Step 1: The Online Application
- Go to ApplyTexas.org.
- Complete all of the necessary information and answer all of the questions required.
- Letters of Recommendation: Supply names and email addresses for three recommenders.
- Make sure you hit the Submit button and that you pay your application fee. Only then will you be moved to the next stage.
- Within 48 hours of submitting your application, you will receive an email from the Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) directing you to a Status Check website where you will be asked to upload additional application materials.
- NOTE: You do not have to upload any supplemental materials to the ApplyTexas website. You can do that in Step 2.
Step 2: Upload Supplemental Materials
After you have paid your ApplyTexas fee and receive the email with directions to the MyStatus page for the University of Texas at Austin, you may upload the following required documents on that portal:
- Scan of official paper transcript. You will have to submit the physical official transcript ONLY if you are accepted and choose to enroll.
- Statement of purpose
- Brief essay of research questions (also called statement of research objectives)
- CV or resume
- Writing sample
Want more detail about the Supplemental Materials? Please visit the Admission Supplemental Materials Guide.
Step 3: Test Scores
GRE Scores: GRE scores are no longer required, but if you would like to submit these, take the test as soon as possible and have scores sent to the University of Texas at Austin (#6882). They are sent electronically from the Education Testing Service (ETS). Note that it can take 3 to 6 weeks after you take the test for the scores to reach us.
TOEFL (or IELTS) Scores: Required for International Students only, request that your scores go to the University of Texas at Austin (#6882). The Office of Graduate Admissions (OG) has more detailed instructions. A International applicants must submit the required, official TOEFL or IELTS score. View more information on GRE and TOEFL scores.
PLEASE NOTE: All pieces of your application (supplemental materials AND test scores) must be submitted no later than the application deadline (December 1st). We will not accept partial applications or applications submitted after the deadline. If your test scores arrive after the deadline, then your application will not be reviewed for the upcoming admissions cycle.
Additional Information
We require that beginning graduate students have at least nine semester hours of upper-division undergraduate or graduate course work in Communication Studies. You may apply without this requirement. If you are accepted with a deficiency in Communication Studies course work, you will be required to make up this deficiency after you are admitted to the graduate program and before you take any graduate course work. You may take this course work at UT during the summer or your first semester here or at another four-year institution before beginning graduate course work here.
Previous degrees: To be accepted to the master’s program, you must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. To be accepted to the doctoral program, you must have a Master's degree or be in a Master's program with plans to complete the degree before beginning the doctoral program. You may complete both degrees, an MA and a PhD at UT, but you must first apply to the master’s program; then apply to the doctoral program when you are finished with the your master’s degree. Admission to the MA program does not guarantee admission to the PhD program.
The Graduate School has set a minimum grade point average of "B" (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). You may apply to the Graduate School with a lower than 3.0 GPA. However, if you are accepted, it will be with conditions. You must maintain a 3.0 GPA while in graduate school
Rarely, a telephone interview with a member of the Graduate Faculty MAY be requested by the Graduate Advisor or by a faculty member. An applicant may e-mail faculty members at any time during the application process to ask questions about their research, etc.