Complete the admission application online at
http://gradschool.fiu.edu/admissions.html.

Graduate Admissions will promptly acknowledge receipt, notify the applicant of any deficiencies (e.g. missing transcripts) and forward all relevant documents to the School of Computing and Information Sciences. Submission deadlines are indicated at the following website
http://gradschool.fiu.edu/admissions_deadlines.htm.

The School recommends that applications be submitted as early as possible (six months prior to the beginning of enrolled term). Foreign students should begin the process even earlier. Terms generally begin in late August for Fall, early January for Spring, and early May for Summer.

All applicants should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be mailed to the following address:

Admissions Coordinator
College of Engineering & Computing
Florida International University
EC 2460
10555 W. Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33174

Applicants may use the recommendation form located at the following website:
http://www.cis.fiu.edu/programs/grad/docs/RECOMLTR.doc

Graduate Admissions formally notifies the applicants.

One official copy of all transcripts and test scores must be sent to the College of Engineering & Computing at the above mentioned address.

Official transcripts of academic records from each college or university attended must be forwarded by that institution. Transcripts in possession of the applicants will not be accepted. It is the responsibility of all degree-seeking applicants to make arrangements to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and request that the Educational Testing Service (ETS) mail the official test results directly to FIU. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam and have their scores submitted directly to FIU by ETS. In addition, foreign applicants are required to submit financial statements verifying adequate financial resources.

Medical History Reports are required of all students by Student Health Services. Completion and clearance of medical history and immunization reports are required to validate registration. A medical history form will be mailed shortly after the receipt of the application by the FIU Graduate Admissions Office.

Note: Applicants interested in Assistantships and Fellowships should mail their résumé along with their admission application materials.

There are several sources of Assistantships and Fellowships.

Financial assistance is available on a highly competitive basis in the form of Graduate Assistantships for PhD students.

Students admitted to the PhD program are automatically placed in the list for Graduate Assistantship consideration for the Fall semester. Those students from the list who are selected as Graduate Assistantship recipients will be formally notified through e-mail.

Awards primarily start in the Fall semester.

Only full-time students are eligible for assistantships. This means that Graduate Assistants must register for at least nine credits during the Fall and Spring and six credits during the Summer if supported during the summer and must not accept other forms of employment.

Graduate Assistants are expected to assist in teaching and research duties. The exact assignment is variable and depends on the student’s progress towards degree and performance. The student’s performance is evaluated once a year; based on the evaluation a student may be given an excellence award, be given a summer appointment, or, in case of unsatisfactory performance, be dismissed.

Students in the Ph.D. program will not be supported by SCIS for more than five years.

Many faculty members have sponsored research projects, from various funding agencies, that provide Research Assistantships. These research assistantships are highly competitive and require specific background and skills, and are awarded by individual faculty members having sponsored research projects. Students should contact individual faculty members directly to apply for these assistantships.

SCIS may also offer fellowships. These fellowships are highly competitive and have strict eligibility requirements. The availability of fellowships is announced at the SCIS website. Students need to follow the announcements’ instructions to apply for fellowships.

Most Teaching and Research Assistants receive a waiver of their tuition. This is done on a competitive basis and depends on the state budget. Information on this is generally not available until the term begins. Excluding the tuition, all assistants are required to pay several service fees, such as a health fee.

In 2008-2009, tuition for in-state graduate students is $286.44 (for continuing students) or $ 298.64 (for new students) per credit for both regular course work and dissertation or thesis credit. In addition there is a $87.20 assessment each semester for the use of the campus health center and athletic fees. Tuition for out-of-state and international graduate students is $790.51 (for continuing students) or $802.71 (for new students) per credit hour for both regular course work and dissertation credit.

Students must maintain a Grade Point Average of at least 3.0 for courses attempted in the graduate program. Undergraduate prerequisites taken after the bachelor's degree will not count toward the graduate GPA. All courses needed for graduation must be completed with a grade of C or higher. For required core courses a more stringent rule applies (see sections on MS and PhD program). A student whose GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on warning. If the GPA remains below 3.0 for a second semester, the student will be placed on probation. If the (cumulative) GPA is still below 3.0 for third semester, and the (third) semester GPA is also below 3.0, then the student will be dismissed from the graduate program.

Graduate students may repeat no more than two courses with no course being repeated more than once. The course shall be repeated on a letter grade basis. Only the grade and credit received on the second attempt shall be used in computing the graduate GPA. The original grade will remain posted on the student's permanent record.

An incomplete grade is a temporary symbol given at the discretion of the instructor for work not completed because of a serious interruption not caused by the student's own negligence. An incomplete grade is not to be assigned to dissertation or thesis credits to indicate that the work is in progress. An incomplete grade must be made up within two semesters or it will automatically default to the grade that the student earned in the course. There is no extension of the two semester deadline.

Doctoral candidates require a minimum of three credit hours per semester to retain active status. Master's candidates require a minimum of one credit hour per semester to retain active status. Lapses in enrollment for two or more consecutive semesters require that the student apply for readmission subject to the admission procedures, criteria, and policies in effect at the time the reapplication is made. A student who finds it necessary to be excused from registration for two or more consecutive semesters should formally request a leave of absence from the graduate program director. Leaves will be granted only under exceptional circumstances.

At the doctoral level all requirements, including the successful defense of a dissertation, must be completed within nine years of first enrollment in the doctoral program. At the Master's level all requirements, including the successful defense of a thesis (if thesis option is selected), must be completed within six years of first enrollment in the Master's program.

One faculty member is designated as the Graduate Advisor. New students should see the Graduate Advisor prior to registering for their first semester. The Graduate Advisor is the person to consult concerning program requirements.

The student should keep informed of Graduate School requirements as outlined in the Graduate Catalog and FIU Graduate Policies and Procedures Manual (http://gradschool.fiu.edu/policies.html).