Graduate Program Admissions

You must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution before beginning our MA program. You must have a master's degree or expect to graduate with a master’s degree before beginning our doctoral program. The estimated time to graduation for a Masters is two years and for a Doctorate is four years.

Interpersonal Communication, Organizational Communication and Technology, or Rhetoric, Language and Political Communication? Picking an area in the online application directs your application to only faculty members from that area. They are the only faculty members who will review that student's application. For that reason, be very careful about area choices.

We encourage only those with strong professional motivation and goals to enroll at the Ph.D. level. Doctoral students can expect opportunities to work closely with faculty on research ventures and to participate in the publication of their findings. Ph.D. students are also expected to achieve mastery in research design and methods. We do not have separate classes for MA students. They take the same courses that our doctoral students take. For that reason, prospective MA students should consider whether they are searching for an MA program that focuses on theory and research.

Decisions regarding financial assistance are separate from our admissions decisions, but are awarded based upon the application materials. No additional financial assistance application materials are required.  We also recommend that students complete the FAFSA after admission to apply for additional funds from Financial Aid. For more information on funding in the form of teaching (Teaching Assistants or Assistant Instructors), please visit our Financial Assistance page.

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.

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 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.

• Go to https://students.gradschool.utexas.edu/portal/app
• 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.

Pay the application fee. After you have paid your fee and receive the email with directions to the MyStatus page for the University of Texas at Austin, you may upload required documents on that portal.

• Brief essay of research questions (also called statement of research objectives)
• CV or resume
• Writing sample

Scan (PDF) of official transcript. You may request an official transcript from your Registrar's Office, scan it, and upload it with the departmental documents. You will have to submit the physical official transcript to the Graduate and International Admissions Center ONLY if you are accepted and choose to enroll.

his should provide information about your graduate studies goals and how these goals relate to your future career (more specific guidance is provided below). It should describe these goals in the context of your academic, professional, and/or personal past and could discuss those events, classes, and experiences that have prepared you for graduate study in Communication Studies. Ideally it should be 1 to 2 pages, but no longer than 3 pages, double-spaced. This document can be submitted in the online application or on the Application Status Page.

Please address the following areas in your statement of purpose (which should not exceed 3 pages).

• What are your career goals, and how would a masters or Ph.D. in Communication from UT Austin help you in achieving those goals?

• What are your research interests, and which faculty could you see yourself working with?

• Describe your research, work, or volunteer experiences regarding your topic(s) of interest.

• What demonstrates your motivation and ability to succeed in a graduate program?

• Please address any information that you believe your application would be incomplete without and that sheds more light on your unique potential to succeed in Communication Studies and contribute to the University community and the field or profession.

Describe at least two questions you might like to research during your graduate study (maximum of 350 words). We want to know if you can ask a research question based on Communication theory and current knowledge. We also want to be sure that we have faculty who can help you do the kind of research that you want to do. These questions are not binding; you do not have to research these questions should you be accepted. You must submit it online on the Application Status Page.

We prefer a CV, but a resume is acceptable. You must submit it online on the Application Status Page.

The best writing sample that M.A. applicants could submit would be a copy of an undergraduate research paper prepared for a course. Ph.D. applicants should submit a copy of a graduate research paper, a significant chapter, or if short, a complete copy of their M.A. thesis would be a good choice. You must submit it online and there is no word count limit.

If possible, these letters should come from academics. If you've had teaching experience, please ask that this be mentioned by at least one letter writer including his/her evaluation of your teaching. If English is your second language, ask that your letter writers mention your English proficiency. Please note that these letters are confidential and will not be released to the applicant. You will submit your letter writers' email addresses online via the ApplyTexas application. Note that your letter writers will not be contacted to upload their letters for you until you have pushed the submit button on the application. Keep in mind our deadline and winter holidays when you submit your application and be sure your letter writers can submit a letter promptly.

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.