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Admissions | Graduate | Advising | Academics | Electrical & Computer Engineering | College of Engineering

Graduate Admissions
The deadline for applying to the department is as follows:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
No deadline. However, if you want to be considered for fellowships, apply before January 1.
International
March 1st is the deadline for all completed applications to be submitted for the fall semester.
August 1st is the deadline for all completed applications to be submitted for the Spring
semester.
Thank you for your interest in pursuing graduate studies in the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University. This page will provide you with information
that will help you to put together your application for admission to the program.
(ATTENTION: DEPARTMENTAL GRADUATE DATA SHEET IS REQUIRED FOR YOUR
APPLICATION; HARD COPIES OF RECOMMENDATION LETTTERS ARE NO LONGER
ACCEPTED!)

Attention incoming graduate students

If you have been accepted to Texas A&M University and you will be joining the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering please inform Jeanie Marshall at
[email protected] with your full name and UIN no less than two weeks prior to the
start of the semester that you will be attending.

Your applications will consist of several components:

ApplyTexas
Departmental Data Sheet (REQUIRED)
Statement of Purpose
Letters of Recommendation (ONLY ACCEPT ONLINE RECOMMENDATION
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LETTERS)
Standardized Test Scores
Transcripts / Degree Statements
Application Fee
Graduate Application Status Check
Deadlines for Graduate Admission
More information on each of these items can be found by visiting the Office of Admissions
and Records website.

Apply Texas
Apply Texas Website

This form can be completed online at ApplyTexas. Detailed instructions for the completing
this form can also be found at that site. On item number 11, you will be asked to enter an
area of interest. In order to expedite the processing of your application, please select your
area of interest from one of the following 7 areas:
Analog & Mixed Signal
Biomedical Imaging, Sensing & Genomic Signal Processing
Computer Engineering & Systems Group
Device Science and Nanotechnology (formerly solid state)
Electric Power Systems & Power Electronics
Electromagnetics and Microwaves
Information Science and Systems (formerly telecommunications)
You can find details on each of these areas of specialization by visiting the ECE web site. By
selecting one of these areas, you will be giving the graduate office advice as to which group
should be reviewing your application. Hence, it is important that you carefully review the
descriptions of the various groups to determine which best suits your interests.
Please note, ECEN-CEEN area of specialization under the Electrical and Computer
Engineering Department is different from CEEN major. Students applying to the CEEN major
under ECEN are allowed to register for CSE courses.
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Once you have submitted the Texas Common Application Form, within 5-10 working days,
you will receive an email from the Admissions Office with the assigned University
Identification Number (UIN). In this email will be instructions on setting up your NETID and
how to manage your recommendations.

Departmental Data Sheet

Once you have been assigned a UIN, please complete the departmental data sheet. (Please
note that firefox or chrome users might be asked to install the certificate. It can be
downloaded here or you can just add the exception without installing the certificate.)
Departmental Data Sheet

Completing this form will enter your application into the department's processing system. The
department cannot process your application until you have completed this form and hence
failure to complete this form will greatly delay your application. Most of the items on this form
are very straightforward. One item that can cause confusion for some applicants is the grade
point ratio (GPR). We would like you to report your GPR on a 4.0 scale. If your university
uses a different scale, please do your best to translate your scores to a 4.0 scale. We ask
the applicants to do this because we have found that you will do a better job of this
translation than we will. Note also, that many schools provide a class ranking. If you know
your ranking, you may provide this instead of a GPR (or you can provide both). Also, it is
very important that you provide us with a valid email address which you check periodically.
This is how we will contact you if we have any questions regarding your application or need
further information. We will also contact you about any potential financial aid offers through
email.

Statement of Purpose
In this one page essay, please give a description of why you want to pursue graduate
studies in electrical or computer engineering and why you feel that Texas A&M is the right
place for your graduate studies. Also include a description of your intended field of
specialization, your academic background in this area, and any relevant experience you may
have in this field. If you have one, please include a brief plan for your graduate research.
Please try to keep this essay short and concise as unnecessary verbiage will make it difficult
for our reviewers to find important information. Your statement of purpose should be
submitted through the Apply Texas online application system. Do not send hard copies of
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your SOP to the graduate office.

