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Admissions

MAT offers Master of Arts (MA), Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in Media Arts and Technology.

Each Master’s applicant declares one of three areas of emphasis describing their intended focus in the program:

In the statement of purpose, applicants should describe their motivations for entering an interdisciplinary graduate program and their general areas of research interest, and how they relate to three primary research foci of MAT:

  1. Multimedia systems
  2. Multimedia content
  3. Interactivity

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

  1. With an MS or MA 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 an MAT Master's degree along the way, including a thesis or project, and they receive an MA or 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 2013

The Graduate Division will begin accepting applications to UCSB for Fall 2013 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
  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:

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.