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MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAMME IN HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYING
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI(USA)
SPONSORED BY THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

REQUIREMENTS

  1. Candidate must be employed by a national hydrographic office, a maritime authority or a related national agency and be nominated by the National Hydrographer (or equivalent).

  2. The nomination must include a statement from the National Hydrographer (or equivalent) specifying that the candidate is, or will be, involved in the provision of hydrographic services and that, once the training has been successfully completed, the candidate will continue to work in this field.

  3. Nominated candidates MUST meet the following criteria:
    1. Have a university diploma (equivalent to the US Undergraduate Diploma) in a hydrography-related area (hydrography, cartography, ocean sciences, engineering, etc.)
    2. Provide a GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) test score. The Verbal and Quantitative GRE scores should add up to 297 but this is not an absolute minimum if other admission factors score highly. USM does not have an official minimum.
    3. Provide evidence of a good standard of English, both written and spoken, with reasonable technical English via TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score tests. The combined score should be greater than 80 for TOEFL or 6.5 for IELTS.
    4. Have a high standard in mathematics, physics and computing and meet the minimum requirements of the Standards of Competence for Category "A" Hydrographic Surveyors (IHO Publication S-5A) regarding the following Basic Subjects:
      1. B1 Mathematics, Statistics, Theory of Observations
      2. B2 Information and communication technology
      3. B3 Physics
      Matlab is a key tool for the programme and the USM will strive to deliver an introductory course once the students arrive to the Campus. However, students are encouraged to seek qualification in Matlab before the beginning of the programme.
    5. Provide a personal letter stating goals and interests, three letters of recommendation and the curriculum vitae.

  4. Applications should be submitted in accordance with the Capacity Building Procedure 7. This procedure is available on the IHO website at: www.iho.int > Capacity Building > CB Procedures > CB Procedure 7

  5. The CB Procedure 7 dully filled must be sent to the IHO Secretariat with:
    1. the graduation diploma (copy);
    2. a curriculum vitae (including a photo) and any related documents (copy);
    3. GRE test result;
    4. a personal letter stating goals and interests;
    5. three letters of recommendation.

  6. Once selected the candidates will be invited to complete the online submission at: https://usmgrad.admissionpros.com and the following items provided:
    1. a non-refundable application fee (approximately 60 US Dollars);
    2. the official transcripts of documents;
    3. the GRE score;
    4. the TOEFL (or IELTS) score;
    5. the personal letter stating goals and interests;
    6. contact information for 3 academic or professional recommenders; and
    7. the curriculum vitae.

  7. Call for applications are provided by IHO Circular Letter, usually in October each year and published at: www.iho.int > Letters & Documents

  8. A Selection Panel will select students and reserves in an annual basis as detailed in the IHO Circular Letter. The Selection Panel comprises representatives from the IHO Secretariat and from the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration (KHOA), in liaison with the Programme Coordinator of the USM. Selected candidates and reserves will be informed of their selection by personal letters. Member States will also be informed of the results of the selection process.

  9. In order to overcome the tight schedule between the selection of students and the submission of their documentation to the USM, candidates may wish to consider providing the required admission documentation to the USM in advance of any decision of the Selection Panel. However, it should be borne in mind that, even if a candidate is accepted for admission by the USM in advance of selection by the Selection Panel, the I-20 Invitation Letter required to obtain a visa and the subsequent funding support will only be provided to those applicants who are eventually selected by the Selection Panel.

  10. Candidates and nominating authorities should also carefully consider the following very important aspects of the process:
    1. GRE (http://www.ets.org/gre) score tests are mandatory for all applicants;
    2. TOEFL (http://www.ets.org/toefl) English score tests are mandatory for all applicants but may be waived for candidates from English-speaking countries or those who received their bachelor’s degree from an accredited English-speaking university. Candidates may take the IELTS (http://www.ielts.org) English score test when the TOEFL is not available in their region. The official test scores above must be received from the testing agency (USM code is 1479);
    3. A number of candidates have failed to pass the GRE and the TOEFL tests, others failed even to get an appointment to do the tests in time to submit their documents;
    4. Funding support will be available for the selected student alone; no funds will be provided for family members or dependents;
    5. Test fees, visa and other administrative expenses must be paid by the student or the student's national sponsoring authority. These expenses are not covered by the CB Fund;
    6. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted by the Selection Panel.

  11. Websites that you may find useful are:
    1. http://www.usm.edu/marine/hydrographic-science-degrees: USM programme information
    2. http://www.usm.edu/graduate-school: USM information about graduate admission rulesTOEFL (http://www.ets.org/toefl) English score tests are mandatory for all applicants but may be waived for candidates from English-speaking countries or those who received their bachelor’s degree from an accredited English-speaking university. Candidates may take the IELTS (http://www.ielts.org) English score test when the TOEFL is not available in their region. The official test scores above must be received from the testing agency (USM code is 1479);
    3. https://www.usm.edu/international-services: USM information for international students
    4. https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors:U.S. Government website for students
    5. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/start-here: U.S. Government website for studying in the States

  12. The typical USM Category "A" Hydrography Programme and timetable can be seen below:

Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency(KHOA)

http://www.khoa.go.kr