Letters of Recommendation
You should include at least three (3) letters of recommendation. It is preferred that these
letters come from faculty who have been involved with your most advanced levels of
academic education. We would like your referees to assess your research potential and in
general your likelihood for success as a graduate student at Texas A&M. It would be helpful
if they could specifically mention your rank and performance in their courses and any other
items that indicate your scholarly abilities. If you cannot obtain three letters from current or
past professors, you may include letters from employers, but usually these letters will carry
less weight than letters from academic referees. You should not include letters from family
friends or other non-technical referees who cannot fairly assess your academic abilities. The
ECE department will no longer accept hard copies of recommendation letters. All letters
must be submitted through the online system. You will be provided with detailed instructions
of how to submit recommendation letters when you complete your application through the
Apply Texas online system.

Standardized Test Scores

GRE test scores are required for all applicants. TOEFL scores may be required depending
on your educational background. While you may submit your application before you have
received your official scores and then submit the test scores at a later date, we cannot
process your application until we have received these scores. Test scores should be sent
directly from the Educational Testing Service to Texas A&M University and be from a test
date within five years of the date the application form reached the Office of Admissions and
Records. Use code 6003 for reporting GRE scores (Department code not needed). The
department does not have a minimum requirement on standardized test scores however
successful applicants typically have very competitive scores. Average scores for graduate
students entering the ECE department in Fall 2013 were: Quantitative 790/800, Verbal
575/800, Writing 3.38/6.0, Old Scoring Format, Quantitative 166/170, Verbal 152.8/170,
Writing 3.4/6.0 New scoring format.
TOEFL Scores: Applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit proof
of English proficiency, which is satisfied by:
a minimum TOEFL score of:
550 for paper-based testing (paper based test),
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213 computer-based testing (computer based test),

80 internet-based testing (internet based test ), or
a minimum IELTS score of 6.0 overall band, or
completing 4 years of a Bachelor's degree or higher at a U.S. accredited university.
Test scores must be sent directly from the testing agency to be considered official. The
institutional code for Texas A&M University for the TOEFL is 6003 (no department codes
needed). Test scores should be from a test date within two years of the date the application
form reached the Office of Admissions and Records. There is no institutional code for the
IELTS examination (the testing agency should mail official results to the address below).
Tests should be taken at least eight weeks prior to the appropriate application deadline to
ensure timely receipt and processing of results. We will use your highest test score from one
test date. Copies of test scores are not considered official, but they may help the University
locate your official test scores and are therefore useful when the application is processed.
You may verify receipt of your official scores by contacting Measurement and Research
Services at the address below (e-mail is preferred). You will need to include your name (as
given on test), date of birth, University Identification Number (UIN), type of test, date of test
and date you requested scores to be sent.

Transcripts/Degree Statements
Official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended should be submitted to the Office of
Admissions. Instructions and mailing addresses for domestic and international students can
be found on the Office of Admissions and Records web site. If you are currently completing a
program, you do not have to submit a final transcript with your application, but we will need
an up-to-date current transcript of your current program with the application. Upon admission
to the program, you may bring two copies of your final transcript or degree statement with
you when you arrive on campus and supply them to the graduate office when you check in.

Application Fee
A non-refundable application fee of $50 for domestic applicants and $90 for international
applicants is required. The Office of Admissions and Records web site provides details on
acceptable forms of payment for both domestic and international applicants. Your application
cannot be processed until the fee has been paid.
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Graduate Application Status Check

Once you fill out the department data sheet, you may check the status of your application by
entering your UIN (Universal Identification Number), last name and the semester you applied
for in the following link Graduate Application Status Check. If your status is "Incomplete", it
means not all required application documents have been received; If your status is "Under
Review", it means all required application documents have been received and your
application is under review with the group you specified as your area of interest; If your
status is "Complete", it means your application has been reviewed and a decision has been
made. At that point, you can check your application result through the Texas A&M University
Applicant Information System.

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