Untitled Document

We encourage you to begin early and prepare all documents needed to support your application. Register and prepare for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Contact three of your professors regarding letters of recommendation. International applicants should request official transcripts early and have official translations prepared. Applicants from countries where English is not the official language must also register for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Please read the information for prospective applicants on the Graduate Division web page.

What are my chances of being admitted to the Department of Materials Science & Engineering?

Because of the large volume of applications and inquiries we receive during each admissions cycle, we cannot evaluate the potential success of each applicant. Admissions decisions can only be made by the admissions committee after an application is completed (including all supporting documents). The admissions committee considers many factors in its decision, including but not limited to: academic record, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, research experience, and test scores.

The department does admit in the spring admission cycle.

No. There is no supplemental application

What are the minimum requirements to be considered for admission to a graduate program in Materials Science & Engineering?

The minimum graduate admission requirements are: (1) a bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution; (2) enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field; (3) a satisfactory scholastic average, with a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) and (4) the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations. Please read the Graduate Division webpage on Admission Requirements. If you received or are a candidate to receive a degree from an institution outside the United States, please read the section on International Applicants in Admission Requirements.

Can I study towards a graduate degree in Materials Science & Engineering part time?

All students are required to maintain a full-time load of 12 units. There are no evening courses. The Department does not allow part-time graduate study.

The Department currently does not offer online courses.

Master of Science, Plan I: (usually in 2 years)

20 semester units
8 strictly graduate units in the major subject
2 units of MSE 298 or 299
Thesis

Master of Science, Plan II: (usually in 2 years)

24 semester units
12 strictly graduate units in the major subject
2 units of MSE 298 or 299
Comprehensive exam
Report

Master of Engineering: (usually in 2 years)

40 semester units (20 strictly graduate units in the major subject)
16-20 units of courses oriented toward design and analysis (12 graduate units in major)
8 units (grad or advanced UG) in social sciences and humanities, or from professional schools
4-8 graduate units in professionally-oriented individual study or research, culminating in a written report.

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering: (usually in 3 years after completion of the MS Degree)

33 semester units
18 strictly graduate units in the major subject
2 minors for breadth
(2 to 3 courses taken while in graduate standing elsewhere can be used to satisfy Berkeley course requirements)
Pass the Preliminary Examination
Pass the Qualifying Examination
Serve 1 semester as Graduate Student Instructor
Dissertation

To ensure that your official GRE scores are forwarded to the Department of Materials Science & Engineering you must give ETS our department code (4833) when requesting official score reports to be sent to UC Berkeley.

Does the Department require a GRE subject test? Do I need to retake the GRE because the GRE General Test is changing in October 2002?

The General GRE Test consisting of the verbal, analytical and quantitative sections is required. No subject test is needed to apply for graduate study in Mechanical Engineering. If you have already taken the General GRE test since October 1998, you do not need to take the new version of the General GRE Test.

Does the department of Materials Science & Engineering require that I calculate and list my grade-point average (GPA) on the application?

For applicants who received their undergraduate degree at a U.S. university or college, calculate the GPA using all course work after the first two years. Applicants who received their undergraduate degree outside the U.S. should convert their grades to the U.S. scale using all course work.

All supporting documents should be entered on-line.

Please do not send extra items or documents that are not required, including: printouts of forms you have already submitted online, theses, dissertations, papers, or diskettes. Do not send plastic covers, cases, sleeves, or bindings on documents. Only official transcripts need to be in sealed envelopes.

Please check the online instructions given by Graduate Division. If you are paying by credit card, follow the directions carefully. If you are paying by check, please print the fee payment form and enclose it with a check or money order drawn on a United States bank in the amount of $60 for national students and $80 for international applicants, payable to the "Regents of the University of California." You should mail payment to the Graduate Division to expedite the processing of your application.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and can demonstrate financial need, you may be eligible for a waiver of the application fee. For information and to obtain a Request for Waiver of the Graduate Application Fee, contact Graduate Admissions, 309 Sproul Hall #5900, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-5900. International applicants are not eligible to have the application fee waived.

