Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You can check your application status and To Do List by following the instructions provided on the Check Your Application Status and Application Status pages.

The MSE Admissions Committee carefully evaluates all of your credentials (application, narrative, GRE scores, English proficiency test scores, transcripts and letters of recommendation) when making their decision. The committee then makes a decision about admission to the program. Refer to the list of requirements for admissions to the program.

No; the MSE Admissions Committee carefully evaluates all of your credentials (application, narrative, GRE scores, English proficiency test scores, transcripts and letters of recommendation) when making their decision. The committee then makes a decision about your admission to the program. The GRE revised scores are recommended as 154 or above, 154 or above and 4 for the verbal, quantitative and analytical writing components, respectively, which are advisable based on our experience with students’ success in the program.

No; the MSE department will not review your application if your English proficiency test scores are below the minimum scores listed on the Office of Admissions website. You may retake the English proficiency test to raise your score to the minimum score or higher, and submit the new scores to the Office of Admissions.

No; applications will not be reviewed until all required documentation has been submitted.

No; you must officially submit an application with all required documentation before any evaluation of your credentials can be made.

You can check your To Do List in Galaxy. The To Do List provides a list of outstanding items that are required before your application will be considered complete. You can check your To Do List by following the instructions provided on the Application Status page.

Applicants are given two chances to upload their documents. The documents uploaded must be legible PDF photocopies of the original academic document and will be considered unofficial but can be used to process your application for admission. Refer to file requirements for uploading documents on the Apply Now page.

First, you have the option to upload your documents through your application. If you missed one or loaded the wrong document during the application, you are given one more chance to reload all of your unofficial documents after you submit your application by logging back in to your UT Dallas graduate application account. Once you have used both of those upload options and you still need to submit documents, you must send the documents by mail to the Admissions Office using the mailing address list on the Graduate Admissions Contact Us page. The Admissions Office does not accept documents via email.

Letters of recommendation can be emailed to the Graduate Admissions Coordinator directly from the recommender’s email account. The letters cannot come from the applicant.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering only has Research Assistantships (no Teaching Assistantships). The availability of Research Assistant positions varies each semester and is based on available funding for each faculty member. Applicant files of admitted students are made available to the Materials Science faculty for funding consideration. The funding decision may take some time for review. If a faculty member determines they have available funding for support, an offer will be extended.

Applicant files of admitted students are made available to the Materials Science faculty for funding consideration.

No. The MSE faculty cannot determine if you are eligible to join their group until you have applied and been admitted to the program. Only after you have been admitted may you contact faculty members.

Please review the Jonsson School website for information on available Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships.

After admission, submit official transcripts and other official documentation before enrollment. For guidelines on how to submit, see the
Admissions Documentation Guidelines for Applicants and Admitted Students page.

To view which documents require official submission, you can check your To Do List in Galaxy. The To Do List provides a list of outstanding items that are required before you will be allowed to register for classes. You can check your To Do List by following the instructions provided here.

Unofficial scanned copies of official test scores can be uploaded using the online graduate application for admission review. Official test scores should be submitted to UT Dallas directly from the testing agency after admission.

Yes, you can submit an application for admission. If you have already taken some classes toward your PhD, and they are equivalent to courses offered at UT Dallas. You can petition to transfer the credits, course by course. We will only accept transfer credits from U.S. institutions. The course(s) you wish to transfer must follow the UT Dallas Transfer of Credit policy and follow the Degree Requirements for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering listed in the Graduate Catalog. Transferability of courses cannot be guaranteed before admission.