Departmental Scholar Program for Samueli Engineering

(updated 05/18/2026)
*Subject to Change*

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Departmental Scholar Program in the Samueli School of Engineering allows exceptional juniors and seniors to pursue their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees simultaneously.  The program offers advanced students permission to enroll in graduate classes (numbered 200 and above) and an opportunity to do graduate-level research under the direct supervision of the School’s distinguished faculty.  Departmental Scholars remain undergraduate students (paying undergraduate fees) with permission to enroll in and apply graduate-level courses toward the Master’s Degree.

• No course may be used to fulfill the requirements of both these degrees.
• Only graduate-level courses taken in the Department Scholar’s effective term or later can be applied toward the M.S. degree.
• The BS and MS degree requirements must be fulfilled before either degree can be awarded.

Enrollment in Graduate Level Courses:  Departmental Scholars are granted permission as undergraduates to take graduate level courses and do not need to file petitions for approval with OASA.  However, because all graduate level courses are system restricted to graduate students, Departmental Scholars do need to request PTE (permission to enroll) numbers directly from the instructors.

Graduate Record Exam:  Departmental Scholars are not required to take the GRE. However, students planning to apply to the PhD program or other programs/universities are required to take the GRE general test. We recommend you research the programs from other schools to verify their GRE requirements.

The Departmental Scholar Program is a specific admission to the department in your current major and does not extend to the self-support MSOL or MENG programs. For example, a student working towards a B.S in Electrical Engineering would become a Departmental Scholar for an M.S in Electrical and Computer Engineering.  EFFECTIVE FALL 2026 – The Computer Science Department IS accepting DSP applications.
Computer Engineering majors MAY select Computer Science OR Electrical and Computer Engineering as the MS department program.  They can not select both.

CRITERIA AND ELIGIBILITY

To apply for the Departmental Scholars Programs, students must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Completed 24 Courses or 96 quarter units at UCLA, or the equivalent at another institution
• A minimum 3.700 CUMULATIVE GPA (UC COURSES ONLY)
• A minimum 3.700 MAJOR FIELD UPPER DIVISION GPA (UC COURSES ONLY)
• Have an engineering major and a Technical Breadth Area officially declared. If Computer Science, please have your Sci-Tech area also declared.

Meeting the criteria and eligibility requirements for the departmental scholar program is necessary, but does not guarantee approval.
Applications are subject to review and approval by the respective department.

The Departmental Scholar Program is a specific admission to the department in your current major and does not extend to the self-support MSOL or MENG programs. For example, a student working towards a B.S in Electrical Engineering would become a Departmental Scholar for an M.S in Electrical and Computer Engineering.  EFFECTIVE FALL 2026 – The Computer Science Department IS accepting DSP applications.
Computer Engineering majors MAY select Computer Science OR Electrical and Computer Engineering as the MS department program.  They can not select both.

APPLICATION PROCESS –  Two application periods per academic year (Fall and Spring)

Admission effective FALL 2026 –  Deadline will be Monday, July 6, 2026 – 5PM

• General Application (required) – Complete the Engineering Departmental Scholar Application Form (via MyUCLA)
• Statement of Purpose (required) – Include a Statement of Purpose (you will include your statement through the Departmental Scholar Application Form via MyUCLA).  Guidelines for writing your statement is available at: https://www.seasoasa.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/seasoasa/Statement-of-Purpose.pdf
• Faculty Letter of Recommendation (required) – ONE (1) faculty letter of recommendation/support from a professor in your Major Department.
  The letter must on the Department’s letterhead, and must include the faculty’s full name, title, Department, and signature. You must indicate the faculty member on the application and instruct the faculty to send letters to: departmentalscholar@seas.ucla.edu
• BS+MS Degree Plan (required)
  Students are required to submit a time-to-degree plan that outlines the remaining required BS courses + the required MS courses.  You must clearly outline the BS courses and MS courses.

   

  • MS requirements can be found at the Division of Graduate Education: https://grad.ucla.edu/
    For assistance with MS planning, students should connect with a graduate department student advisor.  Department contacts are posted on our FAQs below.
  • BS requirements can be found by running a Degree Audit Report (via MyUCLA), reviewing the Majors and Minors Page, and reviewing the SEAS Announcement catalog.
    For assistance with BS planning, students can connect with an OASA advisor.

REVIEW PROCESS

Once the deadline closes, all students will begin the Application Review Process so that a formal graduate application packet can be submitted directly to the Division of Graduate Education (DGE).

The following materials will be evaluated as part of an initial review by OASA:

• Your general application form (submitted by student)
• Statement of Purpose (submitted by student)
• One Faculty Recommendation Letter (submitted by faculty)
• Your UCLA Transcript (obtained by OASA)*
• Your Degree Audit Report (DARS obtained by OASA)*

* NOTE: The Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA) will obtain your transcript and DARS to verify your GPAs and unit requirements and complete an overall assessment of your record.
Students should make sure to review their Degree Audit Report (DARS) and check for accuracy, including ensuring their Technical Breadth Area (TBA) and Sci-Tech area (Computer Science only) is declared, and that they meet the 3.7000 required GPAs before submitting an application.

These materials will be submitted to the student’s respective department who will review the student’s application and determine approval.    If the department approves, the graduate vice chair of the department will provide a second faculty letter of support, which will be added to the student’s application packet.  After checking the student’s BS+Ms plan, OASA will submit a final application pakcet with all documents for review to the Division of Graduate Education (DGE) and the Associate Dean of Graduate Education. Subject to DGE approval, the student will be formally admitted to the Departmental Scholar Program and notified via e-mail by DGE.

Please allow up to 2-3 months for the review and approval process.  In addition, final approval is subject to the Division of Graduate Education (DGE).
We expect final decisions in mid-September (BEFORE the Fall 2026 quarter begins).

DEPARTMENTAL SCHOLAR PROGRAM CONTACTS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS