Admission criteria for prospective students 1. M.S. i. Good GRE score (> 1400). ii. Good GPA. iii. Ability to support yourself financially. Pros: Great university; highly qualified and experienced faculty; extremely competitive and useful curriculum; good job and internship prospects; plenty of student worker jobs; Los Angeles; fantastic football team. Cons: No assistantship; high volume of workload; lots of expenses; proximity to downtown. 2. PhD i. Good GRE score (> 1450). ii. Good GPA. iii. Research experience, clearly identified area of interest and moderate to good knowledge about that area. iv. Strong references, identifying your abilities and "proven" potential for research. v. You need to identify a faculty member who suits your profile, and communicate with him/her about your interests and how you can contribute to ongoing research in your area. The admission decision is made on the basis of two things: a) Your credentials (i - iv); and b) whether there is a faculty member in the department who believes that you have the ability and credentials to contribute to research in his/her area, and is willing to support you financially, if required. Pros: Great university; highly qualified and experienced faculty; extremely competitive and useful curriculum; good career prospects, both in industry and academia; Los Angeles; fantastic football team. Cons: High volume of workload; absolutely no available shortcuts; lots of expenses; proximity to downtown. Email me IFF you have queries that are not answered here, otherwise I may not respond.