Admission Requirements
     Rice seeks highly qualified students for its graduate programs.  Beyond objective standards of academic competence, we also look for other, more subjective qualities such as creativity, ambition, and leadership potential.

     Full-time students may apply for Fall admission only.   Working professionals seeking enrollment as part-time students may apply for Fall or Spring admission.  You must apply on-line.  The application is found at the Rice Graduate School Application   web page by selecting Professional Master's Program from the graduate department drop-down list.  No application fee is required for the Professional Master's Program.

Please note, late applications may be considered for fall until May 1st, for spring until September 15th.  However, candidates who miss the deadline place themselves in a less competitive position, as spaces will become limited.

To apply, please send the following items:

• Completed application (apply on-line)
• Four personal letters of recommendation (please do not just supply the downloaded form)
  
• General GRE scores (use the code 6609 for Rice; do not worry about a department code)
• Official transcripts from all universities attended
• TOEFL scores (if required)

to:    Rice University
        Professional Science Master's Program MS-103  
        PO Box 1892
        Houston, TX  77251-1892
        Attn: Dagmar Beck  

       FedEx packages must be mailed to our street address at:

                  6100 Main Street, MS-103, Houston, TX   77005

Transcripts
     In general, applicants must have at least a 3.0(B) grade point average in their undergraduate work.  Transcripts should be official and in confidential, signed-across-the-seal envelopes provided to you by the registrar of each institution, undergraduate and graduate, which you have attended. If your school will not provide you directly with an official copy of your transcript, then ask them to send it to the department. You may also wish to send an unofficial copy, for temporary use only.

GRE Scores
     Rice University requires all applicants to provide GRE (Graduate Record Examination) General Test scores.  Official GRE scores must be received directly from the Educational Testing Service.  Because we match scores by an applicant's name, it is important that you explicitly call our attention to any discrepancies that might occur between your name as reported on your application forms and as recorded on your GRE scores.  In general, applicants should score at least 600 on the quantitative section and at least 4 on the analytical writing section.  

     Be sure to take the GRE in time for official scores to reach us by the application deadline. For information on the GRE exam, visit www.gre.org.

TOEFL Scores
     The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test is required for any student whose native language is not English.  Applicants must score at least 600 on the paper-based TOEFL , at least 250 on the computer-based TOEFL, or at least 90 on the internet-based test.  For information on the TOEFL exam, visit www.toefl.org.

     For students who choose to take the IELTS in lieu of TOEFL, the minimum score is 7.

Rice Undergraduate Students applying for 5th year PSM degree in Subsurface Geoscience or Nanoscale Physics:

Admission is open to Rice students who have shown academic excellence in their undergraduate studies. Applications have to be received within the normal time table for application for the program. With faculty approval, students can start taking required core courses of the Professional Master's Program during their senior year at Rice. A plan of graduate study based on their particular focus area will need to be developed and approved by the track director and the PSM coordinator.

 International Students

 Information addressing the concerns of international applicants can be found on the International Students page.

 For questions, visit our FAQ page or contact us at:

     Phone:  (713) 348-3188

     E-mail:  profms@rice.edu

Last updated 9/04/2009 by Dagmar Beck