1. Applying for Graduate Admission and Deadlines

  2. Application Result
  3. Accepting Your Offer of Admission

Applying for Graduate Admission and Deadlines

Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department accepts only online applications. IEOR does not accept applications in for the spring semester.

Next Admission Cycle: Fall Semester 2010 ONLY

Deadlines for Fall 2010:
  • Application: Monday, December 7, 2009, Midnight, PST.
  • Deadline to upload unofficial transcripts and supporting documents: Friday, December 11, 2009, Midnight, PST.
  • Official transcripts, GRE and TOEFL scores should arrive no later than: Friday, December 11, 2009, at Midnight PST.

Application Procedure:

The application process is ENTIRELY ONLINE except for original transcripts. Please do not mail copies of the Statement of Purpose, GRE AND TOEFL scores, publications, resumes or recommendation letters.

The IEOR Department has its own online process for the recommendation letters. Directions for submitting the letters of recommendation online are included below. We require one (1) official transcript from each college or university you have attended. We also strongly encourage applicants to upload an unofficial transcript with their application. We will accept unofficial transcripts in addition to the required official transcript that must arrive by mail.

Please note:

  1. You can apply to only one department.
  2. Your application will be considered complete only when all forms are submitted electronically and all supporting documentation and official test scores have been received.
  3. Your application is only considered submitted when you press the submit button at the bottom.
  4. Applications that are incomplete by the time of review will not be competitive for admission.
  5. The University will send you an email after the application has been received and will supply you with a unique ID number when you complete and submit your on-line application. If you do not receive the email within a couple of days of submission, please log on to your application and make sure you have submitted your application.
  6. Readmission: If you have ever been registered as a graduate student at Berkeley please complete a readmission form and mail to :

      University of California, Berkeley
      Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
      4145 Etcheverry Hall
      Berkeley, CA 94720-1777

  7. Reactivation: If you filed an application for graduate admission at Berkeley within the last two years but did not register, you may reactivate your application by submitting the UC Berkeley campus online application for graduate admissions by the established deadline. Please indicate the most recent semester for which you previously applied. You should also submit the application fee and any additional or updated information or records. The required standardized test scores must be within prescribed time limits. Your previous letters of recommendation will be on file in the department, but if you believe you need additional or updated letters of recommendation, then please see that these are sent to the department. (On the online application, you must indicate for what semester and year you have previously submitted an application, so we can find your previously submitted documents to complete your current application file. It is highly recommended that reactivating applicants submit a new Personal Statement.

    If you applied to a different program and want to use academic records or letters of recommendation previously submitted within the last two years, you must arrange for their transfer from the prior program directly to the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research department. You must meet all current deadlines and requirements.

    If you applied for admission more than two years ago, you must submit a new application, pay the application fee, and provide all required materials. A previous offer of admission does not guarantee admission at a later time. Your new application and the required supplementary materials listed above will be reviewed along with those of all other applicants for the current application period.

Admission Requirements:

The minimum graduate admission requirements for Industrial Engineering and Operations Research are:

  1. Electronic on-line Application.
  2. A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution or recognized equivalent.
  3. Sufficient undergraduate education for graduate work in your chosen field.
  4. A satisfactory scholastic average, with a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) for application consideration.
  5. Score of the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken during the past five years. IEOR does not require a GRE subject test but the General GRE Test is required. Either the computer-based test or the paper-based test is acceptable.
  6. International applicants: A minimum score of 570 (230 CBT, 68/120 iBT) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken during the past two years, is required to meet the English Language Proficiency requirement.

Please read the Graduate Division Web page on Admission Requirements. If you received or are a candidate to receive your undergraduate degree from an institution outside the United States, you will need to read the section on International Applicants in Admission Requirements.

Electronic Application Procedure and Requirements:

The Online Application

All applications to IEOR department must be submitted through the UC Berkeley campus at the Graduate Division website.

The Online Application has several sections, including two essays, the Statement of Purpose and the Personal History Statement. Do not send in a hard copy of the statement of purpose after submitting it online.

  • The Statement of Purpose:
    Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research interests in your chosen area of study, and your future career goals. Please be specific about why UC Berkeley would be a good intellectual fit for you.

  • The Personal History Statement:
    In an essay, discuss how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Please include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how you might contribute to social or cultural diversity within your chosen field; and/or how you might serve educationally underrepresented segments of society with your degree.

    Both the Statement of Purpose and the Personal History Statement should be no longer than three pages typed, double-spaced, 12-point font.

  • Faculty Contact:
    We do not require you complete sections Faculty Contact or Faculty Interest under ACADEMIC INTERESTS, although if you wish to work with specific professors, feel free to list them.

Required Documents

Electronic Recommendation Letters

After you submit your application you will receive an acknowledgement via email from the IEOR department. It may take some time for the University to transfer the application to the IEOR department. The email acknowledgement will also contain instructions for you to complete your waivers for the letters of recommendation on-line. This step is required. Once the electronic waivers are completed, we will contact your letter writers by email with instructions for providing letters. We will notify you by email when we receive letters from your letter writers.

