Prepare to Apply Online
Before you apply online, we recommend gathering the necessary information, preparing your personal statement and supplemental responses, and saving them as separate electronic documents. These steps will allow you to copy and paste your prepared statements into the online application. If you try to compose your answers online, the session may time out.
You will be asked to enter the following information on the online application:
1. Three Recommendations
You will be asked to provide names and contact information for three persons from whom you have requested recommendations in the online UW Graduate School application. Your recommenders will be sent an e-mail prompt with instructions for submitting their letter of recommendation online once you activate their names as ready for the e-mail instructions. Requesting your letters of recommendation online will allow you to see when the letters have been submitted. Additional instructions are available within the online UW Graduate School application.
Request recommendations from three people who know you well and who are able to comment on your academic competence, ability to engage in graduate study, and potential for future success in information science professions, or your employment experience. Unless academic- or work-related, do not submit recommendations from family members, clergy, or friends.
Your recommenders can also opt to send a letter via regular mail. If they choose this option, the recommendation should be written on company or organizational letterhead and sent with a completed PhD cover sheet, in pdf form below:
If your recommender chooses to send a letter via regular mail, please have them mail the recommendation letter to:
PhD Admissions Committee
Information School
University of Washington
370 Mary Gates Hall, Box 352840
Seattle, WA 98195-2840
2. Personal Statement
The Information School believes that diversity contributes to the intellectual and social enrichment of the School. We welcome applicants who have varied cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Please tell us about yourself and what brought you to your interest in the information field. We encourage you to discuss your personal history, family background, and influences on your intellectual development. This statement could also include cultural and educational opportunities (or lack thereof), social and economic disadvantages that you may have had to overcome, and the ways in which these experiences affected you. Please limit your personal statement to 500 words.
3. Research Statement
The Reseach Statement offers you the opportunity to communicate to the Admissions Committee your personal aspirations regarding your future in the information science professions. This statement should include your reasons for applying to the PhD program, experiences and skills you bring to the program, your research interests (including one or two potential research project ideas), what you expect to accomplish through the program, and your tentative goals for a professional career. The research statement can be any length, but is typically 1-3 pages.
4. Honors, achievements, and activities
List any special recognition you have been awarded, such as scholarships or honorary society memberships. Also highlight any additional achievements, such as publications, presentations, and other professional and academic activities.
5. Research interest areas
You will choose a minimum of one and a maximum of four research interest areas from this list of iSchool research areas:
Library & Information Science, Information Management, Information Policy, HCI-Design, HCI-Social, HCI-Technical
If you have a research interest area that isn't listed, you will be able to choose "Other" and list it.
6. Faculty with whom you share research interests
List up to four Information School faculty members who might share your research interests or whose research particularly interests you. Please be judicious in your choice of faculty. Select faculty members whose research interests correspond to yours for the best match. It is not advisable to select faculty members for the administrative positions they hold at the Information School. Information on faculty and their research areas can be found on the Information School website here.
7. Graduate assistantship
Indicate whether you would like to be considered for graduate appointment in the form of a Research Assistant (RA), Teaching Assistant (TA), or Graduate Staff Assistant (GA).
8. Curriculum Vitae or Résumé
You will upload an electronic copy of your curriculum vitae or résumé.
If you have questions about the application process, please contact the iSchool’s Office of Student and Academic Services at iSchoolphd@uw.edu or 206-543-1794.