Prospective Students > Getting Started

Below are two lists of tasks that must be completed to become a matriculated student in any of the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies' degree programs. Both checklists must be completed in order your plan-of-study then be sent to the CMS review committee for approval. You will talk more about this with a CMS professional advisor.

• Develop a plan-of-study with an advisor and discuss your career and educational goals. If you have unofficial transcripts from colleges you attended, your advisor will do a draft evaluation of your transfer credit (an official evaluation of your transfer credit is done after your program is approved and your application for RIT admissions is completed).
• Choose concentration areas (1-2 areas for an AAS, 2-4 areas for a BS) that you wish to pursue for your professional concentration requirement. Your advisor will discuss the number of concentrations needed for your plan-of-study, the available areas of study, and the possible courses within those areas. If you are designing your own area(s) of concentration, notify your advisor of the courses you have chosen for your plan-of-study.
• Prepare your resume and statement of educational and career goals. Submit completed paperwork to your advisor. Resume templates can be found at: http://search.officeupdate.microsoft.com/TemplateGallery/ct117.asp

• Complete Application for part-time or full-time Admissions. A hard-copy of this Application can be obtained from your advisor, the admissions office at RIT, or through the website at http://www.rit.edu/emcs/ptgrad/admission.html. Included with this will be a $50.00 Admissions fee. (If you were accepted into an RIT program in the past and are re-applying to RIT, you do not need to send in the application fee). If you are presently in a program at RIT, you must complete a Change of Program form instead of an application.
• Request official transcripts from other colleges you have attended to be sent to RIT. These transcripts must be sent directly from the old college to either the RIT Admissions office or to your advisor (see addresses below).

When your plan-of-study is approved, you will receive a letter of acceptance from the Director of the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies. Some changes may be made to your plan during the review process. (If significant changes are made and/or you are not accepted, your advisor will contact you). About two weeks after your plan is approved by CMS, you will receive an official letter of acceptance from the RIT admissions office welcoming you to RIT.

After acceptance, remember to:

• Complete the Health Form found in your acceptance packet from the RIT Admissions office and send it back to your Student Health Center at RIT (online students must also complete this).
• Review ALL materials in your CMS acceptance packet (Bachelor of Science students only: review the Writing Competency Requirement and Liberal Arts concentration information) and ALL materials in your RIT admissions acceptance packet.

The academic advisors in the Center for Multidisciplinary Studies are committed to helping you succeed. Click here to view a PDF document of our CMS Advising brochure which includes our CMS advisor commitment.