Admission Procedure and Requirements

Application Deadlines

• Fall: January 15
• Spring: September 15

Note: All materials, including recommendation letters, transcripts, and applicable test scores, must be received by the application deadline. Applications that are incomplete after the published deadline will not be reviewed.

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Overview

Students with an earned undergraduate or graduate degree in a computing discipline (i.e., computer science, management information systems, bioinformatics, cybersecurity, or a closely related discipline) can apply for admission to the Ph.D. program. Students whose prior degrees are outside of a computing discipline are encouraged to discuss their interests with the program director prior to application.

Admission decisions are based on a holistic review of application materials by the College of IS&T's Doctoral Program Committee (DPC).

During this review process the committee is looking for candidates that demonstrate:

• Technical Interest. Our program is a Ph.D. in Computing & Information Science. As such, you will be expected to demonstrate an interest and aptitude in technology that fits with the nature of our program.
• Prior Experience with Research. A Ph.D. is fundamentally a research degree. Highlight your involvement in existing research projects, thesis work, and/or publications. Be specific about the roles you played in various projects in your statement of purpose and seek reference letters from those who can speak to your research experience and potential.
• Alignment with UNO Faculty Expertise. Alignment of your research interests with the expertise of graduate faculty in the College of IS&T is an important consideration during admissions in order to ensure successful applicants will have access to appropriate research mentors from the start of the program. Review IS&T faculty profiles on the web, identify specific research areas that interest you in your statement of purpose and explicitly mention faculty names with whom you see a good match. Feel free to reach out via email to our faculty prior to submitting your application to discuss your interest.
• Independence and Initiative. A Ph.D. is largely self-motivated and self-directed work. As such, successful Ph.D. applicants should demonstrate a history of taking the initiative to perform beyond expectations and work independently.
• Proficiency in Written and Verbal English Communication. The ability to read, comprehend and write scholarly papers is key to success as a doctoral student.

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Program-Specific Requirements

Applicants need to submit the following materials to be reviewed during the admissions process.

Transcripts: Transcripts from all higher-education institutions previously attended. Any applicant to this program who has completed undergraduate or graduate coursework at an international higher education institution outside of the United States may submit transcripts and degree certificates (with an English translation) in lieu of a course-by-course transcript evaluation from World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), or Educational Perspectives. This graduate program will conduct an in-house credential evaluation of your transcript(s).

• UNO reserves the right to require a course-by-course evaluation from WES, ECE, or Educational Perspectives if the program is unable to complete an evaluation or should there be any questions or concerns about the documentation that is received. You will be notified by the individual program if an external course-by-course evaluation is required.
• *Note: If you are admitted, official transcripts and degree certificates (with an English translation)/official course-by-course transcript evaluation, and any applicable official exam scores are required.

Evidence of Language Proficiency: Applicants are required to have a command of oral and written English. Those who do not hold a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from the U.S., OR a baccalaureate or other advanced degree from a predetermined country on the waiver list, must meet the minimum language proficiency score requirement in order to be considered for admission.

• A minimum TOEFL score at least 577 paper-based; 90 iBT, 7 IELTS, 61 PTE, or 110 DuoLingo is required for this program.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE): GRE scores are required for most applicants but are only one component of a holistic admission decision. Successful applicants have typically had GRE scores of 150 verbal and 160 quantitative or better. The requirement to submit GRE scores is waived for all applicants for admission terms Spring 2023 and Fall 2023 (application submission deadlines on September 15, 2022 and January 15, 2023 respectively).

For other admission terms, the GRE requirement may be waived for exceptional applicants subject to the GRE waiver procedures documented below.

• The GRE may be automatically waived for applicants holding a Master’s degree from an accredited US institution provided that (1) the degree is in a computing discipline and (2) that the graduate GPA for that degree is 3.3 or higher.
• A GRE waiver may also be requested for candidates meeting one or more of the conditions below.
  • Those who hold a bachelor’s degree in a computing discipline from an accredited US institution with a GPA of 3.6 or higher.
  • Those with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the IT industry in the United States.
  • Those with a history of high-quality, peer-reviewed publications in an IT field who have made significant contributions to the authorship of those papers.
• GRE waiver requests must be submitted to the Doctoral Program Committee Chair using the form located on the program website along with supporting documentation (downloadable PDF or via Docusign). Requests must be received at least 1 month prior to the published application deadline for the applicable term. Note that eligibility to apply for a GRE waiver does not guarantee it will be granted, and waivers will only be approved by the DPC in cases where the candidate’s record permits an evaluation of their research potential without reference to GRE scores.​

Current résumé or CV: In addition to listing prior academic accomplishments and professional positions, please include complete citations for all prior authored academic publications if applicable.

Statement of Purpose: A written statement (not to exceed two single-spaced pages) that addresses the following:

• How is a Ph.D. in CIS going to advance your career?
• Why is UNO the right place for you to pursue doctoral studies?
• In answering the questions above the statement should:
  • Describe your research interests and how they align with the work of current IS&T faculty members.
  • Describe any relevant technical knowledge/skills or professional experiences that relate to the research you hope to conduct in CIS.
  • Describe your prior research experiences. If you have participated in collaborative research, what was your role on those projects?
• Lastly, if you have included optional supporting materials as part of your application, explain them.

Three (3) Letters of Recommendation: The best recommendation letters are from those who can give an in-depth evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses with respect to academic work.

• We strongly recommend that at least one letter writer be able to speak directly about your prior research experiences.
• Letters must be submitted directly to the application system by the letter writers. The DPC reserves the right to verify the content of recommendation letters with their authors.

Supporting Materials: Applicants must include a PDF portfolio of supporting materials that may provide additional evidence of research potential. This may include:

• Copies of academic papers, publications, theses or project reports done in an academic or industrial setting
• Documentation of technical accomplishments like a portfolio of significant software development projects
• Documentation of certifications or other forms of micro-credentials not otherwise reflected on transcripts
• A research plan (up to 2 pages) outlining what an applicant would like to research during their doctoral studies and critiquing the five most closely related papers to their research topic of interest.
• Other materials you would like to share with the committee

In case of joint/collaborative artifacts (e.g., publications or theses with multiple authors), applicants should include a brief description of their individual contributions.

Note: Tools to detect potential cases of plagariasm may be used by the DPC for all the materials submitted by applicants.

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Admission Process and Timeline

Eligible students who request a GRE waiver must do so no later than one month prior to the published program application deadline for the term. These requests will be reviewed by the DPC, and applicants will be notified via email of the GRE waiver outcome prior to the admission deadline.

Following the admission deadline, the DPC will begin review of all complete applications. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure all materials are available for review (including reference letters, transcripts, and others supporting materials) in the admission system by the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered by the committee.

Candidates identified for further consideration may be invited by the committee to take part in an interview with a small group of faculty to learn more. These interviews are usually conducted within 4-8 weeks following the application deadline. Final admission decisions are usually made within 2-3 weeks following those interviews.