Admissions Procedure

Version 1.4 May 24, 2007

Current Version
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Admission to SANS Technology Institute's Master's Program

STEP 1 - Qualifications, Application and Required Credentials for Admissions

We welcome your interest in SANS Technology Institute's Master's Programs and encourage you to use our online application to expedite your admission process. For consideration in the Master's Program, Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Have three years of significant work experience upon completion of the program.
  • Be employed or have current access to an organizational environment that allows them to apply the concepts learned in the Master's Program.
  • Hold a GIAC Gold Level Certification with scores on the silver exam of 80 (or average of 80 if there are two silver exams) or higher. For persons interested in the MSISE program, the recommended Certification is GIAC GSEC Gold (related to the SEC 401 SANS Security Essentials course). For persons interested in the MSISM program, the recommended Certification is GIAC GSLC Gold (related to MGT 512 SANS Security Leadership Essentials for Managers). Other major GIAC Gold Level Certifications can qualify as long as they are: related to the Master's Program, and equivalent to the Certifications that apply to the "six-day" courses.
  • Hold 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.
    • 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 GIAC Gold Certifications of the type described above.
    • Exception 2: A minimum cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 may be considered for "Provisional Acceptance" into the Master's Program if Applicant has years of related work experience; and the "Provisionally Accepted" student must score 80 (or average of 80 if there are two silver exams) or higher in each of the first two major courses in order to receive "Acceptance" into the Masters Program.

Applicants who satisfy these minimum requirements, may follow the steps below to apply for admission.

Admissions Application Form and Application Fee

A nonrefundable application fee of $250.00 must be submitted with each application. Application Forms can be downloaded at http://www.sans.edu/downloads/application.pdf

  • 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 Institute
8120 Woodmont Ave. Ste. 205
Bethesda MD 20814

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)

Applicants must request Transcript(s) from each college or university attended. We will only accept official transcript(s) directly from the granting organization.

Letter of Recommendation


Employer Recommendation of Candidate Form

Applicant's employer must furnish a recommendation form supporting Applicant's continuing education.

Download the Employer Recommendation Request Form at http://www.sans.edu/downloads/recommendation.pdf

Outcome Statement

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 make sure we 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

We want to attract applicants who have demonstrated leadership ability in the past and who will be the leaders of the future in this industry. For that reason, one of our admission requirements is that an applicant complete a leadership essay describing leadership qualities that the applicant has demonstrated in the past. Also, we are looking at the quality of the writing 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 should 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).
  • 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
609-771-7975
Web: www.toefl.com

Reapplication to SANS Technology Institute's Master's Program

Applicants reapplying 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 Master Program Registration
8120 Woodmont Avenue Suite 205
Bethesda, Maryland 20814

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

Applicants will be notified by SANS Technology Institute within five business days of receipt of the complete Application Package signaling the start of the admissions review.

STEP 3 - Admission Review & Applicant Interview

Application Packages will be reviewed by SANS Technology Institute's Admissions. 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

Applicants will be notified by email regarding acceptance 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, Applicants may begin taking courses immediately.