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 B
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, schooling modality, to start in the August-December 2021 [or January-June 2022] semester, under the following bases:
The CIC IPN offers the Master's Degree in Computer Science (MCC) program, a full-time program whose objective is to train specialists of Master’s level capable of developing 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).
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, as well as structured programming, data structures, and abstract data types.
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 electronic engineering and communications, computer science, computer systems, robotics and mechatronics, 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, at the moment of enrollment to the program as indicated in the official calendar of the IPN, 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 can be consulted via the following URL: http://www.cic.ipn.mx/REP/.
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 postgraduate 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.
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 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 process begins with the applicant's online registration. Subsequently, the academic and accreditation files must be sent, and finally attending the interviews 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 and submitting the Identity File
A. 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/registroB21/. [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.]
B. After registering, the applicant should submit the Identity File, in the form of a PDF file, which should contain the set of scanned versions of the following documents:
1. Admission application form with small-size photo and signature [insert your scanned signature, or print, sign, scan] of the applicant. This form is generated during the part A of this step [i.e., upon registration you download the PDF file generated by the web system].
2. CURP* [only for Mexicans], or passport in the case of foreign applicants.
3. Curriculum vitae of the applicant.
The Identity File will be sent via the following link: [If possible, check the file with your advisor (me if this is the case) before submitting it. Always send a copy of all submitted files to your advisor.]
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesB21/ [See my translation of the form] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name MCC01-<FOLIO>.pdf [like MCC01-123.pdf if your FOLIO number is 123], which must contain the Identity 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.
* Sending the CURP is not obligatory for foreign applicants, who, in case of being admitted, will receive it at the moment of obtaining their immigration documents upon arriving to Mexico.
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:
a. Certificate of undergraduate studies [BSc transcript], where the general average of grades [CGPA] is specified, as well as the conclusion of these studies.
b. Bachelor's degree certificate or proof of that it’s issuing is in process.
c. [Not applicable to foreigners] Professional license or proof of that it’s issuing is in process.
d. 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.]
e. Letter of reasons for entering the program, 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.]
f. 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.]
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.]
|
File platform |
http://www.cic.ipn.mx/expedientesB21/ [See my translation of the form] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name MCC02-<FOLIO>.pdf [like MCC02-123.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, an email with acknowledgment of receipt and feedback about the information received in said file will be provided.
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 to the postgraduate program [not for the admission process]. If it is in a language other than English or Spanish, its simple [even if homemade – just translate it yourself] translation into one of these two languages [English] must be submitted at the time of sending the documents [for the admission process].
b) Professional ID: Sending of the professional ID does not apply to foreign applicants.
For further 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: 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 complying with one of the following criteria:
a. The result of the knowledge exam 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.], EXANI-III [I think this is Mexican], or Admission Exam for Postgraduate Studies (EXADEP)*
[For GRE, use the following code: 7509, country: Mexico, institution: Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CIC IPN).]
Certificates of the GRE and EXADEP exams with an age no greater than 5 years at the closing date of this call are valid.
*The EXADEP has been discontinued, but we still consider the applicants who have previously taken this exam.
See the section “Guide for the Accreditation of GRE / EXADEP” [I don’t know where to find it].
b. To have research products equivalent in the opinion of the Admission Committee: patents or publications in extenso in [indexed in] WoS [Clarivate’s Web of Science; as far as I understand, they mean journals with impact factor – I think journals from Emerging Sources and conferences are not accepted, but not sure] or Scopus (except for publications in the journals [published by] the CIC [we publish two journals]).
c. Cumplimiento y aprobación del curso propedéutico impartido por el CIC de acuerdo con los lineamientos descritos en el anexo “Curso propedéutico”
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]). These are submitted by the time of enrollment for the program [not with admission application. 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 foreign applicants). This is submitted by the time of enrollment for the program [not with admission application].
The Accreditation File should be presented as one PDF file with a set of the scanned versions of the following documents:
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/expedientesB21/ [see my translation of the form (same as above)] |
|
File to send: |
PDF file with the name MCC03-<FOLIO>.pdf, which must contain the Accreditation File. |
where <FOLIO> corresponds to the identifier obtained from the online registration process [like MCC03-123.pdf].
