Application and Admission

Application Procedures
Admission to the Master's Programs
Financial Assistance

Application Procedures

Students holding a bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year collegiate institution are eligible to apply for admission. Admission is selective; the Admission Committee evaluates applicants' abilities to succeed academically and their potential to contribute to the program.

The master's degree is designed for students with a bachelor's degree in another discipline who seek additional professional education in informatics to complement this knowledge. Most graduates of the School of Informatics will emerge as highly sought-after employees in a burgeoning information industry. The master's degrees are designed for a population of students with diverse backgrounds in computer science and technology, graphics, visualization, electronic networking and media communication, library and information science, telecommunications, psychology, cognitive science, journalism, medicine, health and nursing, biology, chemistry, and a host of other fields.=

The master's degrees are focused on developing specialized skills and knowledge in information and information technology, with particular application to a specific field of study or practice. Each degree is an interdisciplinary endeavor that combines course work and field experiences from a traditional subject area or discipline with intensive study of information and technology. Because these specialized skills are developed and applied differently in these different fields, specific requirements are established for each degree, and have a content-specific rationale.

Application Procedures for U.S. Citizens

Requests for domestic applications should be directed to the School of Informatics. Completed applications should be sent to:

Bloomington   Graduate Admissions Committee   School of Informatics   Indiana University   Sycamore Hall, Room 339   1033 E. Third Street   Bloomington, IN 47405   E-mail: informat@indiana.edu   Web: www.informatics.indiana.edu

Indianapolis   Graduate Admissions Committee   School of Informatics   IUPUI   Mary Cable Building, Room 115   525 N. Blackford Street   Indianapolis, IN 46202   E-mail: info@informatics.iupui.edu   Web: www.informatics.iupui.edu

Application Procedures for International Students

Requests for international applications should be directed to:

Bloomington   International Admissions   Indiana University   300 N. Jordan Avenue   Bloomington, IN 47405-1106   (812) 855-4306   E-mail: intladm@indiana.edu   Web: www.indiana.edu/~iuadmit

Indianapolis   Office of International Affairs   IUPUI   620 N. Union Drive, 207   Indianapolis, IN 46202-5167   (317) 274-7294   E-mail: oia@iupui.edu   Web: www.iupui.edu/~oia/admissions

Completed international applications and all supporting materials should be sent to:

Bloomington   Office of International Admissions   Indiana University   300 N. Jordan Avenue   Bloomington, IN 47405-1106

Indianapolis   Office of International Affairs   IUPUI   620 Union Drive, 207   Indianapolis, IN 46202-5167

Application Deadlines

Applications will not be acted upon until all required documents have been received (including transcripts, letters of recommendation, application fee, GRE scores, and TOEFL scores for all non-native English speakers). Admission to the School of Informatics (excluding the New Media program) is decided on a rolling basis. In order to allow time for processing and making financial aid decisions, applicants must meet the following deadlines for matriculation in fall:

Informatics IUB/IUPUI
Financial Aid Consideration	U.S. Citizens January 15	International Students January 15
New Media IUPUI
Admission	Fall March 15	Spring November 15

Financial aid decisions will be made at the same time that admission decisions are made. Students must submit all application materials by the deadline to be considered for financial support.

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Admission to the Master's Programs

Successful applicants for admission to the master's programs must demonstrate skills and knowledge in an academic field relevant to the particular master's program (e.g., biology for bioinformatics). Promising applicants who have deficiencies may, with faculty help, select courses that will provide instruction to overcome deficiencies and meet admissions requirements. However, the courses will not count toward the total number of credits required for the advanced degree.

• Degree requirement: bachelor's degree (with demonstrated technical skills) from an accredited college or university.
• Minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 point scale).
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals in positions to evaluate the applicant's professional promise. Indiana University reserves the right to validate the source of the letters received.
• Scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE), taken within the last five years. Subject tests are recommended if appropriate to the degree.
• Personal statement or sample of creative work.

