Required Documents

Applicants to the Master's programs must submit these documents:

• Graduate School application
• Official transcripts from each college or university attended
• Targeted applicant essay
• Current resume
• Three (3) recommendations/evaluations
• Score report on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Each requirement is explained in more detail below.

Criteria for Admission to MLS and MIM Programs

Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum “B” or 3.0 average on a 4.0 scale on all academic work attempted.

Applications for admission to both programs are evaluated on the basis of these criteria:

• strength of academic record
• strength of the three (3) recommendations/evaluations submitted on one's behalf from persons competent to judge probable success in graduate school
• strength of targeted applicant essay
• acceptable scores on the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). (See the section on the Graduate Record Exam below for more information about this requirement).

Graduate Record Exam

Applicants in these categories are not required to submit GRE scores:

• Domestic applicants with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or above
• Domestic applicants with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above who have earned other graduate degrees

The cumulative undergraduate GPA is calculated by taking the average from all undergraduate courses taken. 

Applicants who do not fall into any of the categories above must submit GRE scores. 

All international applicants are required to submit GRE scores.

GRE scores should be at least 500 points in the verbal as well as the quantitative section (for a minimum total score of 1000).  A score of 4.0 or above for the analytical section is considered competitive.  Please note that achieving the minimum score does not guarantee admission: it only makes the applicant eligible for admission consideration.

Recent scores (i.e., scores earned within five years of application) are required. These must be sent directly to the Graduate School from the Educational Testing Service. The University of Maryland's institution code is 5814.  Our department code is 4701. 

For more information on the GRE test, go to www.ets.org/gre.

Application Checklist

The College of Information Studies will evaluate your application only when it is complete (see checklist below). We suggest that you submit your application well in advance of the application deadline. Please note that official admission to the program comes from the Graduate School and from the College.

Submit to:
University of Maryland College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742

• *The Graduate School application form with a sixty dollar ($60) check or money order made out to the University of Maryland.
• One official copy of your transcript from each academic institution attended sent directly from the institution.
• Maryland In-State Tuition form, if applicable.
• Immunization records. (If admitted, the records must be received prior to enrollment.)
• **Three (3) recommendations/evaluations. Whenever possible, these recommendations should be submitted online using the Application Supplemental Form, discussed below.
• **Targeted applicant essay (this is submitted instead of the Graduate School's essays). This 500-word essay should address the following four questions:
  1. What do you see as the most interesting and/or significant opportunities provided by the information field?
  2. Why are you interested in the particular degree for which you are applying, and why do you wish to pursue this degree at the College of Information Studies?
  3. What strengths would you bring to graduate study and to the information profession?
  4. What are your career plans, and how would this degree advance them?
• **Current resume
• If required, official scores of the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination, sent directly to the College of Information Studies - UM from the Educational Testing Service. Our institution code is 5814 and our department code for all programs is 4701.

* Applications are submitted online at the Graduate School site: http://www.gradschool.umd.edu.
** These materials can be submitted online through the Application Supplemental Form, which is discussed in further detail below.

Please see the Graduate School website for complete instructions on applying.

Online Submission Instructions

After completing the Graduate School application online, you will be e-mailed a password to login to your Application Supplemental Form. In most cases, students will be contacted within 2 business days of submitting their Online Application; during peak times, however, the notification may take as long as 3-4 business days.
The Application Supplemental Form is used for electronic submission of application information and documents. 

1. Recommendation letters - make sure to enter your recommenders' e-mail addresses and all other required information into the recommendation section of the Application Supplemental Form (ASF). Your recommenders will receive e-mailed instructions on how to submit forms and letters online.
2. Essay and Resume - These can be uploaded as attachments. Please submit as PDF or Microsoft Word files.
3. Make sure that you have completed the entire supplemental application before clicking “Submit this Application” because you will not be able to go back in and make changes later.

HiLS Applicants, please keep in mind that each department has their own requirements, and that the above requirements are those of the College of Information Studies only. You will need to consult the History Department's resources to determine what they require in addition to the above.

Follow-Up

Applicants are responsible for the timely completion of their files.  Only complete files will be submitted to the Admissions Committee for review.  Please contact the Student Services Office with concerns about missing documents.

The Student Services Office maintains application files until they are evaluated for admission or the application deadline for the requested semester has passed. To be considered for a subsequent semester, the applicant must notify the Student Services Office in writing PRIOR to the beginning of the original entry semester. Otherwise, the application will be withdrawn. An applicant wishing to be considered after the file has been withdrawn must again pay the required Graduate School application fee and reapply to both the Graduate School and the College of Information Studies. The new application will be considered on the basis of admission standards existing at the time of reapplication.

Contact

For more information, please contact the Student Services Office of the College of Information Studies at lbscgrad@deans.umd.edu.