Graduate Studies in Information Retrieval & Human Computation at UT Austin
The University of Texas at Austin   The University of Texas at Austin

Graduate Studies in Information Retrieval & Human Computation

UT Austin INFORMATION RETRIEVAL LAB

Director: Matt Lease, School of Information (also appointed in Computer Science)

The University of Texas at Austin invites applications from talented and energetic prospective students wanting to help shape the future of research in Information Retrieval (IR), Human Computation / Crowdsourcing, and related areas. UT Austin is one of the premier research universities in the US and is located in one of the country's sunniest and most vibrant cities in which to live and work, Austin (see video).

Programs of Study

Graduate Courses: Information Retrieval · Human Computation and Crowdsourcing

The iSchool moved into a wonderful new building in 2009 (with great labs), and CS also has a beautiful new building.

UT Austin graduate programs are highly-ranked nationally and admission is competitive (e.g., the iSchool is ranked #6 nationally with many funded research projects). UT Austin also promotes diversity in considering applicants coming from traditionally under-represented population groups, including women (cf. NCWIT). International students: see minimum test scores.

Prospective students should apply directly to (one or more of) the programs above, indicating:

  • faculty they are most interested in working with
  • relevant background (education, experience, skills)
  • interest in IR, and any further details about this interest
Due to the high volume of email from prospective students, general inquiries regarding graduate programs are best directed to official channels for each program rather than faculty, who may not be able to reply in a timely fashion.

Admission decisions are made by committee in each program and no promises of admission can be made in advance of application. The primary criterion for acceptance is the applicant's overall strength and ability to excel in the program as a whole as judged on the basis of standard application materials (e.g. letters of recommendation, grades, GRE scores, etc.). Each program's website details its specific application materials and admission criteria.

Highlighted Faculty

UT Austin's faculty regularly collaborate on research across disciplines. Regardless of the selected program of study, students will have the opportunity to work with diverse faculty across the university. Several faculty are highlighted below; visit their webpages to learn more about them and their research.

Additional UT Resources

To help facilitate top-notch research, UT Austin offers a variety of programs and resources avaiable to students across the university:

Help us shape the future of IR!

Why UT Austin? As a leading research institution in the 21st century, we are driving innovation and tomorrow's technology in IR, but we can't do it without your knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication. At UT Austin you will have the opportunity to significantly impact theory and practice in developing IR technologies, to bring your own unique ideas and perspective to bear in working with us to design the future. It's an exciting road ahead, and we look forward to having you help us chart its course! Read more about UT Austin & Life in Austin.

About iSchools