Can I send my sealed transcripts and letters of recommendation directly to Berkeley in a single package?

Yes. Transcripts may be enclosed if they are in sealed, official envelopes from the institutions that issued them. A few colleges or universities may not issue transcripts directly to students. In such cases, the institutions must send the transcripts directly to our office. Please see the Graduate Division Admissions Requirements web page for transcript requirements. Recommendation letters must be in sealed envelopes; the recommender should sign the envelope on the seal.

What happens if you receive my GRE score report, letters of recommendation, or transcripts before or after my application is submitted?

All documents sent to the Department are kept until we receive your online admission application. We then prepare an application file for each applicant. Please note that your application will not be reviewed until all application materials are received.

You may apply directly to the Ph.D. program, or you can apply for an M.S./Ph.D. Applicants who already have an M.S. degree from another institution should apply directly to the Ph.D. program.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required of all international applicants who received their undergraduate degree at a university or college in a country where English is not the official language. However, if at the time of application, you have already completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a U.S. university, you do not need to take the TOEFL. Instead, you must submit an official transcript from the U.S. university. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement: 1) courses in English as a Second Language, 2) courses conducted in a language other than English, 3) courses that will be completed after you apply, 4) courses of a non-academic nature. For more information about TOEFL requirements, please see "Evidence of English Language Proficiency" on the Graduate Division Admissions Requirements webpage.

The minimum TOEFL score required by U.C. Berkeley for graduate admission is 570 on the paper and pencil test or 230 on the computer based test. Applicants with a score below this will not be admitted.

The institution code for UC Berkeley is 4833. The department code for graduate study in Materials Science & Engineering is 1403.

The Graduate Division sends a confirmation email after your online application is submitted. We will contact you about missing documents using the e-mail address given on the online application. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is submitted and all supporting documents are received by the Student Affairs Officer in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering by the appropriate deadline.

After you have submitted your online application, you will get periodic e-mails notifying you of any outstanding application components. Your application will not be sent for review until all materials have been received. Please do not contact our office to check on the status of your application. Due to the large volume of applications processed by our department, we are unable to check on individual applications.

If you have applied within the past two years but have not registered, you may reactivate your application by submitting Form A of the online application by the established deadline. Additionally, you must complete a current Graduate Study Questionnaire. Submit a new Form C (Form E if you received your undergraduate degree outside the U.S. and are not a U.S. citizen) if you wish to be considered for a fellowship. A new Form B and Statement of Purpose are also recommended. When reactivating, applicants must also submit supplementary or updated transcripts covering any academic work and/or degree completed since the last application. The required standardized test scores must be within current time limits.

All applicants must submit the $60 fee payment with each reactivation of an application.

Upon receipt of your reactivation request (completed Form A of the current application), your previously submitted documents, the reactivation and your updated transcript will be reviewed.

Graduate Student Researchers (GSR) are selected by the admissions committee for the program to which they have applied. Applicants are notified in their admission letters if they have been selected for an assistantship. Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) appointments are offered by the individual faculty researchers. Students interested in these positions should indicate this in the Application form for Graduate Admission and Financial Assistance.

Graduate students who enroll at UC Berkeley for the first time and do not speak English as a native language are required to pass either the Test of Spoken English (TSE), administered through the Educational Testing Service, or the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK), administered on the Berkeley campus by the GSI Teaching and Resource Center before being able to teach as a GSI at Berkeley. A passing score on the TSE or SPEAK is valid for two years prior to your first appointment.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you must complete Form C to be considered for multi-year University Graduate Fellowships, Departmental Block Grant Fellowships, Diversity Fellowships, and Graduate Opportunity Program (GOP) Awards. To be considered for GOP Awards, you also must complete the FAFSA. When completing the section on resources for the coming academic year, provide your best estimate of your summer gross earnings. In the "other income" section, only list fellowships that have already been awarded to you. For additional living expenses, give your best estimate for the coming academic year. Please be sure to include a personal statement on Form C that describes your personal history and intellectual development. All admitted applicants are automatically considered and no special application is needed.

