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Admissions

The MCIS program welcomes applications from recent undergraduates and accomplished professionals who demonstrate excellence in:

  • Analytical Skills
  • Critical Thinking
  • Intellectual Curiosity
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Record of Academic Achievement
  • Self-Motivation
  • Work Experience (not required of recent graduates of undergraduate programs)
  • Writing and Presentational Skills

Applications to the MCIS Program are evaluated on the basis of previous academic records, three letters of recommendation from persons who know the applicant in contexts of education or employment, a personal statement relating experience and career goals to what you want to achieve in the MCIS program, and performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) verbal and quantitative general tests as well as the writing component of the GRE. Ideally, applicants will have a combined score of at least in the mid-150s for Verbal and  mid 140s for Quantitative. We look especially carefully at the verbal score and the writing score (which we'd like to see at or above 4.5).

In making admission decisions, we consider the entire application and do not use any single criteria (grade point; GRE score) as an absolute cut-off.  We use the application materials to assess the student's likely fit and  success in the program.  As a general guideline students are expected to have an undergraduate and/or graduate academic record at least at the 3.0 cumulative grade-point-average level (we are much more focused on grades achieved in allied coursework that is a best representation of the applicant's likely success in our program). Applicants with a variety of educational and employment backgrounds (e.g., communication, information science, media studies, human resource management, health communication, management, psychology, or other social sciences) are encouraged to apply.

Rolling Admissions

MCIS reviews all applications to the program on a rolling basis. To have an application processed for Fall admission you should have materials completed no later than July 1st. To have an application processed for Spring admission you should have materials completed no later than November 1st.

International applicants will need to attend to the extra time needed to apply for visas after admittance to the program. Such students should have their files completed no later than May 1st for Fall and October 1st for Spring.

Application Forms and Supporting Materials

Application to the MCIS program should be done through the Graduate Admissions website at http://gradstudy.rutgers.edu . For questions about the application itself, contact the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 18 Bishop Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8530; 732/932-7711, or check their website for details.

Applications for the Graduate Record Examination may be obtained from the Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000; One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201; or P.O. Box 23470, Oakland, CA 94623-0470.

For further information, contact the program at 732/932-7500, option 9 Monday through Friday from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., or send an email inquiry to the Program Director, Dr. Jennifer Gibbs ().

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) Waiver

Waivers for GRE are granted in rare circumstances where the applicant has significant, related work experience (7+ years) that includes extensive writing or have achieved a graduate degree in a field of social science or arts and sciences or other field that demands strong analytic skills and excellent writing.

If you would like to apply for a waiver of the GRE, you may do so by emailing the Program Director at: . You should send along your resume and state whether you have already achieved an advanced degree in an allied major.

Files are not reviewed until the GRE scores have been officially received by the Graduate Admissions office unless a waiver has been granted.

Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Waiver

Waivers for TOEFL are granted to students who earned their bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university. The waiver will not be applied to your application until official transcripts are received. Once we have confirmed that a degree was earned, the TOEFL is waived.

Non-Matriculated Study

Due to the large number of highly qualified students who seek admission and limits on available faculty resources, the MCIS program is not able to offer non-matriculated study opportunities.