See below important comments by the translator, Alexander Gelbukh, marked in yellow. These are my personal comments and are not part of the original document.
Please do read the call, understand the instructions, and follow them precisely! Fortunately for you, most candidates don’t, which makes the work of our selection committee easy ;)
This text is not an official document (no guarantee of any kind); for formal purposes refer to the original document linked from CIC's website (in Spanish); however, do read my comments here---you will find them useful.
Center for Computing Research, National Polytechnic Institute
Call 2021 A
MCC: Master's Degree in Computer Science
The National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), through the Center for Computing Research (CIC-IPN), CALLS for those interested in studying the Master's in Computer Science, program, full-time schooling modality, to start in the February-June [or August-December] 2021 semester, under the following bases:
The CIC IPN offers the Master's Degree in Computer Science (MCC) to develop scientific research and / or technology generation in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
The MCC program provides a solid training of international quality recognized and endorsed by the National Quality Postgraduate Program (PNPC) of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) at the level of International Competence.
Complete information on the MCC curriculum can be found at the link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/mcc.
The MCC applicant is a professional graduated from a bachelor's degree in the field of ICT with solid knowledge that allows one to tackle the analysis, design, development, implementation, and administration of computer systems. In addition to this, he or she must have proficiency in the following areas: differential and integral calculus, discrete mathematics, algebra, linear algebra, probability, structured programming, data structures, abstract data types, and computer organization.
The applicant must be distinguished by his or her creativity and ability to generate new knowledge to be applied in problem solving and feel motivated to cultivate his or her vocation for research, science development and technological innovation.
Typically, the program is applied to by professionals from the area of physical-mathematical sciences graduated from engineering careers in computer systems, computer engineering, computer science, computer science, telematics and others related to ICT.
The graduate of the Master's in Computer Science has the critical capacity, aptitudes and abilities that will allow them to carry out basic and applied research in solving problems, as well as the ability to adapt and improve technology with an innovative approach , generating products with high added value in the field of ICT, thus contributing to the nation’s development.
Based on the development of leadership and collaboration skills in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams, the graduate will be able to work in organizations of the public and private sectors, standing out for their ability to communicate their points of view and establish links of shared responsibility in working teams. These aspects, combined with the knowledge acquired in the program, are demanded by the ICT sector.
To enter the MCC postgraduate program, the applicant must meet the requirements established in the IPN Postgraduate Studies Regulations (REP-IPN), chapter I, articles 7 (sections I, II, IV, V), 10, 11 and 12. For more information, the REP-IPN can be consulted on the website http://www.cic.ipn.mx/ in the Normative Framework section.
The requirements are as follows:
1. Possess an official degree or certificate of completion of undergraduate studies, or an equivalent document for applicants who have studied abroad.
2. Pass the admission process established in this call in accordance with the provisions of the corresponding section.
3. Accredit, with a minimum qualification of eight or equivalent, the level of knowledge of the English language, in [any] two of the following skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression or oral expression, or their equivalents; taking as a base criterion level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or similar, endorsed by the Directorate of Training in Foreign Languages of the IPN (DFLE-IPN).
4. Not having caused a permanent withdrawal from any program of the Institute, by founded and motivated resolution of the Academic Board, unless it has been revoked by said collegiate body.
5. Express, through the letter of motives and during an interview with the Admission Committee, the interest he or she has in entering the Master's studies and in developing research work in any of the lines promoted by the Center for Computing Research as a full-time student.
Applicants interested in obtaining a revalidation of credits from previously studied postgraduate learning units must submit the application to the Board of teachers in accordance with the provisions of articles 15 and 17 of the IPN Postgraduate Studies Regulations.
The process begins with the applicant's online registration. Subsequently, the academic and accreditation files must be sent, and finally attendance at an interview with the Admission Committee is required for technical-academic and psychometric aspects. The complete process is described in the following steps:
Step 1: Registration of application for admission.
The applicant must register their application to start the admission process, through the web application available at the following link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/registroA21/. [See my guide to filling this form (the current version of the form might be different, I did not check).]
Once the application has been registered, the applicant will obtain a registration identifier (FOLIO), which will be used subsequently to send files and to monitor the progress of your admission process.
[Send this file to your advisor (me if this is the case). However, this is only informative and does not substitute the official process. Your advisor will check the file and might suggest necessary corrections.]
Step 2: Sending the Academic File.
