Information Sciences and Technology MPS

Requirements listed here are in addition to general Graduate Council requirements stated in the GENERAL INFORMATION section of the Graduate Bulletin. Applicants must hold either (1) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or (2) a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor\xc2\x92s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates. Applicants to the Professional Master Program are required to submit scores from the general portions of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), three letters of reference, and a one-three page personal statement of relevant experience and goal. The GRE or GMAT requirement may be waived for applicants to the Professional Master Program if the student has five or more years of relevant information sciences and technology working experience. Applicants to the Ph.D. and M.S. programs are required to submit scores from the general portions of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), three letters of reference, a current resume (to include present position and any publications), one-three page statement of research background and goals related to pursuing an advanced degree and career in IST (also briefly discuss your personal motivation for obtaining a Ph.D. or M.S.), and a sample of applicant\'s writing (e.g., technical paper, etc.).

Because the program is multidisciplinary in nature, students from many different disciplines may be acceptable for entry into the program. A bachelor\'s degree in a related area (e.g., engineering and science), while not necessary for admission, is helpful in the successful completion of the degree. It is expected that students will have a basic level of competency in statistics as well as computer and information technology (related work experience can be used to demonstrate such competency). A student may be accepted into the program with "provisional status" for no more than one year while work is completed to meet these expectations.

It is expected that the successful applicant will have an overall grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) or higher for his or her undergraduate study (and/or graduate-level study). However, accomplishments demonstrated through work experience and recommendation letters from the applicant\xc2\x92s academic adviser or employer will also play an important role in making the admission decision. The most qualified applicants will be accepted into the program until all spaces for new students are filled.

The language of instruction at Penn State is English. All international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the Internet-based test (iBT). Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisional admission, which requires completion of specified remedial English courses ESL 114G (American Oral English for Academic Purposes) and/or ESL 116G (ESL/Composition for Academic Disciplines) and attainment of a grade of B or higher. The minimum acceptable composite score for the IELTS is 6.5.

International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement who have received a baccalaureate or a graduate degree from a college/university/institution in any of the following: Australia, Belize, British Caribbean and British West Indies, Canada (except Quebec), England, Guyana, Republic of Ireland, Liberia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States, and Wales.