Information and Cybersecurity

Admission to the University

For information and resources on applying to UC Berkeley as a graduate student, visit the Admissions page on this website.

Admission to the Program

Applications are evaluated holistically on a combination of prior academic performance, work experience, essays, letters of recommendation, and goals that are a good fit for the program.

The UC Berkeley School of Information seeks students with the academic abilities to meet the demands of a rigorous graduate program.

To be eligible to apply to the Master of Information and Cybersecurity program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree or its recognized equivalent from an accredited institution.

• Superior scholastic record, normally well above a 3.0 GPA.

• A high level of quantitative ability as conveyed by significant work experience that demonstrates your quantitative abilities and/or academic coursework that demonstrates quantitative aptitude

• A high level of analytical reasoning ability and a problem-solving mindset as demonstrated in academic and/or professional performance.

• An understanding of – or, a proven aptitude for and commitment to learning – data structures and discrete mathematics which can be demonstrated by at least one of the following qualifications: ​Completed coursework in data structures and discrete mathematics; work experience that demonstrates understanding of data structures and discrete mathematics; proven technical aptitude, demonstrated by high level technical work experience or academic coursework; and/or proven commitment to learning concepts, demonstrated by review of MICS self-assessment and preparatory resources, and clear indication in application of progress made towards gaining this foundational knowledge.

• The ability to communicate effectively, as demonstrated by academic performance, professional experience, and/or strong essays that demonstrate effective communication skills.

• Knowledge of at least one, and ideally two, programming languages, such as C, C++, Python, Java, Javascript, or machine/assembly language as demonstrated by work experience or coursework. Applicants who lack this experience in their academic or work background but meet all other admission requirements will be required to take the Mathematics and Programming for Cybersecurity course in their first term.

• Not Required: Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test or Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores. As of Fall 2020, we have eliminated the GRE/GMAT requirement. We recommend you put your time and effort towards the required application materials.

• Official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for applicants whose academic work has been in a country other than the US, UK, Australia, or English-speaking Canada.

For more information and application instructions, prospective MICS students should visit the cybersecurity@berkeley Admissions Overview.