See important [comments in red color -- AG] by the translator, Alexander Gelbukh. This is not an official document; for formal purposes refer to the original document (but first read my [comments] here!).

 

 National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Research Center in Computing (CIC-IPN)

 

CALL

 

for those interested in studying the Master of Science program in Computer Science, face-to-face modality,
to start in the school year in August - December 2019

 

Presentation

The CIC-IPN offers the Master's Program in Computer Science (MCC) to conduct scientific research and / or technological development in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The MCC program provides a solid formation of recognized international quality and endorsed by the National Quality Postgraduate Program (PNPC) of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT).

The complete information about the MCC's Curriculum can be found on http://www.cic.ipn.mx/mcc.

Admission profile

The candidate to the MCC is a professional graduated with a degree in the field of the ICT with solid knowledge that allow him or her to approach the analysis, design, development, implementation, and administration of computer systems. In addition to this, you must have mastery of the following tools: 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 their creativity and ability to generate new knowledge to be applied in the solution of problems, and be motivated to cultivate their vocation for research, the development of science and technological innovation.

Typically, the program attracts professionals from the area of ​​physical and mathematical sciences graduated from the fields of electronic engineering and communications, computer science, computer systems, robotics and mechatronics, telematics and other ICT-related fields.  

Graduation profile

A graduate of the Master's Degree in Computer Science has the critical capacity, skills and abilities that will allow you to carry out basic and applied research in the solution of problems, as well as the ability to adapt and improve technology with an innovative approach and high value-added products in the field of ICT, to contribute to national development.

Based on the development of leadership skills and collaboration in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams, the graduate will be able to perform in organizations of the public and private sectors, standing out for their ability to communicate their points of view and establish bonds of shared responsibility in work teams, aspects that combined with the knowledge acquired in the program are demanded by the ICT sector.

[Note by A. Gelbukh: most importantly, our graduates are expected to enter our PhD program.]

Admission requirements

To enter the graduate program of the MCC, the applicant must meet the requirements established in the IPN Graduate 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/ through the Normative Framework section.

 

The requirements are the following:

1.           Possess a title or official certificate of completion of undergraduate studies, or equivalent document for applicants who have studied abroad.

2.           Approve the admission process established in this call, demonstrating the ability to continue their studies at the master's level, by reaching the minimum score established by the Admission Commission for this process.

3.           Accredit, with a minimum grade of eight or equivalent, the level of knowledge of the English language, in two of the following skills: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression or oral expression, or their equivalents; taking as base criterion the level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for the Languages ​​or similar, endorsed by the Direction of Formation in Foreign Languages ​​of the IPN.

4.           Not to have definitively withdrawn from any program of the Institute, by reasoned and motivated resolution of the Academic College, unless this has been revoked by said collegiate body.

5.           Manifest, through the letter of reasons and during an interview with the Admission Committee, the interest he or she has in entering the master's degree studies, and develop their research work in any of the lines relevant for the Research Center in Computing.

Revalidation of Credits

Those applicants interested in obtaining revalidation of credits of previously completed graduate learning units must submit the application to the faculty association in accordance with the provisions of articles 15 and 17 of the IPN Graduate Studies Regulations. 

Admission process

The Admission Process consists of the online registration and the sending of the academic and accreditation files, as well as conducting an interview with the Admission Commission, as described in the following steps:

 

Step 1: Register an application for admission.

 

To do this, you must complete the online application to start the admission process, through the following link: http : //www.ci c.ipn.mx/sitioCIC/index.php/formulario-de-registro. [Note by A. Gelbukh: See my translation and explanation of the steps.]

 

Step 2: Send the Academic File.

