Graduate Applicant FAQ

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More extensive information on applying to the graduate program in Metallurgical Engineering is available in the links above.

Please direct questions regarding application fees, transcripts and diplomas, English proficiency scores, and I-20s to or to .

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All information and costs are subject to change without notice. See University websites for the most-current information.

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Graduate Program

What degrees does the department offer? How long does it take to get a degree?

See "Degrees Offered" on the webpage About the Graduate Program.

Can I apply directly to the PhD program, without doing a Masters first?

You can apply directly to the PhD program. If, upon evaluation, the department’s admission committee decides you aren’t quite ready for the PhD program, they might offer you admission to the MS program instead. Alternately, you can join the MS program and then, once you show your advisor here you are capable of doing PhD work, switch to the PhD program, without completing the MS.

Do you admit students Spring or Summer Semesters?

Metallurgical Engineering admits students during all semesters, Fall, Spring, and Summer.

What are the requirements to receive a degree?

See the Graduate Student Manual for information on the requirements to receive a degree.

Can I get a degree online?

The Department of Metallurgical Engineering does not offer internet or distance-learning courses for degree-seeking students. Occasionally noncredit graduate-level professional development courses are available over the internet.

Can I join a student chapter in a professional society?

The department has a Material Advantage student chapter (joint TMS, ASM, AIST, and ACerS).

Do you have international students?

We currently have graduate students from about fifteen different countries.

Admission Requirements

See Admission Requirements.

Please direct questions regarding transcripts and diplomas or English proficiency scores to the Admissions Office or to International Admissions.

Can I still be admitted if my g.p.a. or test scores are low?

For applicants with a g.p.a. below B/3.0, the department may appeal their admission to the university's Graduate Admissions Committee. This requires considerable extra effort by the department, and the department is only willing to do it for applicants who have extraordinary qualifications in other areas.

English proficiency is a university requirement. If TOEFL or IELTS scores are below the minimum requirement, the applicant will not be accepted.

Since the GRE minimum is a departmental requirement rather than a university requirement, the department may decide to accept an applicant whose GRE scores don't meet the stated minimum, without needing to appeal to Admissions. An applicant requesting this should have outstanding qualifications in other areas. The department is stricter about GRE scores of domestic (U.S.) applicants than of international applicants.

Does my undergraduate degree need to be in metallurgical engineering?

No. However, applicants who have not completed all courses required for the award of the degree of B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering, or equivalent courses at other universities, will need to take these as part of their graduate degree study, so plan on your degree requiring more time.

Tests

What are the institutional and department codes for the University of Utah and the Department of Metallurgical Engineering?

When requesting ETS to send reports of test scores, the institutional code for the University of Utah is 4853. The department code for Metallurgical Engineering is 1404 (for the GRE) or 73(for the TOEFL).

I hadn't decided to apply to the University of Utah when I took the test. How do I get my scores sent to the University of Utah?

If you did not list the University of Utah as one of the schools to receive the test results, you may request official copies be sent to Admissions from Educational Testing Service, PO Box 6151, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6151, USA. Educational Testing Service’s website is http://www.ets.org.

Is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required?

Yes. See Admission Requirements.

English proficiency

Please direct questions regarding English language proficiency requirements to the International Admissions Office rather than to the Department of Metallurgical Engineering.

See International Applicants.

Who is required to take a test of English proficiency?

If the applicant is not from an English-speaking country, the university requires a minimum score on a test of English proficiency. If the applicant has a degree, received in the past two years, from a university in the U.S. or another English-speaking country, or is completing such a degree, this requirement may be waived.

What countries are regarded as "English-speaking"?

United States, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada excluding Quebec, American Samoa, or Puerto Rico.

Which English proficiency tests are accepted?

International Admissions accepts either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

What is the minimum English proficiency score required for admission?

The applicant must have a TOEFL score of 61 internet-based (IBT) (equivalent to 173 computer-based (CBT) or 500 paper-based (PBT)), or an IELTS score of 6. The Department of Metallurgical Engineering prefers a TOEFL of 71 IBT (197 CBT or 530 PBT) or an IELTS of 5.5, higher than the university's requirement.

Can I take English classes at the university?

The University of Utah offers classes in English as a foreign (or second) language through the English Language Institute, part of the Division of Continuing Education.

Application

There seems to be a problem with the application program. Can you help me?

If you are having difficulty filling out the ApplyYourself application, contact ApplyYourself's technical support.

Documents

Does it have to be an official transcript?

Transcripts from U.S. universities must be uploaded into the application system.

An international application can be evaluated with an unofficial transcript. After acceptance, official transcripts and diplomas are required of all previous university-level schooling, showing the degrees awarded. To be considered official, transcripts and diplomas must be mailed by the schools attended directly to the Admissions Office (for international applicants, to International Admissions). Official transcripts and diplomas are required in the original language, with official English translations if the school does not routinely issue official transcripts and diplomas in English.

