Graduate Programs

Admission

Informatics

Innovation permeates the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Our rare combination of interdisciplinary programs - including informatics, computer science, data science, library science, information science, and intelligent systems engineering - makes our school one of the largest, broadest, and most accomplished of its kind.  Informatics is among the STEM programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.

The Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering offers MS degrees in animal informatics, bioinformatics, computer science, data science, human computer interaction, informatics, intelligent systems engineering, library science, and secure computing, as well as doctoral degrees in computer science, informatics, information science, and intelligent systems engineering.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for intelligent, collaborative, and hard-working students!  Indiana University's Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering is a diverse community and students have extraordinary opportunities such as internships, research, cultural programs, and global connections.  Employers from a variety of industries hire our graduates as well as provide internships for our students.  With a graduate degree from Indiana University's Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering coupled with a student's undergraduate degree, they will have a first-rate education that will give them an extra edge in the job market.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Our students come from a variety of educational backgrounds - from technology to the sciences and liberal arts. Some of our students have earned a bachelor's degree while others have earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree.  Likewise, some of our students enter the program with no work experience while other students have numerous years of work experience.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Deadlines for application submission for each program are published on our "How to Apply" page.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Email goluddy@iu.edu with questions.

The IU Graduate CAS application has four sections (Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information, and Program Materials). The Personal Information, Academic History, and Supporting Information sections are part of the "common application". The Program Materials section is specific to the program you have selected If you apply to another program at Indiana University, you will only need to update the Program Materials section, you may want to review the "How to Apply" page on the website.

All completed applications reviewed by the admissions review committee are considered for financial awards which the Luddy School may be offering.  If you are admitted, the admit letter will detail the financial award, if any.  Every year we have limited funds to distribute.  The majority of our master's students receive no funding. Some students find part-time employment to help offset the cost of their education, to gain experience in their field of study, or simply to earn some money.

To apply to any of the Luddy graduate programs, students must submit the following:

APPLICATION

Online Graduate and Professional Admissions Application

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (also called Personal Statement)
Upload in the Program Materials section

The admissions committee requires all applicants to submit a personal statement. Be sure to put your name on your personal statement. Statements can be submitted only once. Your statement should be sincere, direct, and most of all, written by you.  Be sure to follow the instructions provided in the online application as to what you should include in your personal statement as each program may have different requirements. You may also use your statement to explain any anomalies in your academic record. Personal statements have no word limit. Statements are typically 1-3 pages long and often include an explanation of:

  • Why our program is the right fit for your academic/career goals
  • Why you want to be part of the program
  • A description of your academic goals and your abilities
  • A discussion of your plans after completion of the degree
  • Information on the area of research you would like to pursue, if applicable

RESUME/CV
Upload in the Program Materials section

Resumes/CVs can be submitted only once with your online application as we do not accept updated versions later.

TRANSCRIPTS, MARK SHEETS AND DEGREE CERTIFICATIONS
Upload in the Program Materials section

You must scan and upload copies of your transcript(s), mark sheets(s) and degree certifications(s) in the Program Materials section of the IU Graduate CAS application. Scanned copies are marked as unofficial.

LETTER OR RECOMMENDATIONS (Program Materials section)

We require three (3) letters of recommendation. You may enter a maximum of 5 recommenders. Recommendations should be from academic and/or professional references who can attest to your abilities, accomplishments, strengths, knowledge, and experience.  If you have experience as a teaching assistant, consider asking your teaching supervisor to write a recommendation. Once you have saved recommendation information, an email request will be sent automatically to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise your recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder.

TOEFL, TOEFL AT HOME EDITION, IELTS, OR DUOLINGO (for international students)
Upload scanned copies of score sheet in Academic History Section

All non-native English speakers must be proficient in English. Many of our students score 100 or above for TOEFL; 7.0 or above for IELTS; and 120 or above for Duolingo.

You must submit your official test scores by the application deadline. It can take a few weeks for your scores to be sent and processed, so please plan accordingly. On your application, you must enter current TOEFL or IELTS scores in the Academic History section of your application.