 

The applicant must send the Academic File in the form of a PDF file, which must contain the compilation of the scanned versions of the following documents of the applicant:

a.                Certificate of undergraduate studies, where the general average of qualifications is specified, as well as the conclusion of the same. [Note by A. Gelbukh: This is your BSc transcript.]

b.                Bachelor's degree and professional certificate. [Note by A. Gelbukh: This is your BSc diploma. In some countries, only one of these documents a or b exists; then that one should be enough. See a note below for international applicants.]

c.                 Unique key Population Registry (CURP). [Note by A. Gelbukh: this is obtained when you come to Mexico; no need to submit it in advance.]

d.                Birth certificate.

e.                Curriculum Vitae of the applicant.

f.                  Letter of reasons to enter the program. [Note by A. Gelbukh: explain why you decide to study here. E.g., you have read our papers and were impressed and motivated by them.]

g.                Letter signed by the applicant in which he or she manifests not to have abandoned any graduate program of IPN. [Note by A. Gelbukh: You can use this template.]

h.                Admission application form with a small-sized photograph. This form must be generated through the online registration indicated in Step 1. [Note by A. Gelbukh: Sign this form where at the bottom it says "FIRMA DEL ASPIRANTE" ("SIGNATURE OF THE APPLICANT").]

 

The applicant must send an email with a PDF file, which must contain the Academic File to admision@cic.ipn.mx, with the subject “Expediente Académico MCC” and his or her full name, according to the dates established in this call. [Note by A. Gelbukh: the sooner the better, to detect any problems in time and be able to correct them before the deadline. Also, since the visa paperwork takes much time, the sooner you get your admission the better the chances for you to get your visa in time and to buy your ticket cheaper.] The personnel of the Department of Educational Technologies will acknowledge the receipt of the said file.

 

Note for the case of foreign applicants. Proof of studies abroad, such as the bachelor's degree, certificate of study, as well as the birth certificate, must be submitted with their translation into Spanish and duly legalized (apostilled if applied). The sending of the professional ID card and the CURP does not apply to foreign applicants.

 

              For  more information, see: http://www.informatica.sip.ipn.mx/posgrado/docs/formatos/dap/BPP/Sistema%20d e% 20Qualidad % 20Académica.pdf.

 

Step 3: Schedule assistance to an information session

 

A very important part of the process of admission are briefings, which is the aim to raise awareness of the specific research areas developed in the graduate program of the MCC.

 

To schedule his or her assistance, the applicant should consult the dates available in the following link, where he or her can also reserve his or her place for any of these dates: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/informacion-admision-cic-ipn-b19-tickets-55952440255. [Note by A. Gelbukh: Foreign applicants will do this via internet. However, if you do not understand Spanish, ask the committee whether it makes sense for you to participate in these sessions. In addition, if you already have chosen the Laboratory to which you apply, attending these sessions does not make much sense; ask the committee if you still need to attend.]

 

Step 4: Attend the interview with the Admission Commission

 

The applicant must hold an interview with the Admission Commission, for which he or she must attend the appointment at the facilities of the CIC IPN, according to the schedule of date and time that will be indicated. The scheduling of this appointment will be published in the "Admission Process" section of the official CIC-IPN portal.

 

In the case of those applicants who reside abroad or outside the metropolitan area of ​​Mexico City, the interview with the Admission Commission will be conducted through the videoconference system via Internet. The scheduling of this appointment will be agreed directly with the applicant via email.

 

Step 5: Send the Accreditation File.

The Accreditation File must be integrated into a PDF file with the compilation of the scanned versions of the following documents:

                              i.         Proof of the outcome of the Graduate Record Examination General Test (GRE-General Test) or Admission Test Graduate Academics (EXADEP). Proof has a maximum validity period of up to 5 years by the end of the registration period.

                            ii.         Document proving the mastery of two English language skills.

 

The applicant must send the Accreditation File in PDF format to the MCC Coordination as an email attachment to admision@cic.ipn.mx, with the subject Expediente de Acreditación MCC, according to the dates established in this announcement.

 

On the Graduate Record Examination (GRE General Test) and the Graduate Admission Examination (EXADEP).

 

[Note by A. Gelbukh: EXADEP is a Spanish-language version of the GRE, probably somewhat easier.]

 

[Note by A. Gelbukh: as you can see see below the admission criteria, only the quantitative reasoning score of the GRE will be considered; the qualitative reasoning and writing scores of the GRE test will be completely ignored, so you may not waste effort on these two sections. I do not know how EXADEP is structured but there should be some equivalent of those sections in it.]

 

To schedule and sit for the GRE or the EXADEP, you must make an appointment and take the test through the official Educational Testing Service (ETS) portal. The information for the GRE is available at https://www.ets.org/gre, while the information regarding EXADEP can be consulted on https://www.ets.org/exadep.

