Admissions Procedure

Version 1.9 June 6, 2010

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Admission to SANS Technology Institute's Master's Program

We welcome your interest in SANS Technology Institute's Master's Programs and encourage you to use our downloadable application to expedite your admission process. If you are reading this webpage, you have probably been looking for schools that offer a Master of Science Degree focused on Information Security and you are considering the SANS Technology Institute. So let's take it step by step and cover everything you need to do to be accepted to the program. If you have any questions along the way please do not hesitate to send an email to info@sans.edu

STEP 1 - Qualifications, Application and Required Credentials for Admissions
The first step is for you to do a self assessment to see if you qualify for consideration in the Master's Program. Applicants must meet the following criteria:
  • Have at least 12 months of professional work in information technology, security or audit.
  • By the end of the program, it is expected you will have three years of significant work experience in information technology, security or audit upon completion of the program. If you are already working in the field, this should not be a problem.
  • Be employed or have current access to an organizational environment that allows you to apply the concepts learned in the Master's Program. Many of the courses teach hands-on technical skills and you will want to apply these as you learn.
  • Have earned a baccalaureate degree from a recognized college or university, or equivalent international education, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8. There are two exceptions to the 2.8 minimum described below. (Please note that your baccalaureate does NOT have to be in the field of information security/information technology).
    • Exception 1: A minimum cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 may be considered for acceptance if Applicant has years of related work experience, and holds at least TWO current major GIAC Gold Certifications with a score of 80 (or average of 80 if there were two parts to the exam) or higher.
    • Exception 2: A minimum cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 may be considered for "Provisional Admittance" into the Master's Program if Applicant has years of related work experience; and the "Provisionally Admitted" student must a score of 80 (or average of 80 if there were two parts to the exam) or higher in each of the first two major courses taken during the first year of the Program (this includes passing the two gold papers) in order to receive "Admittance" into the Masters Program.

If you meet these requirements for admission, please follow the steps below to apply for admission.

Admissions Application Form and Application Fee

A nonrefundable application fee of $450.00 must be submitted with your application. Application Forms can be downloaded here.

  • Application Fee must be paid via credit card, U.S. currency or check, international money order, or an international check in U.S. funds drawn on a bank in the United States.

Send checks to:

SANS Technology Institute
8120 Woodmont Ave. Ste. 205
Bethesda MD 20814

Or call 301-654-7267 with your credit card information, and explain that you are making payment for the college admission fee of $450.

Applications will not be considered without payment of the application fee. Application Fees will NOT be waived or deferred.

Upon acceptance to the Master's Program, students are required to pay a nonrefundable library/media fee, which presently is $50.

Official Transcript(s)

Now, we ask that you request a transcript(s) from the college or university that awarded your baccalaureate degree, or equivalent international degree. Most schools have online instructions to order transcripts. If you type the name of your school and the word transcript that will probably get you there. We can only accept official transcript(s) directly from the granting organization. Ask the granting organization to send the transcript(s) to SANS Technology Institute, 8120 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 205, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Letter of Recommendation

A letter of recommendation from your employer, or one of your customers if you are a consultant, will help the admissions committee evaluate your application. Applicant's employer must furnish a recommendation form supporting Applicant's continuing education. Please download the Employer Recommendation Request Form here.

Outcome Statement

This is one of the most important steps in the process, so please give it your best effort. There are many and varied reasons for a student to apply to graduate school. If you are accepted, you can expect to make a sizable investment in time, energy and money to complete the program. To protect you and to remain true to our mission statement, the admissions office asks you to complete an Outcome Statement as part of the admissions process. By "outcome" we mean, after making the investment to successfully complete the program, what do you expect the outcome in your life to be?

The Outcome Statement helps the admissions office determine whether or not your goals and interests fit with ours. Of course, one of the characteristics of being a leader is being able to write well. We were able to determine a lot about your writing after you completed your Gold research paper; however, since the Outcome Statement is short, it is a measure of your ability to express yourself clearly in writing concisely.