  • Note about Duolingo scores: You cannot enter your scores in the Academic History section of the application. You can upload scanned copies copies of your scores and we will use these as official scores until the official scores arrive. These scanned copies should be uploaded in the Program Materials section of your application.

For TOEFL, our school code is 1324. For the department codes go to this link. If the program is not listed, use the department code of 60. For IELTS, you will send scores to "Indiana University, Bloomington - Office of International Admissions". For Duolingo, you will send your scores to "Indiana University - Undergraduate/Graduate".

If you are applying to an M.S. program, you are required to submit English proficiency test scores. However, if you have earned a degree from a U.S. university, the English proficiency requirement will be waived for M.S. applicants.

If you are applying to a Ph.D. program, you are required to submit English proficiency scores regardless of any previous university location.

PROGRAM SPECIFIC QUESTIONS/DOCUMENTS (Program Materials section)

The Program Materials section of the IU Graduate CAS application system is specific to the program to which you are applying. You will need to complete the Program Materials section for each program you apply to at the Luddy School.

PORTFOLIO, required for all HCI applicants
upload in Program Materials section

Applying to the Human Computer Interaction MS and the Informatics Ph.D. Human Computer Interaction Design programs requires the submission of a portfolio. Your portfolio should show you best work. You do not need to sow design work, if that is not your best work. An applicant with a software engineering background might submit a system; one with a literature background might submit a critical essay; one with a business background might submit a business plant.  Focus on quality, rather than quantity. Portfolios can be submitted only once. No revisions or updates will be allowed.

GRE OFFICIAL TEST SCORES, optional (Academic History Section)

The submission of GRE scores is optional. If you wish to submit test scores, please use 1324 for the institution code and 0000 for the department code. GRE scores must have been earned within the past five years.

APPLICATION REVIEW and NOTIFICATION

The admissions committee will review only completed applications. The review process takes several weeks. Decisions should be rendered by mid-March via email.

DECISION DEADLINE FOR ADMITTED STUDENTS - APRIL 15

Admitted students will have until April 15 to accept our office. This is the spirit of the Council of Graduate School Resolution. If the student has not accepted our offer by April 15, we will withdraw our offer of acceptance.

FINANCIAL AWARDS

All completed applications reviewed by the admissions review committee are considered for financial awards which the Luddy School may be offering.  If you are admitted, the admit letter will detail the financial award, if any. Every year we have limited funds to distribute. The majority of our master's students receives no funding. Some students find part-time employment to help offset the cost of their education, to gain experience in their field of study, or simply to earn some money. Ph.D. students receive an appointment as as Assistant Instructor or Research Assistant stipend, tuition fee remission, health insurance, and a travel allowance.

UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

The University Graduate School offers several internal and external fellowships and awards. The application process and deadlines vary by fellowship and award, so be sure to read the requirements carefully.  

TUITION AND FEES

Indiana University is committed to keeping its degrees affordable for in-state and out-of-state students. We encourage you to review the Office of the Bursar's listing of tuition and fees and mandatory fees. To determine approximate enrollment costs, use the tuition estimator by selecting the term, residency, level, program, and number of hours to estimate the cost of tuition and associated fees.  For international students, the Office of International Services outlines the tuition and fees for International students.

CONTACT INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Luddy Homepage - information on all programs, faculty, research, and happenings at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering

The Luddy "How to Apply" page contains the most up-to-date and comprehensive information regarding each step of the admissions process.  Read in its entirety and use the included Application Checklist when completing your application.  Any admissions questions not covered in our "How to Apply" content, email goluddy@iu.edu.

To get a glimpse into our programs, watch this video.

For a link to our Data Science Residential resource page, please check out this page.

Questions regarding immigration, financial documentation, 120, etc., email newtoiu@indiana.edu 

We have a great school with lots of opportunities for students and we hope you will consider applying to our program. We look forward to hearing from you. Please email us at goluddy@iu.edu if you have any questions.

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