Application and Deferment
You can apply online and submit application documents in various ways. Documents are processed in a week or two. The ECE Department does not handle these documents. We only view the documents in the system for admission evaluation. If you have any questions on document uploading, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
Unofficial copies of your original documents are acceptable for admission review. Please submit your official documents after admission, or processing delays may result. The ECE Department does not handle these documents. We only view the documents in the system for admission evaluation. If you have any questions on document uploading/updating, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
There is no specific code for the Department of ECE, the UT Dallas code is 6897.
The ECE Department does not handle these documents. We only view the documents in the system for admission evaluation. If you have any questions on document updates, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
You do not need to calculate equivalent 4. scale-based GPA for application. Please submit your transcripts regardless of it is based on 10-point scale or 20 points scale or 4.5 scale. Unofficial copies of your original documents are acceptable for admission review. Please submit your official documents after admission, or processing delays may result.
You can find application deadlines and fees on the Office of Admission page.
The ECE department has no authority of waiving the application fee. The criteria for an application fee waiver is clearly described which says those who get application fee waivers include UTD currently enrolled students and alumni, military personnel, and McNair Scholars program participants only. If you have questions on application fee waiver, please contact the Office of Admission admission-fee@utdallas.edu.
The Office of Admission and Enrollment performs evaluations for applicants with international academic credentials. Applicants with international academic documents will be assessed an additional foreign credential evaluation fee of $50.
Please be sure to submit all required documents for application (3 letters of recommendation, transcripts, essay, TOEFL (or IELTS or Duolingo), and GRE). If any item is missed, your application is not reviewed. If “ALL” required documents were submitted, your application will be reviewed. Every effort is made to process, review, and make a decision on all applications promptly. Your patience is greatly appreciated. You can check your application status online.
The ECE Department does not handle the first deferment request. You can defer your admission online all for yourself. If you want to defer for a second time, you must contact us at ecegradprogram@utdallas.edu. Deferment for more than one year is not allowed and re-application is needed.
You can apply before the classes begin but please note that this would come with an additional $75 towards the application. You can check about other information about the late application deadline in our website.
Applicants who have earned a three-year baccalaureate degree are eligible to apply for admission to UT Dallas graduate programs. Applicants in their final year of undergraduate study may be admitted to a master’s or doctoral degree program at UT Dallas. Evidence for the conferral of the baccalaureate degree must be presented before enrollment in the master’s or doctoral degree program is permitted.
. The documents that are required to apply are,
Change of Programs
Although EE, CE, and TE are in the Department of ECE, they are completely separate graduate programs recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Switching from one program to another (e.g., EE to CE (or TE) or vice versa) is not allowed. A new application is needed.
CS and CE are completely separate graduate programs recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Switching from one program to another (e.g., CS to CE or vice versa) is not allowed. A new application is needed.
You need to submit a new application. For the new application process, the university waives a foreign credential evaluation fee of $50. However, a $50 application fee is assessed. The ECE department has no authority of waiving the application fee. If you have questions on application fee waiver, please contact the Office of Admission admission-fee@utdallas.edu.
You may change your chosen concentration within the program. You can fill out the Graduate Change of Program Request form, get the advisor’s signature anytime during your graduate program and send it to ecegradprogram@utdallas.edu. Be sure to check all the graduation requirements in the new concentration before submitting the form.
Deferments
Yes, an online application must be filled so we highly encourage you to apply on February 1st – February 15th for the Teaching Assistantship.
If this is your first deferral request, then Login to the Galaxy portal and choose the applicant center. There you can use the “Request Graduate Deferment”. If this is your second request then contact the Office of Admissions.
You can defer up to 2 long semesters. If the admission term is for Fall 2021, you can defer until Fall 2022 and not beyond that. Anything more than this would require a new application.
English Profciency
English proficiency requirements can be fulfilled by one of the following (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo English Test). We require a minimum TOEFL iBT test score of 80. For TOEFL PBT the minimum score is 550.
English proficiency requirements can be fulfilled by one of the following (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo English Test). We accept the Duolingo Exam with a minimum score of 105.
English proficiency requirements can be fulfilled by one of the following (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo English Test). We require a minimum IELTS test score of 6.5.
Exam |
Minimum Score Needed |
TOEFL iBT (Internet Based Test) |
80 |
TOEFL PBT (Paper Based Test) |
550 |
IELTS |
6.5 |
PTE |
67 |
Duolingo English Test |
105 |
Completion of Level 112 at an ELS Language Center |
If your English Proficiency score is lower than that of the university requirement, your application will be automatically rejected by the Office of Admission, and application files will not be forwarded to the ECE department for review.
Applicants from the listed countries are excused from the English proficiency requirement. If the portal displays “required”, please contact The Enrollment Service Department is Office of Admissions and Enrollment admission-status@utdallas.edu. All information entered and updated in the To-do list and Student application status weblink (Galaxy Portal) is managed by The Enrollment Service Department is Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
If you got your bachelor’s or master’s degree through instruction and examination in English (English Proficiency Requirements), you do not need to submit test scores for the English Proficiency requirements. If the portal displays “required”, please contact Office of Admissions and Enrollment admission-status@utdallas.edu. All information entered and updated in the To-do list and Student application status weblink (Galaxy Portal) is managed by Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
Unfortunately, the University of Texas at Dallas does not offer conditional admits based on the English Proficiency score. All students are required to fullfil the score requirement for the application review the department.
GRE Requirements
We require GRE and we will not consider applications without GRE scores. We accept GRE from Home.