The applicant must compile and send the Academic File in the form of a PDF file, which must contain the compilation of the digitized versions of the following documents:
1. Certificate of undergraduate studies [BSc transcript], where the general average of grades [CGPA] is specified, as well as the conclusion of these studies.
2. Bachelor's degree certificate or proof of that it’s issuing is in process.
3. [Not applicable to foreigners] Professional license or proof of that it’s issuing is in process.
4. [Not applicable to foreigners: see below] Unique Code of the Population Registry (CURP).
5. Birth certificate. [You may need to apply for it to authorities of your country. If obtaining it is a slow process, you can present it later, but it will be eventually required for enrollment, so start obtaining it now.]
6. Curriculum Vitae of the applicant.
7. Letter of reasons for entering the program as a full-time student, addressed to the Admission Committee and signed by the applicant [insert your scanned signature in the file, or print the file, sign, scan]. [Say in this letter why you decided to enter this program: e.g., a good reason is that you read my/our papers and were impressed and motivated by them (which is probably true) -- this will convince the committee that you know what you do.]
8. Manifest letter of not having dropped out of any IPN postgraduate program, addressed to the Admission Committee and signed by the applicant. [Use this template: paste a scanned signature where at the bottom it says "Firma del aspirante" ("Signature of the applicant") or print, sign, scan.]
9. Admission application form with small size photograph and signature of the applicant [insert your scanned signature, or print, sign, scan]. This form is generated through the online registration indicated in Step 1.
The Academic Record will be sent as follows: [If possible, check the file with your advisor (me if this is the case) even before submitting it. Always send a copy of all submitted files to your advisor.]
|
Platform for the files |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesA21/ [See my translation of the form] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name MCC01-<FOLIO>.pdf [like MCC01-123.pdf], which must contain the Academic file. |
where <FOLIO> corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process [the number indicated in the top right corner of the PDF file generated by the web system]. In response to the mail, acknowledgment of receipt and feedback will be provided about the information received in said file.
Notes for the case of foreign applicants:
a) Translation: Proofs of studies abroad such as the bachelor's degree, certificate of studies, as well as the birth certificate, must be presented with their translation into Spanish [certified in a special way, contact your advisor for details] at the time of enrollment [not for the admission process]. If it is in a language other than English or Spanish, its translation [even if homemade – just translate it yourself] into one of these two languages [English] must be submitted at the time of sending the documents [for the admission process].
b) Professional ID and CURP: Sending of the professional ID does not apply to foreign applicants. Sending the CURP is not mandatory for foreign applicants, who, if admitted, will receive said code at the time of regularizing their immigration status once they arrive to Mexico.
For more information on procedures and procedures for foreign applicants, you can see the following link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/aspirantesExtranjeros/ [ironically, in Spanish, but probably not very relevant for the admission procedure].
Step 3: Technical-academic and psychometric interviews with the Admission Committee.
As part of the admission process, the applicant must hold two interviews with the Admission Committee, which will be conducted online through a videoconference platform.
The first interview is of a technical-academic nature and will be carried out with the participation of professors who are members of the Program's Admission Committee. This aims for us to know in detail the training and previous knowledge of the applicant, as well as aspects of their professional and school practice, in order to evaluate their compatibility with the Master's program in Computer Science. The duration of this interview is approximately 15 minutes.
To schedule this interview, the applicant must book the date and time through the Eventbrite platform through: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/entrevistaMCC/ [here is my translation with instructions] [i.e., you need to register for the Step 3 in a different platform; this is not automatic].
In the second interview, a psychometric evaluation will be carried out, the application of which will be in charge of psychology professionals, with the aim of evaluating the compatibility of the applicant's psychological profile and the entry profile of the Master's Degree in Computer Science program. The applicant will be contacted in order to establish a date and time for their interview according to the section Important Dates [i.e., you do NOT need to book this on your own, just check regularly your email]. [Sleep well before this interview. Keep calm. Be serious, respond exactly to the questions with standard, plain answers, do NOT joke or try to be original or funny.]
Step 4: Sending the Accreditation File.
The applicant must compile and send the Accreditation File in the form of a PDF file, which must contain the compilation of the digitized versions of the following documents:
i. Proof of the results of the knowledge test (any of the following):
a. National Exam for Graduate Entrance (EXANI III) [I think this is Mexican]
b. Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE-General Test) [this is what most people do; only the quantitative score is relevant: see below the Selection Criteria section] [If there are no available dates soon enough, send a proof of a booked date, we might be able to handle your case with this.]