My school won't mail transcripts. What can I do?

Have the Registrar seal the transcript in an envelope before giving it to you. You may then mail it yourself.

Please direct questions regarding transcript and diploma requirements to the Admissions Office or to International Admissions rather than to the Department of Metallurgical Engineering.

Who should write the recommendations? Is there a form for recommendations?

Submit three personal recommendation letters from former professors or work colleagues.

The recommender may write the letter using the form in the ApplyYourself system, or on the letterhead (stationery) of his/her organization or university, and then scan and upload the letter into the ApplyYourself form.

What should the Statement of Purpose say? How long should it be?

The Statement of Purpose should describe your main professional and research interests and your career goals. The length should be about 500 words, or two to three pages double-spaced. Upload your Statement into the ApplyYourself system.

Where do I send documents?

Whenever possible, documents should be uploaded into the ApplyYourself application system.

If this is not possible, see Admissions Contact Information for what documents go where.

Can I mail my documents instead of uploading them?

You can, but we do not advise it. The faculty usually evaluate an application based on what is online; if something is missing, they don't always check with the department office to see if there is additional paper documentation.

I don't have everything ready to send yet. Can I send some documents later?

To get started, the first items needed are (1) the application, (2) the application fee, (3) your transcripts and diplomas, and (4) if applicable, your English proficiency scores (TOEFL or IELTS). Questions regarding these items should be directed to Admissions or International Admissions. It usually takes a couple of weeks, after all of these have been received, for Admissions to complete its evaluation.

After Admissions has evaluated your application, the department begins its evaluation. The department looks at (1) your recommendation letters, (2) your personal statement, and (3) your GRE scores.

For an international applicant, once the department has made a decision to admit, International Admissions then needs a financial statement and a copy of the first page of your passport, before it can issue an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for use in applying for a visa. If the department will be offering you financial assistance, it provides the financial statement to International Admissions.

Expenses

Please direct questions regarding application fees to the Admissions Office or to International Admissions.

What does it cost to apply?

See What Will It Cost?

Can I get the fee waived?

No. We are not authorized to waive the application fee under any circumstances.

How much is tuition?

See What Will It Cost? for a link to the tuition schedule.

How do I apply for financial assistance?

It is not necessary to apply separately for financial support. All applicants are considered for financial assistance.

What are my chances of getting financial assistance?

It is impossible to predict in advance your individual chances of getting financial assistance. It depends on our funding, which varies, and your qualifications compared to other applicants. On average, about ten new students join the department yearly with financial assistance from us.

Do you have internships?

Contact an individual faculty member with whom you are interested in working to ask if s/he has any openings in his/her research group. See the faculty profiles for research interests and projects.

Deadlines

What is the deadline for applying?

See Deadlines.

If I apply after the deadline, will my application still be considered?

Applications after the recommended deadline are still considered. However, admission is for a specific semester, and international applicants who apply after the department's recommended deadline frequently don’t receive their acceptance letter and I-20 Certificate of Eligibility soon enough to get a visa before the semester starts.

Acceptance can be deferred (adjusted or delayed) by only one term. For example, if an applicant is accepted for Fall Semester but then is unable to arrive by the start of the semester, Admissions will, with the department's approval, change the acceptance from Fall to Spring. If the applicant wants to come in a subsequent academic year, they must reapply and pay another application fee.

Transfer Credit

I took some graduate classes at another university. Can I transfer the credits?

Transfer credits must be a grade of B or better, graduate level, and not used for any other degree. Transfer credits must be approved by your Supervisory Committee.

After Applying

When can I expect a decision?

The entire evaluation process can take three or four months, so apply well in advance of your anticipated admissions semester.

How can I find out the status of my application?

Check the status of your application and what documents are still needed using the ApplyYourself system.

I can't start the semester I applied for. Can I defer my admission (change it to a later semester)?

If you are unable to start the semester for which you were admitted, you may defer your admission by one semester. This can be done once. If you need to defer more than once, or if you need to defer until the following year, you must reapply for admission.

I wasn't offered financial support. If I apply again, might I get support?

The number and quality of applicants varies from semester to semester. Sometimes an applicant who was passed over earlier gets a second look when they reapply ... and sometimes they are passed over again.

I was denied admission. If I apply again, could I be accepted?

It is unlikely. You are probably wasting the application fee.

Other

How do I find a place to live? How do I get around? What is there to do in my spare time? If I take a couple of days off, are there places I can go see?

See About the University, City, and State.

I've read all the information and I still have a question.

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Please be patient as we update information to reflect new processes. If you notice something that is inaccurate, let us know so we can fix it.

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