Our catalog describes advisable GRE scores for admission which says the following: GRE revised scores of 154, 156, and 4 for the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing components, respectively, are advisable based on our experience with student success in the program. However, the posted scores are not the “minimum” scores. The admission decision is holistically made with the GPA, GRE, essay, and letters of recommendation. Some applicants with lower than those GRE scores have been accepted as GRE scores are not the single factor for admission.
Your application will be reviewed only after the GRE scores are submitted. All information entered and updated in the To-do list and Student application status weblink (Galaxy Portal) is managed by Office of Admission and Enrollment. If you have further questions on the information displayed in the Galaxy Portal, please contact admission-status@utdallas.edu.
Letter of Recommendation
The ECE Department does not handle uploading/updating these documents. We only view the documents in the system for admission evaluation. If you have any questions on document uploading/updating, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
There is no specific template for the letter of recommendation. You can see the Graduate School Request for Recommendation online.
The letter of recommendation request would be automatically sent to your recommenders once you have entered the details in the application form and submitted it. If the Galaxy Portal shows the letter of recommendation in the To-Do list, regardless of what your recommender(s) say, the letter is not in our system. Perhaps the recommender saved the recommendation but did not submit it. The ECE Department does not handle these documents. We only view the documents in the system for admission evaluation after all materials are submitted. If you have any questions on document uploading/updating, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
The ECE Department does not handle these documents. We only view the documents in the system for admission evaluation after all materials are submitted. If you have any questions on document uploading/updating, we encourage you to contact the Office of Admissions and Enrollment.
PhD Application
Having a PhD advisor for your PhD application is not mandatory. If you are admitted, please note that your PhD advisor will not be assigned by the university. Once you are admitted to the PhD program, you need to find your PhD advisor not only for research progress toward the PhD degree but also for financial assistance. So, we strongly encourage you to contact faculties of your research interest directly by presenting your case to be selected as a PhD candidate in a faculty’s lab.
A master’s degree is not a requirement for applying to the PhD program. Consideration will be given to “highly” qualified students wishing to pursue the doctorate without satisfying all the requirements for a master’s degree. Apply for the PhD program “only” you strongly feel that you deserve to be considered for a direct PhD.
If you choose to apply for the PhD program without MS and if the committee finds the application is appropriate for the MS program, we consider your MS admission. However, you are not automatically considered for the MS program as the review process is different from that of the direct MS application.
There is no clear answer. If you have an outstanding GPA and high GRE scores, your case may be considered for a direct PhD. One way to find out is that you directly contact a few faculties of your research interest with your credentials to see if any of the faculty is interested in accepting you as a direct PhD student in her/his Lab. If you can get one of our ECE faculty’s supporting statements or a letter of recommendation, the chance of getting admitted into a direct PhD program is very high.
You can submit the Graduate Change of Program Request form by selecting “Add MS to PhD” after you complete the MS graduation requirement during your PhD.
Any international students with F-1 visa must maintain full-time status which is 9 semester credit hours (SCHs). This is a federal rule, so we must follow this guideline.
Speaking of the PhD program itself, there is no distinction between part-time PhD and full-time PhD. Application for the PhD program is reviewed regardless the student’s intention to be a part-time and full-time PhD student.
Most PhD students take research hours for credits, so having 9 SCHs are usually not an issue either for a part-time PhD student or a full-time PhD student.
Our PhD QE (qualifying exam) require a PhD student to take 2 regular graduate level classes in the field of research and have B+ or better grade in both courses. So, making progress on your PhD remotely is not possible (unless we have 100% online class offering in the future).
Scholarships, Assistantships and Financial Aids
Application for scholarship/fellowship is separate from the MS/PhD application. We encourage you to check the financial assistance page to find financial assistance information. We offer merit-based scholarships for both MS and PhD students. Once the scholarship is available, the scholarship announcement will be posted on the department web page and all eligible students will receive an email notification. If you do not apply for a scholarship, you will not be considered. PLEASE DO NOT SEND INQUIRY EMAIL ON SCHOLARSHIP AS YOU WON’T GET REPLIES.
As shown on the financial assistance page, there are various fellowships/scholarships offered by the ECE Department and Jonsson Engineering School. We offer “merit-based” scholarships for both MS and PhD students. The most common form of scholarship to MS students is the ECE $1,000 Scholarship. PhD students who do not have PhD advisors may receive this same scholarship. The scholarship awards the recipient $1,000 and may entitle the awardee for in-state tuition instead of out-of-state tuition. This is “merit-based” not “need-based”. While we review applications without GRE due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GRE scores are a critical factor for scholarship evaluation. If you do not have GRE scores, your chance of getting scholarships is very low. We will put our best effort to offer a maximum number of $1,000 scholarships in the coming semesters. AGAIN, PLEASE DO NOT SEND INQUIRY EMAIL ON SCHOLARSHIP AS YOU WON’T GET REPLIES.
The online application must be submitted to be considered as a TA. The application window yearly is February 1st – February 15th. Support from one of our ECE faculty for your application is extremely crucial to be selected as TA. Applying without faculty support has a very low chance of being selected as a TA. If you are interested, you may directly contact faculties of your research interest to see if you can get a faculty’s support on your TA application.
We would like to emphasize that TA/RA are highly competitive and are mostly awarded to PhD students. RAs are solely depending on funding from the faculty supervisor. So, we encourage you to get in contact with the faculty/advisor under whom you want to work.
The TA selection results are typically announced between April 2nd – April 15th. The TA appointment is done by academic year (Fall and Spring semester). You must submit an online application each year during the application window of February 1st – February 15th to be considered.
Unfortunately, if you have not received an email by May 31st, we could not select you this time. All the students who have been selected for the scholarship are directly emailed.