[For GRE, use the following code: 7509, country: Mexico, institution: Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CIC IPN).]
c. Admission Exam for Postgraduate Studies (EXADEP) *.
Certificates with a maximum age of up to 5 years at the closing date of the registration period are valid.
*The EXADEP has been discontinued, but we still consider the applicants who have previously taken this exam.
See the “Guide for the Accreditation of EXANI III / GRE / EXADEP” [I did not understand where to find it].
ii. Document that certifies mastery of at least two English language skills with reference to level B1. See the "Guide to English Language Accreditation".
[I did not understand where to find this guide. Basically, accepted certificates are TOEFL, IELTS, and a few others. B1 refers to the European framework; for TOEFL it is 42 (https://www.ets.org/toefl/score-users/scores-admissions/compare). The certificates should be not older than 2 years old, seemingly at the moment of enrollment; see http://www.cic.ipn.mx/refDFLE/ for more detail on the types and accepted age of the certificates, or ask me.]
[IMPORTANT: For TOEFL, use the following code: B770, country: Mexico, institution: CIC IPN Instituto Politécnico Nacional.]
[We also have our own exam that is half the price of TOEFL but seemingly much more complicated to arrange for, so I would not recommend it if you can go for TOEFL or IELTS.]
iii. Apostille of the proofs of the bachelor's degree and certificate of studies (only for accredited studies abroad [not in Mexico]). [In my experience, this is NOT necessary for admission, but you will need it for enrollment. For countries that do not participate in the Apostille convention the procedure is different; see here for some details.]
iv. Apostille of the Birth Certificate (Only for foreigners). [Same comment: NOT necessary for admission, but you will need it for enrollment.]
The sending of the Accreditation File will be done as follows: [If possible, check the file with your advisor (me if this is the case) even before submitting it. Always send a copy of all submitted files to your advisor.]
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesA21/ [see my translation of the form (same as above)] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name MCC02-<FOLIO>.pdf, which must contain the Accreditation File. |
where <FOLIO> corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process [like MCC02-123.pdf]. In response to the mail, acknowledgment of receipt and feedback will be provided about the information received in said file.
The enrolled students must abide by the provisions of article 48 of the IPN Postgraduate Studies Regulations with regard to the requirements for obtaining the degree, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement of the Board of Teachers, namely:
I. Be enrolled in the Master's program in Computer Science.
II. Comply with the final individual program of definitive.
III. Having written a Master's thesis with the characteristics indicated in the current Regulations for Postgraduate Studies of the IPN.
IV. Pass the graduation exam.
The Admission Committee will evaluate each of the applicants' files and will determine those that will be admitted to the Master's in Computer Science program. The list of admitted applicants will be published in the section "Admission Process" of the official portal of the CIC IPN. The ruling will be final.
Accepted applicants must attend the induction sessions according to the schedule published in the section "Admission Process" of the official CIC IPN portal. [This is probably optional, and the talks will probably be in Spanish. We can discuss these details separately.]
All accepted applicants must abide by the provisions of the document "Conditions of Students of the CIC-IPN programs". [I don’t know where it is, but probably this is not so relevant at this moment.]
For foreign applicants.
To expedite the immigration procedures of foreign applicants, the Admission Committee will promptly notify the applicant about the result of the admission process once the results have been published.
In the candidate's selection process, the following will be considered:
· The score obtained in the EXANI III exam, or the score obtained by the quantitative reasoning ability in the EXADEP or GRE exam [i.e., the qualitative and writing scores will be completely ignored, so you can just skip them].
Admitted applicants must formalize their enrollment in the program without any compulsory payment, but with the possibility of making a voluntary contribution as a donation [small, don't worry] for handling the file, to the account indicated by the corresponding academic unit. The accounts for collecting donations must correspond to the National Polytechnic Institute authorities authorized to do so.
The maximum enrollment of students projected to enter the Master's Degree in Computer Science is the following, which will be covered only with those applicants who meet the requirements established in the admission process.
|
Intake |
Maximum enrollment |
|
February 2020 |
20 full-time students |
Our Master's Degree in Computer Science program is enrolled in the National Quality Postgraduate Program of CONACyT [Ministry of Science], within which it has the maximum level of quality recognition as an International Competition Program.
Students enrolled in the CIC-IPN Master's program in Computer Science (MCC) may apply for a monthly maintenance grant corresponding to 4.5 Units of Measurement and Update (UMA) [about 600 USD, a lot more than enough to live in the country; see http://www.gelbukh.com/calls/CIC-scholarships-2019.pdf], provided that they meet the requirements established by the Regulation of CONACyT scholarships [your scholarship will be provided by the CONACYT (Ministry of Science)].
