Students must submit an application through the university’s Graduate Admission Website. Please read application instructions carefully. Departmental requirements- GRE Scores: Due to the unavailability of testing opportunities in many parts of the world, General and Subject GRE scores are optional. Students who choose to submit scores should have those reported directly by ETS to NMSU, coded 4531, and also self-report unofficial results with their application. Three or more Letters of Recommendation, submitted directly to the school by the persons writing the letters, using the online application system. For applicants to the Ph.D. program, a concise statement of purpose, not more than one-and-a-half-to-two pages, describing the student’s research interests and any relevant prior experience. For international students, the university requires evidence of English proficiency from all students whose degrees are from educational systems with a language of instruction other than English. The TOEFL or IELTS tests can be used to to satisfy this requirement. Graduate student candidates must in general score at least 79 (iBT) or 550 (PBT) on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS test for regular admission; details on the university language requirements can be found here. In addition, the department may give preference to applicants demonstrating superior English language abilities when awarding Teaching Assistantships. Students with deficient language skills may be required to take courses in English in addition to their physics courses and this could impact their progress toward a degree in physics. The NMSU Graduate School sets as a basic entry-level requirement for the doctorate the holding of a bachelor’s degree and a minimum grade-point average of 3.0. Students who do not hold a master‘s degree may apply in their senior undergraduate year.