Doctoral Degrees Application Requirements

MAKE SURE YOU GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

BEFORE YOU START AN APPLICATION, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE APPLICATION TYPE.

New Students 

Doctoral applicants who have completed their Master's level education must apply as new students.

When filling an application on apply.aus.edu make sure you select Student Type: New Student.

The required minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is 3.00/4.00 or its equivalent. Refer to the Admission Requirements section below for detailed information.

For the list of required documents, please go here.

Direct Admission 

AUS accepts applicants for direct admission to the Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. degree program. In addition to the general requirements, further program-specific admission requirements must be satisfied.

Direct Admission to Doctoral programs is offered for students who have completed their Bachelor's Degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.50/4.00 or its equivalent.

When starting an application on apply.aus.edu make sure you select the Academic Program: PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (Direct - applicants with bachelor's degrees) or PhD in Engineering Systems Management (Direct - applicants with bachelor's degrees).

Only applicants meeting the full admission requirements will be considered for Ph.D. degree program admission.

Transfer Students

Applicants enrolled in other universities prior to submitting an application must apply as transfer applicants. 

When filling an application on apply.aus.edu make sure you select Student Type: Transfer.

Transfer applicants may transfer up to nine graduate credit hours from recognized graduate schools with a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.00/4.00 or its equivalent.

Transfer of credits will be subject to AUS academic rules and regulations. For more information, refer to the Transfer of Credit Hours section in the Graduate Catalog.

Returning Students (Readmitted Students) 

Graduate students in good academic standing who leave AUS for more than two consecutive semesters, inclusive of semesters of complete course withdrawal, who wish to resume studies, must select Student Type: Returning, when filling their online application.

Readmission of returning students is subject to AUS academic rules and regulations. Courses taken at another institution while on leave from AUS will not be transferred. Students on academic probation and dismissed students may not apply for readmission.

For more information, refer to the Graduate Catalog.

Transient Students 

Applicants who have obtained their undergraduate or graduate degrees from AUS and have returned to take extra course(s) at AUS must apply as transient applicants.

Applicants must submit to the Office of the Registrar the complete Transient Student Application available here

In courses with limited seats, priority is given to AUS students. Normally, a student can register as a transient student for no more than one academic year.

For further information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at [email protected]

GENERAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS 

Applicants are required to upload clear scans of the following supplemental items (required documents) by logging in to apply.aus.edu

• Submit an online application on apply.aus.edu.*
• official bachelor's and master's university transcripts and official graduation certificates certified by the relevant authorities**
• applicants with a bachelor’s degree and/or a master’s degree obtained outside the UAE must submit an equivalency of their degree(s) from the UAE Ministry of Education***
• valid passport-colored scan
• colored UAE national ID scan (for UAE nationals and residents)
• recent passport-size photo with a white background
• a minimum EmSAT Achieve English result of 1550, or TOEFL iBT score of 80, or TOEFL ITP score of 550, or an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 are accepted. For more information, please click here.
• Graduate Record Examinations (General GRE) scores if required by the program. To mail score reports directly to AUS, choose reporting code 4028.
• Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores if required by the program (if GMAT is not available General GRE test scores are acceptable).
• three reference letter requests that are initiated through apply.aus.edu. At least two of the letters are to be from an academic advisor/faculty member familiar with the applicant’s background. For more information, please refer to the Reference Letters section below.
• a Statement of Purpose (about 1,500 words) describing experiences, research interests, and reasons for applying for admission to the doctorate program.
• updated CV

Please note that other program requirements might be applicable.

*All applicants are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of AED 450 plus 5% VAT.

**Uncertified scans will be accepted to start the application process. However, applicants will be required to show certified original documents before enrolling at AUS. Applicants graduating from universities outside the UAE are to certify (attest) documents from the country of origin: certification is required by the authorized educational authority, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs and the UAE Embassy. Applicants graduating from UAE universities are required to certify (attest) documents from the UAE Ministry of Education. Visit attestations for more information. Applicants who have graduated recently and have not received their graduation certificates can submit a Letter from the Office of the Registrar confirming their graduation date. This letter does not replace the required attested graduation certificate which must be presented, once available, to be able to register for courses.

***Applicants not residing in the UAE who have applied for Certificate of Equivalency, but who have not concluded the equivalency process by the time of registration, would be given the chance to register for the first semester provided that they sign the Graduate Admission Contract.  Applicants selecting this option must present a copy of the MOE Application Receipt. For more information, refer to UAE Certificate of Equivalency.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

For full admission to a doctoral degree program at AUS, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• hold a relevant master’s degree from an independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education and by AUS.

• have attained a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00/4.00 or its equivalent in the master's degree.

• meet the English Language Proficiency requirement. To view the required scores, please click here.
• submit Graduate Record Examinations (General GRE) scores if required by the program.
• submit Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores if required by the program (if GMAT is not available General GRE test scores are acceptable).

 

For direct admission to a doctoral degree program at AUS, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• hold a bachelor’s degree from an independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education and by AUS.
• have achieved a minimum bachelor’s degree cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.50/4.00 or its equivalent.
• meet the English Language Proficiency requirement. To view the required scores, please click here.
• submit Graduate Record Examinations (General GRE) scores if required by the program.
• submit Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores if required by the program (if GMAT is not available General GRE test scores are acceptable).

For transfer admission to a doctoral degree program at AUS, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

To be eligible to apply as a transfer applicant, applicants must:

• be in good academic standing, i.e., not on probation or dismissed from the institution from which they are transferring
• be transferring from a recognized and accredited institution of higher education offering learning experiences equivalent to those offered at AUS and have successfully completed one or more semesters in that institution*
• meet the AUS General University Requirements for Doctoral Admission
• submit official transcripts of their university studies along with the syllabi for and descriptions of courses they seek to transfer.

For information about the credit transfer policy, click here

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

English Language Proficiency Tests

Applicants are requested to submit valid score reports from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Emirates Standardized Test (EmSAT Achieve-English).

TOEFL and IELTS score reports are valid for two calendar years

IELTS Academic	TOEFL iBT	TOEFL iTP	EmSAT Achieve-English
6.5	80	550	1550

The following tests are no longer acceptable for admission to the American University of Sharjah;

• IELTS Indicator
• TOEFL iBT Home Edition
• Linguaskill

English Language Proficiency Tests Exemption

• Applicants who completed their Master's degree program at AUS are exempted from the English Language Proficiency tests.
• Applicants who have earned their Master's degree from an English-medium institution that required, for admission, a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 80, IELTS score of 6.5, or the equivalent, may be exempt from the English language proficiency requirement. Applicants must submit the score report to be considered for an exemption.

Decisions regarding exemptions are made by the Office of Enrollment Management- Graduate Admissions committee on a case-by-case basis.

REFERENCE LETTERS

If you are applying to a PhD program offered by AUS you are required to submit three reference letters to the Office of Enrollment Management–Graduate Admissions along with your doctoral application using the required online template.

To request the reference letter, follow the below steps:

1. Log in to your application on apply.aus.edu
2. From the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab, please go to the "Recommendation Requests" section
3. Click on "Start" next to PhD Reference Letter One, PhD Reference Letter Two and PhD Reference Letter Three
4. A new window will pop up, please fill in the required fields (provide your referee's official email address; reference letters received from non-official email accounts or from applicants’ email accounts will not be accepted).
5. Your referees will receive an email requesting them to complete your reference letters (Reference Letter status will be sent).

At least two of the reference letters must be from an academic advisor or faculty member familiar with the applicant’s background.​