In order to schedule the interviews in the next step, the applicant must send the Identification and Academic files, including within them, if applicable, a simple letter indicating the documents that are missing, the reason for it, as well as an expected date of obtaining them. In the case of exams, preferably present proof of payment and / or reservation of [exam] application date. It is important to note that the applicant may not be admitted until they have met all the requirements indicated in this call. [That is, if you do not have all the documents now but apply in time, even if with an incomplete set of documents, then your application will be considered, you will get a conditioned acceptance, and you will get the final acceptance later as soon as you provide the missing documents. However, it is crucial to apply in time, even if with an incomplete set of documents. Do NOT wait for having all the documents: late applications will likely not be considered, but incomplete applications will likely be considered.]
Step 4: Technical-academic and psychometric interviews with the Admission Committee
As part of the admission process, the applicant must hold an interview with the Admission Committee, which will be conducted online through a videoconference platform.
The 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.
In addition, 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 [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.]
It is important to emphasize that, in order to schedule the interview and the psychometric test, the applicant must have submitted the Academic and Accreditation files, even if incomplete. Both interviews will be scheduled within the range of dates indicated in the "Important dates" section of this call. To have them scheduled, it is necessary to have sent the Academic and Accreditation files.
The admission process will be carried out virtually while the COVID19 lockdown remains.
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 scores obtained in any of the following: (a) the quantitative reasoning skill [i.e., the qualitative and writing scores will be completely ignored, so you can just skip them] in the exams GRE, EXADEP, or EXANI-III; (b) its equivalent in the accreditation of the propaedeutic course given by the CIC-IPN; or (c) its equivalent in publications according to what is established by the Admission Committee.
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 |
|
August 2020 |
20 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 quality level 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 grants 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] (or equivalent data [e.g., publications]) reported in the Accreditation File. 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).]
In addition to the CONACYT scholarship, 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.
|
For
information related with |
For
information related with |
|
Dr. Hiram Calvo MCC Program Coordinator Tel. +52 55 57296000 ext.
56602 Email: mcc@cic.ipn.mx |
Lic. Margarita Cedeño Mateos Department of Educational Technologies Tel. +52 55 5729 6000 ext. 56501 [telephone not working under lockdown] Email: admision@cic.ipn.mx Facebook
Messenger: @admisionCIC |
In order to speed up the admission process, two cut-off dates are established. In the early cut-off, a maximum of 50% of the maximum enrollment indicated [above] in this call.
Those who are not admitted in the first cut-off will be considered in the final cut-off.
Please 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 August 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 January 2022, then you can consider the second set of deadlines. You can also apply in the next admission cycle, in September, but then there is a risk that it might be too late for the visa paperwork.]
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Registration of the admission application [web form, Step 1] |
till June 18, 2021 [for early cut-off, it is April 30] |
Early Cut-off
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Submission of the Identity File [web form, Step 1] |
April 30, 2021 |
|
Submission of the Academic File [Step 2] |
April 30, 2021 |
|
Submission of the Accreditation File [Step 3] |
April 30, 2021 |
|
Information Session |
April 16, 2021 |
|
Admission interviews [Step 4] |
April and May, 2021 |
|
Publication of results |
May 7, 2021 |
[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) |
|
Submission of the Identity File [web form, Step 1] |
June 20, 2021 |
|
Submission of the Academic Record [Step 2] |
June 20, 2021 |
|
Submission of the Accreditation Record [Step 3] |
June 20, 2021 |
|
Information Sessions |
May 14 and June 11, 2021 |
|
Admission interviews [Step 4] |
May and June, 2021 |
|
Publication of results |
June 30, 2021 |
For admitted applicants [for the August intake, not for January 2022 intake]:
|
Description |
Period / Date (GMT-6) |
|
Induction session for accepted students |
July 5 to 9, 2021 |
|
Enrollment [see my note below] |
August 2 to 6, 2021 |
|
Start of the semester |
August 9, 2021 |
[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.]
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.