Undergraduate Info

Admission to the AMP

The expectation is that you will complete your undergraduate degree within four years, and the fourth year will coincide with the first year of graduate study. As such, successful applicants will be those who demonstrate the maturity, intellectual ability, and ability to work in a team necessary for the rigors of an accelerated, highly competitive program.

You will need:

a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 on a minimum of 12 units of undergraduate UA.
a 3.5 in the major
to have completed a minimum of 75 undergraduate credit hours at the time of application
a minimum of 90 undergraduate credit hours is required at the time of entry into the AMP. If your cumulative GPA falls below 3.3, or your major GPA falls below a 3.5, at the time you have completed 90 units, you will not be admitted into the program.
to have completed or be near completion of general education requirements.
to be either a C SC major or a C SC pre-major who meets the requirements for admission to the C SC major
one completed semester of research (for thesis students only), documented by letter from research supervisor
to have completed the undergraduate core curriculum (CSC 245, 252, 335, 345, and 352)
one semester CSC 296/496 or 296H/496H recommended

Application process

Students will apply in the spring for fall admission, and you will declare your intent during the application process to do a thesis or non-thesis MS (though you’re permitted to change your mind later!).

To apply, you will need to submit a graduate application here and pay the graduate application fee. Note, this is the application we use for ALL our MS applicants. As such, there will be questions you DON’T need to answer. You will not need to answer questions 15-19 and 21-32. If prompted to upload a document for any of these questions, just upload a blank document.

You WILL need to be prepared to upload:

A letter of intent/statement of purpose (question 1)

The narrative, no longer than two single-spaced pages, should outline why you are applying for the AMP, what your career goals are, what your academic/research interests are, and a description of your relevant research/work experience.

Names and email addresses of at least two references (in its own section)

The completed application will include two letters of recommendation from individuals who can comment on your aptitude for graduate study and ability to handle the rigors of the AMP. At least one reference must be a member of the Computer Science faculty. You will enter the names and email addresses in the on-line application, which generate an automated email to your references asking them to submit a letter on your behalf through the on-line interface.

Copies of your transcripts (questions 10-14, as needed)

You will need to upload copies of your unofficial transcripts (yes, even for the University of Arizona). Upload transcripts for other post-secondary schools you have attended if those courses are not yet reflected in your UA transcripts.

Your curriculum vitae (question 20)

Include a copy of your CV, no longer than 2 pages.

Questions about Applying

Do I need to take the GREs (Graduate Record Exam)?

You are not required to take the GREs as part of your admission to the AMP. However, the GREs are sometimes required for external fellowship or scholarship applications. If you think you might be interested in applying for outside sources of funding, it may be in your best interests to take them.

Do I get financial support as a student in the AMP?

We do not set aside any funding specific to students in the AMP. You will be expected to cover the costs of your undergraduate and graduate programs.

I wrote in my application that I wanted to do a non-thesis MS, but I changed my mind. Am I stuck?

Unless you are near completion of the program, there’s the opportunity to switch to the thesis MS. You will need to find an advisor to work with who agrees that you have time enough remaining in your program to successfully complete a thesis.

I wrote in my application that I wanted to do a thesis MS, but I changed my mind. Am I stuck?

Unless you are near completion of the program, there’s the opportunity to switch to the non-thesis MS. Remember, however, that you will need to make up the coursework that you may have missed while conducting research.