Before Applying

• General GRE scores must be submitted.  While no minimum GRE scores are used to exclude students, typically students entering the program have GRE scores greater than 450 on the Verbal, greater than 750 on the Quantitative, and greater than 4.0 on the writing assessment.
• The University sets the minimum score for the English test required by most International students: TOEFL paper (550), computer-based (213), internet-based (79), or the IELTS (6.5).
• We encourage students to take the Computer Science subject test.

For people with H-1, H-4 visa types or citizens of the U.S.

• We do have both part-time and full-time programs for master's and Ph.D. degrees.
• If you plan to attend while employed, we do not have an online degree program, or an evening program. Our degree requires that you be able to take at least some classes in the morning or afternoon. Our classes are scheduled either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday, so you would only need two days flexible each semester.
• We are a Texas state university. This means tuition is charged at two rates, in-state, and out-of-state/international. To qualify for in-state rates, you must be in the state of Texas for 12 consecutive months before beginning school. This may affect the semester you wish to begin. For more information on residency, contact the Office of the Registrar, residency coordinator at (713) 743-1010.
• If your bachelor’s degree is not in the computer science, computer engineering, or the information technology field, then you will probably need prerequisites. Since the master's degree has a five-year limit for completion (Ph.D. 10 years), if you plan on being part time, it is of more benefit to you to enroll as an undergraduate (post-baccalaureate or 'PB') student to finish your prerequisites, before applying to the master's or Ph.D. program. This prevents them from counting against the five-year limit or the graduate GPA. It also gives you the chance to experience computer science classes before committing to a graduate program.

For international students

When applying from another country, there are things you may not realize that will make applying or attending more difficult.

• Send photocopies of your test scores in addition to having them sent by ETS. This helps in two ways: If your score has not automatically been matched to your application, we can search using the exact name to find and match it. If your test scores were not sent to us by ETS, we can use your unofficial score for admissions review without waiting for the scores to be sent.
• We request a copy of you passport. This is to be sure your name in our records and on the I-20 (or DS-2019 for J-1s) will match your passport name. For those on non-student visas, it is to verify your visa status and notify you of any restrictions to study or employment. For H visas, it assists in determining tuition status.
• Applicants occasionally send passport copies which have no family name (NLN) or no given name (NFN). This can be accommodated in the school database. However, this will cause difficulty in the U.S. with acquiring a Social Security number, a U.S driver’s license and a U.S credit card. It is your decision.