The CONACyT may grant said scholarship for a maximum period of 4 semesters to those students with full-time dedication within the postgraduate program, in accordance with the current regulations of the CONACyT itself.
The CIC-IPN will nominate all accepted students who apply for a CONACyT scholarship according to an order of priority defined by the score of the knowledge exam [e.g., GRE] reported in the Accreditation File, regardless of the cut-off in which they were admitted (first or second cut-off [see the two tables below]). In the event of a tie, the CIC Board of Professors will analyze the additional elements to consider in order to determine and resolve the order of priority in the scholarship applications. The number of scholarships assigned by CONACyT will depend on its budget availability.
For more information, consult the link: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/becasCONACYT/ [In Spanish, but use Google Translate. The main condition there is to have in your BSc the CGPA at least of (the minimum pass score + the maximum possible score) / 2. If you don't have the sufficient score, contact your advisor (me if this is the case).]
The IPN provides the coverage of medical services of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) during the period of postgraduate studies, with the corresponding permanent social security number.
In order to speed up the admission process, two cut-off dates are established. In the early cut-off, a maximum of 6 students will be accepted.
Applicants who could not be admitted in the first cut-off, due to having reached the maximum number of places or pending documents in their files, will be evaluated in the final cut-off. The priority in applying for scholarships is independent of acceptance in one cut-off or another.
It is important to register in the system as soon as possible. Students who have not registered in the web system, will not be considered in the admission process.
[There are two sets of deadlines. If you want to be enrolled in February 2021, then do your best to apply in the first set of deadlines (even with incomplete documents – we may be able to handle your case), because the second set can be too late for the visa paperwork. If you plan to be enrolled in August 2021, then you can consider the second set of deadlines. You can also apply in the next admission cycle, in May, but then it may be too late for the visa paperwork.]
|
Early Cut-off [passed, but see the table below this one] |
|
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Registration of the admission application [web form, Step 1] |
October 26 to November 6, 2020 |
|
Sending of the Academic File [Step 2] |
November 6, 2020 |
|
Sending of the Accreditation File [Step 4] |
November 6,
2020 |
|
Information Session |
October 30, 2020 |
|
Psychometric interviews [Step 3] |
November 9 to 13, 2020 |
|
Admission interviews [Step 3] |
November 9 to 13, 2020 |
|
Publication of results |
November 20, 2020 |
[The next set of deadlines is OK for the August intake, but may be too late for the February intake.]
|
|
Final Cut-off |
|
|
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
|
Registration of the admission application [web form, Step 1] |
October 26 to December 10, 2020 |
|
|
Sending of the Academic Record [Step 2] |
January 8, 2021 |
|
|
Sending of the Accreditation Record [Step 4] |
January 8, 2021 |
|
|
Information Sessions |
November 27 and |
|
|
Psychometric interviews [Step 3] |
December 14 to 18, 2020 |
|
|
Admission interviews [Step 3] |
November 23, 2020 |
|
|
Publication of results |
January 29, 2021 |
For admitted applicants [for the February intake, not for August intake]:
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Induction session for accepted students |
February 12, 2021 |
|
Enrollment [see my note below] |
From February 15 to 19, 2021 |
|
Start of the semester |
February 22, 2021 |
In the event of a situation that makes it impossible for the accepted applicant to enroll in semester A21, they may request to transfer their registration to the next semester [i.e., for August].
[Before enrollment, you need to obtain the stay permit as part of the immigration formalities. This can take some weeks. So you need to arrive to Mexico some weeks before the enrollment date indicated in the table.]
For information related to academic aspects:
Dr. Francisco Hiram Calvo Castro
MCC Program Coordination
Email: mcc@cic.ipn.mx
For information by telephone related to administrative aspects:
Lic. Diana Julieta Díaz Díaz
Department of Educational Technologies
Email: admision@cic.ipn.mx
Facebook Messenger: @admisionCICA21
The academic and administrative processes related to this call and the completion of postgraduate studies at the National Polytechnic Institute are carried out without any distinction, either for reasons of gender, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinions, national, ethnic or social origin, fortune, birth or any other situation. All this in order to ensure fairness, equality and non-discrimination.
Any situation arising during the admission process not contemplated in this call will be resolved in full compliance with the Regulations for Postgraduate Studies by the competent authority as appropriate.