Paper copies of recommendation letters are NOT admissible, and will NOT be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. All recommendation letters must be submitted online. Please be sure to notify your recommenders accordingly.

Transcripts

IEOR department requires one (1) official transcript from each college or university you have attended. Please send sealed original transcripts of all University work. Please note that even if you have not yet finished your coursework when you apply, we still require a current transcript from you.

We also strongly encourage applicants to upload an unofficial transcript with their application. We will accept unofficial transcripts in addition to the required official transcript, which must arrive by mail. Applicants who studied outside the United States in non-English speaking institutions must upload the English translated transcripts. Uploading your transcript will help expedite the completion of your file for review. Uploaded files must be in PDF format and no larger than 7 MB. Please make sure that your social security number (SSN) does not appear on your transcript. Make sure to black out your social security number if it appears on your transcript, before uploading it.

Send official the transcripts to:

University of California at Berkeley
Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
4145 Etcheverry Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-1777

Transcripts should arrive no later than December 11, 2009.


Test Scores

GPA

Applicants are required to calculate their grade point average (GPA). Please calculate your GPA based on a 4.0 scale, using the GPA calculation page which can be downloaded here. Leaving this section blank will result in an incomplete application.

Applicants who received their undergraduate degree at a U.S. university or college should calculate your GPA using all coursework towards the degree after the first two years. Courses taken P/NP do not affect your GPA. If you have P/NP units on your transcript, please ignore them. If you attended an international university, you need to convert your grades to our system.

GRE

The General GRE Test consisting of the verbal, analytical writing and quantitative sections is required. If you have taken the General GRE test prior to October 2005, you will need to retake the General GRE test. The IEOR department does not require a GRE subject test.

For more information about the test, as well as locations, test dates, and the time it will take for score reports to reach Berkeley, please consult the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Test results for the General GREs must be directed to 4833 (the Berkeley institution code) and to 1301 (the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research code).GRE Scores should arrive no later than December 11, 2009 .

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

The Test of English as a Foreign Language is required of all applicants (including U.S. citizens) who received their undergraduate degree at a university or college in a country where English is not the official language.

For graduate admission, UC Berkeley requires a minimum TOEFL score of 570 on the paper-based test, 230 on the computer-based test (CBT), or 68/120 on the internet-based test (iBT). Your MOST RECENT score must meet this minimum. Applicants whose most recent score fails to meet the minimum will not be admitted because there are no exceptions to this minimum requirement. Accepted TOEFL Test scores must be dated after June 2008.

For more information about TOEFL requirements, please see "Evidence of English Language Proficiency" on the Graduate Division Admission Requirements Web page.

The institution code for Berkeley is 4833. There is no Department code for the TOEFL. Your scores should arrive no later than December 11, 2009 .

Exception to Required TOEFL Examination

If at the time of application you have already completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better at a U.S. university, you do not need to take the TOEFL. Instead, you must submit an official transcript showing at least two semesters of COMPLETED coursework from the U.S. university. The following courses will NOT fulfill this requirement:

  • Courses in English as a Second Language
  • Courses conducted in a language other than English
  • Courses that will be completed after you apply
  • Courses taken through distance learning or via the Web
  • Courses of a nonacademic nature.

Application Fee

After submitting your online application, go to Pay Application Fee and click on "Pay Application Fee" menu item. For additional instructions, go here.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and can demonstrate financial need, you may be eligible for a waiver of the application fee. See Graduate Division's Request for Waiver of the Graduate Application Fee. International applicants are not eligible to have the application fee waived.

Other Instructions

During November and December, our busiest time, you may not receive a reply to your email questions for several weeks. We ask that you remain patient and allow our staff to process the application materials. The staff is dedicated to processing your application information in preparation for review by the Admissions Committee, and we can do this more efficiently if interruptions are kept to a minimum.

Please review the Frequently Asked Questions at our department website and at the Graduate Division site. The answer to your question is likely to be on these Web sites.

We are unable to answer detailed questions via e-mail. Questions regarding the receiving of documents will be answered by the automated service once our staff has had sufficient time to process all materials. We will e-mail you by the end of January to let you know whether we have received all required documents.

Application Results

If your application is successful, the IEOR department will notify you that you have been recommended for admission. Only the Dean of the Graduate Division can offer admission and send the official admission letter. You have not been officially admitted until you have received the official admission letter from the Dean.

Normally, admission letters will be issued by April 1.

Accepting Your Offer of Admission

Applicants receiving an offer of admission will also receive from the Graduate Division a copy of Taking the Next Step (PDF). This document details the steps necessary to complete three required forms online: the Statement of Intention to Register Form, Statement of Legal Residence Form, and the Non-Immigrant Information Form (for non-U.S. citizens).