Each application for admission is carefully evaluated by the admissions committee for the appropriate degree. Applicants to all degree programs must do the following:

1. Submit applications to the School of Informatics, or, if necessary, to International Admissions on the IUB campus or the Office of International Affairs on the IUPUI campus.
2. Pay a nonrefundable graduate application fee to Indiana University.
3. Submit three Application Reference Forms completed by individuals familiar with the applicant's activities and potential to succeed in graduate work. These forms are included in the application packet.
4. Arrange for official transcripts to be sent from all colleges and universities attended by the applicant. Transcripts indicating "issued to student" are not considered official. An official transcript bears the original signature of the registrar and/or original seal of the issuing institution. Transcripts should be mailed directly by a registrar, or given to the applicant by the registrar in a sealed and signed envelope. International applicants should refer to the guidelines outlined in the International Graduate Application for Admission form. If the student has not completed all undergraduate course work at the time of application, the admission decision will be based on information available at the time of application. However, a final transcript showing graduation must be submitted before enrollment. Students who have taken course work on any Indiana University campus do not need to submit an Indiana University transcript.
5. Submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Only the General Exam is required; however, an appropriate subject exam (e.g., chemistry for chemical informatics) may be helpful in determining the applicant's potential. The school does not specify minimum scores, preferring instead to use the full information available in the applicant's dossier. The Media Arts and Science program does not require GRE scores. Information concerning these examinations may be obtained from Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, CN 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000. (www.gre.org).
6. If your native language is not English, you must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL is required of all non-native English speakers. The TOEFL may be waived if a B.S. or M.S. degree has been earned in the United States. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 is required. Registration information can be requested from: TOEFL/TSE Publications, P.O. Box 6154, Princeton, NJ 08541-6154. (www.toefl.org).
7. Submit a personal statement (300-500 words) describing the applicant's educational background and reasons for pursuing graduate study. In addition, some programs may require a sample of creative work or professional accomplishment, which may include written work, a computer program, multimedia presentation, portfolio, etc. Submitted materials should support the applicant's career intentions and plans. (Contact the Office of Informatics for further information).

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Financial Assistance

Graduate Assistantships

Students may compete for a limited number of graduate assistantship appointments. Assistantships are awarded solely on the basis of merit. These appointments constitute the most common type of financial assistance offered through the School of Informatics. Graduate assistantships include a stipend and a fee scholarship. Students will be assigned to work in areas supporting the mission of the School of Informatics.

Students applying for admission to the program should complete the financial aid form if they wish to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship.

Fellowships and Scholarships

Although the majority of financial aid is in the form of assistantships, a limited number of fellowships and scholarships are also available. Those receiving fellowships and scholarships are not required to perform any duties in return for the stipend. These awards are also made solely on a merit basis.

Students applying for admission to the program are considered for fellowships and scholarships; there is no additional application to complete. Awards are normally granted for an academic year. The school is developing new sources of funding, and students are encouraged to review the informatics web site for up-to-date information or call the School of Informatics.

Grants

The GradGrants Center(GGC) is a free service available to all enrolled graduate students on all campuses of Indiana University. The GGC provides information and training to assist graduate students in their search for funding to further graduate study at Indiana University. The GradGrants Center-Bloomington is located in the Main Library, Room 1052E; (812) 855-5281; e-mail: gradgrnt@indiana.edu; Web: www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/index.html. The Indianapolis campus has a center to provide similar services for IUPUI graduate students located in the Union Building, Room 518; (317) 274-4023.

Loans

Domestic students who need financial assistance not provided by any of the awards already mentioned are eligible to apply for need-based financial aid. For graduate students, most need-based aid is in the form of student loans. For further information, contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance, Indiana University, Franklin Hall 208, Bloomington, IN 47405; (812) 855-0321; or the Office of Student Financial Aid, IUPUI, Cavanaugh Hall 103, 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202; (317) 274-4162.

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