The College develops and safeguards the standards of graduate education, and it promotes, assists, and governs the research activities of UIUC faculty and graduate students. For information about graduate programs and degree requirements, visit the College's website that features the Programs of Study Catalog . This site also contains online versions of the Course Catalog , the Handbook for Graduate Students and Advisors , and much more. All graduate students who plan on seeking a master's degree must be admitted to both the Graduate College and an academic department. The admission process takes time and since many departments only admit students at certain times of the year, students should start the application process as soon as possible.
Many departments have deadlines for fall admissions in early spring.
Students should contact the department to which they are applying for specific application deadlines. Departmental addresses are provided in the application materials. If possible, students should also provide an e-mail address and fax number where they can be reached. If they are accepted into a degree program, they can petition the Graduate College to accept their coursework that was taken prior to being admitted. The maximum number of credits that can be petitioned into a graduate program is 3 units or 12 semester hours.