 

In the case of the GRE exam, the following information must be indicated in the list of institutions assigned by the ETS:

 

              Code:               Country:               Institution:              

              7509               Mexico               Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CIC IPN)

 

Due to the limited availability of dates to take the GRE and EXADEP exams, it is recommended to register for the months of February, March and April for GRE, and February and April for EXADEP. For more detail, consult the corresponding links.

 

About Accreditation of English proficiency based on two skills at Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

             

The applicant can prove proficiency in the English language through any of the following options:

 

a.        Through the accreditation of any of the certifications of the English language proficiency endorsed by the Directorate of Training in Foreign Languages ​​of the IPN (DFLE-IPN), which may be:

 

                                        i.         IELTS

                                       ii.         TOEFL ITP [Note by A. Gelbukh: see the institution code below; (in the next year's call hard copy will not be required) request the hard copy original. See below why this option is not recommended.]

                                     iii.         ESOL SKILLS FOR LIFE

                                      iv.         CENNI

                                       v.         TOEFL PBT [Note by A. Gelbukh: see the institution code below; (in the next year's call hard copy will not be required) request the hard copy original. See below why this option is not recommended.]

                                      vi.         TOEIC [Note by A. Gelbukh: I’ve heard that this one is difficult, but the results are given in one day.]

                                    vii.         ISE

                                   viii.         OXFORD TEST OF ENGLISH

 

In all cases, for verification purposes the applicant must present the original document of the proof of accreditation issued by the institution, which must be valid at the date of registration.

 

[Note by A. Gelbukh: For ETS exams, such as TOEFL, I advise you to send the scores to us via the ETS system by indicating the institution code B770, country: Mexico, institution: CIC IPN Instituto Politécnico Nacional. This is in addition to sending us your (in the next year's call hard copy will not be required) hard copy original, not instead of it!]

 

[Note by A. Gelbukh: For all other documents, for admission you only send scanned copies, and you can present the original hard copy by the time of your enrollment. However, in the case of the English test, you will have to send us the (in the next year's call hard copy will not be required) hard copy original certificate of your English test as a part of your admission process. Ask me for the address to send it. I do realize that you may only have a PDF copy and not the hard copy; however, the original hard copy is indeed required for admission. In addition, its validation can take us weeks, so please send it in advance. In the past, we had problems with obtaining a hard copy certificate from ETS for the TOEFL tests. Because of this difficulty, if you don’t have the hard copy original for your TOEFL test, then I would recommend you to avoid TOEFL and opt for some other option, such as IELTS.]

 

For information about the minimum score required in each case, it is recommended to consult directly the following link http://www.dfle.ipn.mx/Galerias/Paginas/Referente.aspx.

 

b.        This requirement can be accredited through the documentation that proves previous studies of the English language, which must have been done in an institution endorsed by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP).

 

In this case, the applicant must submit to the Department of Educational Technologies (DTE) of the CIC-IPN the original documentation proving the studies completed, whose date of issue does not exceed one year, for it to be sent for validation to the DFLE-IPN.

 

c.        If the applicant is a native English speaker, he or she must present the supporting documentation in the DTE in order to carry out the corresponding validation by the DFLE-IPN.

 

d.        Another alternative for the accreditation of the English language is through the presentation of the corresponding exam in the Foreign Language Center (CENLEX-IPN) according to the planning of available dates. To opt for this option, the applicant must file his or her examination application at the DTE, for which he or she must submit a copy of an official identification (INE, passport or professional license) according to the dates established in this call, and later pay the fee. The minimum passing grade in the examination of English language proficiency applied by CENLEX-IPN is eight (8).

 

Publication of the results

The Admission Commission will evaluate each one of the applicants' files and will determine those that will be admitted to the Master's Degree in Computer Science. The list of admitted applicants will be published in the "Admission" section by such officer of CIC IPN. The ruling will be unappealable.

Applicants accepted must attend the induction sessions according to the schedule published in the section "Admission Process" of the official CIC IPN portal. Said sessions may be attended remotely through the webcast service for those applicants who reside abroad or outside the metropolitan area of ​​Mexico City.

For foreign aspirants. To expedite the immigration procedures of foreign applicants, the Admission Commission will notify the applicant in a timely manner about the result of the admission process.

