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Admissions

MAT offers Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in Media Arts and Technology. Areas of study in MAT include three broadly-defined and overlapping areas: Electronic Music and Sound Design, Visual and Spatial Arts, and Multimedia Engineering. For more information on the primary areas of research, visit the Research in MAT page. For a list of MAT faculty and researchers, visit the Faculty and Researchers page.

In the statement of purpose, applicants should describe their motivations for entering an interdisciplinary graduate program, their general areas of research interest, and how these relate to the interests and directions of MAT.

Students may be admitted to the MAT PhD program in one of three ways:

  1. With an MS in Media Arts and Technology. Current MAT Master's students may petition for entry into the PhD program; the preferred time to do this is at the regular graduate admissions deadline. The petition should consist of a new statement of purpose and new letters of reference. Former MAT students must apply via the regular application process.
  2. With an MS or MA in a related field (e.g., art, architecture, music, computer science, or electrical and computer engineering). These students must take or place out of the MAT core courses. The MAT faculty will determine whether additional coursework will be needed in order to achieve equivalence with an MAT Master's graduate.
  3. With a bachelor's degree, for outstanding well-prepared students. These students must meet the requirements for the MAT Master's degree along the way, including a thesis or project, and they receive an MS degree in the process.

Starting with a Bachelor's degree, the requirements for the PhD are typically completed within five to six years. For a student entering with a Master's, the time to PhD would typically be three to four years.

Applying for Fall 2014

The Graduate Division will begin accepting applications to UCSB for Fall 2014 in September. For more information please visit the Graduate Division's website.

For information about application requirements for a degree program in Media Arts and Technology, please read Applying to Media Arts and Technology.

To apply to the Media Arts and Technology Program, applicants are required to:

General Application Requirements:

  1. 3.0 GPA
  2. $80 fee for domestic applicants, $100 for non-domestic applicants.
  3. Statement of Purpose
  4. Resume or CV
  5. Statement of Personal Achievements / Contributions
  6. Programming Experience
  7. Cover Sheet for Resume/CV, Statement of Purpose, Statement of Personal Achievements/Contributions
  8. Portfolio Website (see below)
  9. Three letters of recommendation
  10. GRE scores
  11. International Students must take TOEFL with a minimum score of 550

Online Portfolio

The portfolio is submitted as a link to a website, or part of a website, that documents the applicant’s accomplishments. Portfolios will differ according to the applicant’s background and interests; an ideal portfolio will exhibit both depth and interdisciplinary breath. Examples of portfolio content include:

Portfolio Link Visibility: Please note that, in the interest of openness and transparency in the admissions process, applicant portfolio links will be made visible to current MAT faculty and students. If an applicant wishes to provide confidential portfolio materials for review by the Admissions Committee only, then the applicant must state this clearly and must provide separate, confidential links for this purpose. This issue only pertains to portfolio links. All other application materials are confidential and will only be reviewed by the Admissions Committee.

If you don't already have a personal website, and would like some tips on setting one up, visit Some Tips on Creating a Personal Website.

Preparation for Incoming MAT Students

As a guide to help incoming students prepare for their graduate studies in the Media Arts and Technology program, please visit the Preparation for Incoming MAT Students page.