The paper should be between one sentence to a maximum of two typed pages. We have received Outcome Statements with a summary as short as: "After completing the program, I expect to be prepared to become a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at a Fortune 500 firm." They generally are longer, though, and include some background information so that we can get to know more about you other than your academic scores. The important thing is for you to begin with the outcome in mind. We only accept diligent, purpose driven students. So, this is your statement of purpose. We will review your Outcome Statement with you periodically to see if you are making progress toward achieving your desired outcome. Please take this part of the admission process very seriously. Our entire academic program is based on the concept of expected outcome and assessments to ensure we are achieving the outcome. We want to start you off on the right foot.

Leadership Essay

Our mission is to attract applicants who have demonstrated leadership ability in the past and who will become the leaders in information security in the future. For that reason, one of our admission requirements is that an applicant must complete a leadership essay describing leadership qualities that the applicant has demonstrated in the past. We define leadership and leadership competencies in the article posted here. Please (a) list three competencies that you believe you have some strength in and provide examples, and (b) list three competencies that you want to work on. It is perfectly acceptable to refer to a competency that is not listed in that article. We are looking at the quality of the writing (content, grammar, spelling, etc.) since one of the characteristics of being a leader is being able to write well. If an applicant is accepted into our program, we may post the essay on our Leadership Lab web page. We understand that some information may be sensitive. For instance, applicants may want to be careful about naming a particular place, time, individual, or company. We have no objection to your use of a fictitious place, time, individual, or company name in your essay; however, your own name, as author, must appear on your essay.

International Applicants - Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Applicants who are not citizens of the United States must submit the following:

  • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for Applicants whose native language is not English. We require a minimum score requirement of 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) or 80 (Internet-based test).
  • The TOEFL Bulletin of Information and registration form can be obtained at American embassies and consulates, offices of the United States Information Service (USIS) and U.S. education commissions.

Applicants who cannot obtain a TOEFL Bulletin and registration form locally, may request them from:

TOEFL/TSE Services
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, NJ 08541-6151 USA
1-609-771-7100 or 1-877-3546 or 1-609-771-7714
Web: www.toefl.com

Reapplication to SANS Technology Institute's Master's Program

Applicants applying for re-admission to SANS Technology Institute's Masters Program must submit the following:

  • The application form described above. The applicant can download it. Applicant should write at the top of it: "Application for Re-Admission;" and Applicant must write one of the following at the top of it: "I have NOT consulted or corresponded with any SANS faculty/instructor or staff member regarding re-admission" OR "I have consulted or corresponded with [insert name], who is a SANS faculty/instructor or staff member regarding re-admission."
  • Reapplication Fee
  • Current Resume with three References
  • Employer Letter of Recommendation

Applicants are not required to provide additional supplemental materials (transcripts, test scores) unless their original application is over two years old.

Application Submission

The completed Application for Admission and supporting credentials should be directed to:

SANS Technology Institute Master Program Registration
8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 205
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Please check your package against the requirements on this web page to ensure it is complete. The transcript will be sent by your school and if the employer wants to send the letter directly that is fine, but everything else should be in the package you send. The Application Package will be considered complete for review once SANS Technology Institute has obtained all required materials and all credentials become property of SANS Technology Institute. Neither originals nor copies may be returned.

STEP 2 - Confirmation of Application Package

When we receive your package, you will be notified by SANS Technology Institute within five business days.

STEP 3 - Admission Review & Applicant Interview

Application Packages will be reviewed by SANS Technology Institute's Admissions Committee. All information and materials furnished may be verified to preserve the integrity of the Institute, and each Applicant may be scheduled for a prequalification telephone interview. In some cases, STI may determine that the application preliminarily appears acceptable except that the essay (s) is not acceptable. In those cases, STI may, but is not required to, allow the applicant a one-time opportunity to rewrite and resubmit the essay (s) along with a fee of $100. Then, STI will review the rewritten essay (s) and make a decision about whether or not to accept the applicant.

STEP 4 - Acceptance Notification

You will be notified by email regarding acceptance decision by the Admissions Committee into the Master's Program within 30 days from the Institute's receipt of the complete Application Package.

Required courses for the Master's Program are offered two to four times per year. Therefore, no standard semester or trimesters are employed. Upon acceptance into the Master's Program, you may begin taking courses.