APPLICATIONS TO THE PROGRAM

Applicants must apply on-line by going to:
http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/grad/admission.htm.

The deadline for receipt of these materials for  Fall (admission only) is June 25 (March 1 for international applicants") and for Spring (admission only) this deadline is  November 25 ( July 15 for international applicants). For students seeking financial support, all materials for Fall applicants should be in by late February, since consideration for assistantship awards starts in early March. Little assistantship support is available for Spring applicants.

The usual administrative sequence followed is the recommendation by the faculty in the applicant's major field and Director of Graduate Programs to the graduate school that an applicant be admitted on Full or Provisional Status, or that the application be denied. You will receive the final decision directly from the Dean of the Graduate School. Provisional Status requires that the incoming student attain a 3.0 G.P.A. during the first semester; student support cannot be awarded until this status is removed. Those admitted on Full Status will be contacted directly by the Graduate Administrator or a faculty member of the Department as assistantships are awarded.

The typical M.S. program consists of a minimum of 30 semester hours of course work. Six of these may be in "thesis research." All M.S. students are required to satisfactorily complete and defend a research thesis. Students sponsored by the government may opt for the non-thesis M.S. degree; they would be required to complete a minimum of 33 semester hours including 3 hours for a research/review paper.

The Ph.D. degree is primarily an in-depth research program. Applicants for this degree will normally have previously obtained an M.S. degree and should submit evidence of their research potential/productivity together with their basic application materials. Such evidence may take the form of reprints of articles and abstracts or may be addressed directly by individuals familiar with your thesis research in their letters of recommendation. Your academic transcripts and/or professional experience are expected to demonstrate such breadth that ideally you may immediately concentrate in your area of specialty. Any background deficiencies determined by your graduate committee, together with most course work in your major and minor field, must be completed prior to your Preliminary Examination for admission to candidacy for the degree. Since the degree program emphasizes research, specifics of the graduate program are determined primarily by the student and his/her advisory committee so as to reflect the individual's research goals. A minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the B.S. or 54 credit hours beyond the M.S. (including research credits) is required. While the end-product of the program is a dissertation, Ph.D. candidates will be urged to have at least one manuscript submitted for publication in a refereed journal before submitting their final dissertation to the Graduate School.

Your attention is directed to the Graduate School Catalog for the specific sequence and timetable of steps to be met for both the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs. Ultimately, the student is responsible to ensure these steps have been met.