee considers all parts of the application when making admission decisions:
- GPA
- Official GRE scores (no minimum scores to apply) - will be removed for Fall 2025 applicants
- Three letters of recommendation
- Personal Statement
- Transcripts
- Research and work experience
- TOEFL/IELTS scores, if applicable (see min scores in FAQ)
TOEFL/IELTS scores (if applicable) are required to apply. Scores must be valid on the application deadline (see in FAQ).
