\u00a0ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should have the following prerequisites completed before submitting an application for admission:

At least one (1) year of programming in C++, Java, Python, or C, or equivalent or better of professional experience.
Recommended: Familiarity with discrete mathematics, boolean algebra, and linear algebra.
Recommended: Completion of an introductory level statistics course.

Applicants must provide the following:

UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS from each college or university attended.\u00a0For application review purposes only, scan and upload copies of transcripts for all institutions attended since high school. In the online application, you will be prompted to upload your scanned documents. Please upload both the front and back sides of the transcript. Uploaded transcripts should be recent and include the following: your name, dates of attendance, grades/marks received, credits and grading legend. Official transcripts will be requested if you have been admitted and accept our admissions offer. Do not send official transcripts until this time.
THREE RECOMMENDATION LETTERS from people who can evaluate your academic and professional achievement, describe your strengths and weaknesses, and comment on your character, integrity and motivation. Letters which speak to your ability to perform in a post graduate academic program are especially useful.\u00a0 Letters may be from professors, work supervisors, or others.\u00a0 Family members are not allowed.\n
- For the Applicant:\u00a0Complete the Letter of Recommendation section on the online application. This will allow you to enter in your recommenders’ names and e-mail addresses. An automated e-mail invitation will be sent to each of your recommenders. It is strongly recommended that you waive or decline to waive\u00a0 your rights of access to your letters of recommendation. After you have completed and submitted your application, you may continue to manage and monitor the status of their submission by logging into your online application and viewing the status page.
- For the Recommender:\u00a0Your student will provide your contact information on their application which will generate an automated e-mail inviting you to log in and complete a recommendation form. Please follow the steps on the form and submit your recommendation for their application. The form will support document uploads or\u00a0you may copy and paste the text of your letter.
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PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT demonstrating your writing and communication ability.\u00a0 The personal statement should include:\n
- A personal history describing your previous professional and academic achievements.
- Your purpose, including your personal, academic and professional goals, and how and why the MCS program will help you to achieve these.
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE providing a statement of your personal, academic, and professional goals, as well as why and how the MCS program will help you achieve these goals.
GRE is required of ALL applicants.\n
- Official test scores should be sent from the testing agency to UC Irvine. UCI’s institution code is 4859.
- Photocopies or scans will not be accepted.
- GRE scores are valid for five years, after which time the exam must be retaken.
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TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) if you are an international student.\n
- The university’s minimum TOEFL score is 80. For more information, please see\u00a0Graduate Division\u2019s English Proficiency site.
- You may be waived from the TOEFL requirement if you have earned a four-year Bachelor\u2019s degree or a two-year Master\u2019s degree from a US institution with no transfer credit. Waivers are granted by the department after receipt of your transcripts and submission of a completed admissions application. For information on TOEFL waivers, please see the FAQ on this page.
- As an alternative to the TOEFL, you may submit official scores from the Academic Modules of the IELTS (International English Language Testing System).\n
  - You must submit a Test Report Form (TRF) to:
    \nGraduate Division, Admissions, 120 Aldrich Hall, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3180.
  - An overall minimum score of 7 for admission, with a score of no less than 6 on any individual module
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QUESTIONS? email us at: mcs@ics.uci.edu

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