 

Selection criteria

In the selection process of the applicant, it will be considered:

  

•             The score obtained by the skill of quantitative reasoning in the EXADEP exam or GRE test. [Note by A. Gelbukh: only the quantitative reasoning score is considered; the qualitative reasoning and writing scores of the GRE test will be ignored. I do not know how EXADEP is structured but there should be some equivalent of those sections in it.]

•             Compliance with the level of English proficiency.

•             The personal interview with the Admission Commission,

•             The professional and academic career of the applicant.

 

Donations

The admitted candidates must formalize their registration to the program without any obligatory payment, but with the possibility of making the voluntary contribution as a donation for opening the file to the account indicated by the corresponding academic unit. The collection accounts of donations must correspond to the departments of the National Polytechnic Institute assigned for this purpose.

 

Maximum number of students admitted

The maximum number of students planned for admission to the Master in Computer Science for the semester August - December 2019 is 30 students, which will be covered only by those applicants who meet the requirements established in the admission process.

 

Up to 10% of accepted applicants may choose to register as part-time students, which must be available to attend program activities for a minimum of 20 hours per week and attend the courses at the scheduled times each semester.

 

Graduation requirements

Registered students must adhere to the provisions of article 49 of the Regulations for Postgraduate Studies of the IPN regarding the requirements for obtaining the degree, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement of the Teachers' Association, as follows:

          I.         Be enrolled in the Master's program in Computer Science.

        II.         Fulfill your individual definitive program of activities.

      III.          Have developed a master's thesis with the characteristics indicated in this Regulation of Postgraduate Studies of the IPN.

      IV.         Pass the graduation exam.

 

Scholarships and supports

The Master's Degree in Computer Science is listed on the National Postgraduate Program of Quality list of CONACyT [Note by A. Gelbukh: ministry of science], within which it has the highest level of quality as an International Competency Program.

 

Students enrolled in the Master's program in Computer Science (MCC) of the CIC-IPN, may request a monthly maintenance grant corresponding to 4.5 Units of Measurement and Updating (UMA) [Note by A. Gelbukh: about USD 550, more than enough to live in the country (renting a modest room) given the current prices; see calculations in my presentation on http://www.gelbukh.com/calls/CIC-scholarships-2018.pdf], provided that they meet the requirements established by the Regulation of CONACyT Scholarships. [Note by A. Gelbukh: most importantly, sufficient average score (CGPA) from the MSc degree. The rules are the same for citizens and for international applicants. An exception is the requirement of an average score of at least 8.0, as scaled to the Mexican scale, for the international applicants. This means that your average score in your transcript is to be at least (the maximum possible score minus the minimum pass score) divided by 2. In some countries, the scores are counted differently; contact me if in doubt.]

 

The CONACyT grants said scholarship for a maximum period of 4 semesters to full-time students within the graduate program, in accordance with the current norms of CONACyT itself. Therefore, students accepted under the part-time modality will not be able to apply for the CONACyT scholarship.

 

For more information, see http://www.conacyt.mx/index.php/becas-yposgrados/becas-nacionales.

 

In addition to the CONACyT scholarship, the IPN manages the medical service coverage before the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) during the period of postgraduate studies, with the corresponding permanent social security number.

 

Preparation course for admission

The CIC-IPN offers a course with a duration of six weeks with the aim of preparing applicants to enter our program on various topics related to computer science.

 

This course will be conducted for 6 weeks and consists of 4 modules: 1) logic and set theory, 2) programming, 3) probability, and 4) algorithms.

 

This course is free and optional, so attending the course and passing it have no value as selection criteria for admission to our program. For more information, see http://www.cic.ipn.mx/curso_admision.

 

Information

 

 

Important dates

 

 

Unforeseen situations

The academic and administrative processes related to this call and the completion of postgraduate studies at the National Polytechnic Institute, are carried out without distinction, either for reasons of gender, race, color, language, religion, political or other opinions, national, ethnic or social origin, wealth, birth or any other situation. All this is in order to ensure fairness, equality and non-discrimination.

 

Any situation originated during the admission process not contemplated in this call, will be resolved in full compliance with the Regulation of Graduate Studies by the competent authority as the case may be.