One of the first things you’ll want to think about when starting your application to the McCombs Master of Science Programs is who you’d like to write your letters of recommendation. The most effective letters will describe an applicant’s quantitative skills and intellectual ability. For MSITM, letters should also emphasize the applicant’s programming ability. We’ve provided some helpful hints below to get you started:

How many letters of recommendation are required?

For MSBA, MSF, and MSM, you are required to have 2 letters as part of your application. MSITM requires 3 letters.

Should my letters come from academic or professional sources?

The admissions committees of each program highly recommend that at least one letter (or two for MSITM) come from an academic reference. You are welcome to have all of your letters come from academic references, or professional references will also be considered. When thinking about your letters, consider the amount of time you’ve been out of school. For those with significant work experience, it may be more appropriate to have your letters come from professional references. Applicants who are recent graduates may fine that their professors are best suited to discuss their qualifications.

When should I complete the recommendation section in my application?

Complete this part of your application first. Recommendation letters should be received by the application deadline, so you want to give your recommenders plenty of time to complete these requests. Letters of recommendation are received directly from the recommender via a secure portal. While completing your application, you will be able to send your recommender an invitation to access this secure portal to submit their recommendation. Contact your recommenders as soon as possible to let them know they’ll receive an email once you save the section. Sometimes these emails end up in a junk folder. Once your letter of recommendation is received, you will receive an automated email. You can monitor the status of your recommendations on your McCombs application status page and resent notifications and reminders from within the application as needed.

What else should I think about when considering my recommenders?

The admissions committees of each program want to hear from academic and professional references who know you well and can speak to your abilities. These are typically professors and supervisors that you have engaged with throughout your academic and professional careers. We recommend meeting with the person you’d like to write a letter for you and discuss your interests in the program and why you think they would be a good person to speak to your qualifications. Be mindful of the time commitment and give them as much of advance notice as possible.

Questions about recommendation letters or any other application components? We are here to help! Send us an email at TexasMSPrograms@mccombs.utexas.edu.

You’re well on your way to finishing your graduate school application. You’ve studied for the GRE or GMAT, polished your resume, submitted your transcripts, and wowed your recommenders. While all of these components will speak to your accomplishments and qualifications, now you have a chance to tell the admissions committee in your own words why you want to study at McCombs. How? Through your essays!

Each Master of Science program requires two written essays (with an optional 3rd written essay). If you’re not sure what the essay prompts are for your program, you can learn more on the MSBA, MSF, MSITM, and MSM admissions pages.

The essays are great opportunities to take everything listed in your application and connect it with your personality and goals. The admissions committee can look at your transcript and resume to see what you’ve done so far, but these documents won’t tell them where you’d like to go.

Make sure that your essays are well written and address the prompts. If there’s anything in your application that you’d like to explain further, the optional third essay is a great space to do that. You may have had a lower than expected grade in a tricky class one semester and want to give the admissions committee some extra context, or maybe you’re working on a really interesting project at work that’s gotten you even more excited about the program. Anything that can help the admissions committee in their review is great to include! However, if you can’t think of anything else you want to say, feel free to opt out. Applicants aren’t penalized for not completing the optional essay.

More questions? We’re here to help! Email us at TexasMSPrograms@mccombs.utexas.edu. We can’t wait to review your application!