To be considered for Restricted Fellowship Endowments you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and complete Form D.

Do I complete form C to apply for a fellowship if I chose a Masters of Science as my degree goal? (U.S. citizens and permanent residents only)

There are several multi-year fellowships listed on Form C. If you wish to be considered for any of these you must submit Form C or, if you are an international student, Form E.

For an estimate of living expenses while attending Berkeley, please see the Graduate Division webpage for Costs and Fees.

Graduate students may apply for need-based loans and work-study through the Financial Aid Office (FAO). The programs are based on demonstrated financial need and require a separate application, independent of the fellowship application. Low-income students with dependent children will be considered for need-based grant awards if funding permits.

The Financial Aid Office will use the Student Budget for the initial calculation of your eligibility for various programs. If, after reviewing your official offer of financial aid, you decide that your actual expenses are higher, you may then document those expenses, such as medical bills, child care, or research expenses. These extra costs will then be taken into account to increase your loan eligibility. Your eligibility for any federal financial aid program is determined by comparing your resources to your budget.

Questions about the programs described in this section should be directed to the Financial Aid Office, Graduate Unit, 201 Sproul Hall #1960, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1960, (510) 642-0485. Only U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens (those holding permanent resident cards) may apply for funds administered by the Financial Aid Office.

If you are an international applicant, you must complete Form E to be considered for multi-year University Graduate Fellowships, Departmental Block Grant Fellowships, and Restricted Fellowship Endowments.

Please be advised that University resources for international students are very limited. As you may be aware, U.S. Federal regulations require that international students be able to demonstrate sufficient financial support for their studies in the U.S. before a student visa (F or J) may be issued for entry into the U.S. The purpose of this budget is not to create obstacles, but to meet the requirement of the regulations and to ensure that international students coming to Berkeley are adequately prepared for the expenses they will face as a student here. The University estimates that international students entering U.C. Berkeley for the academic year 2003-2004 would need a minimum of $35,744. This figure includes non-resident tuition and fees and living expenses for 12 months. It does not include professional school fees or additional living expenses for a spouse or child. This estimate includes fees for two semesters and for basic living expenses, books, and other school supplies. Married students should bring an additional $7,000 if accompanied by a spouse and $4,000 for each accompanying child. Opportunities for employment are severely limited, and students holding a student visa (F-1) should not expect to be employed in nonacademic positions during the first two semesters. Spouses and children on dependents' visas (F-2) are not permitted to accept employment.

The University will not issue a visa to you unless you provide the international student adviser with clear evidence of your ability to pay all required fees and expenses for the first year. You should also indicate the sources of funding you are likely to have available for the remainder of your program. American embassies and consulates will not grant you a student visa unless you can provide proof of adequate funding for the first year and probable support for subsequent years. Spouses on F-2 visas are not permitted to accept employment. Further information can be obtained from Services for International Students and Scholars, International House, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-2321, or by e-mail (siss@uclink.berkeley.edu).

We will begin sending notification letters to applicants beginning in mid-February and continue to do so until the admissions committe has made all of their decisions. All applicants are notified by e-mail. If your application is successful, the Department will notify you that you have been recommended for admission. However, only the Dean of the Graduate Division can offer admission and send the official admission letter. Admission to graduate study is limited by the number of places available in the various colleges, schools, and departments of Berkeley. If you have applied for admission and fellowship consideration, you should be notified of the results by the end of March. If you have applied for admission only, you will be advised as soon as possible after a decision has been reached.

The admission letter to new (including reactivating) graduate students contains a Statement of Intent to Register that must be filled out and returned to the Graduate Admissions Office. Only the return of the form to the Graduate Admissions Office indicating an intention to register will reserve the registration slot allocated to you. If you decline the offer of admission, you should complete and return the Declination of Admission section as soon as possible.