Applicants are admitted for the Autumn semester only. The Graduate Studies and Curriculum Committee, however, will also consider applications for the spring semester on a case-by-case basis. As an interdisciplinary unit, the Department will consider any applicant with a bachelor's degree in any discipline from an accredited college or university and with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a standard 4.0 scale). While an undergraduate major in African American and African Studies is not a requirement, applicants must have completed at least 4 courses in African American and African Studies or courses related to the global Black experience.
The following procedures for admission to the Master of Arts (M.A.) Program in African American and African Studies should be followed:
1) The applicant must submit electronically the following documents to the Graduate Admissions Office:
a) an on-line application form submitted through the Office of Admissions website at http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/;
b) transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate-level course work;
c) official scores of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test; and
d) TOEFL scores, in the case of all foreign students. Foreign students must
meet the Graduate School’s TOEFL requirement of 550 on the paper-based
test or 79 on Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT).
E) a two-page, double spaced Statement of Purpose that explains why you wish to pursue a graduate degree in AAAS including research experience and interests, career goals, and probable focus area; and
F) three academic letters of recommendation (submitted electronically through the application system)
G) a writing sample of your scholarly work (e.g., honors thesis chapter, a research paper, an extended literature review or historiographical essay)
It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to verify with the Graduate Admissions Office that all application materials are submitted and application fees paid.
NOTICE: Application materials submitted via email will not be considered and cannot be processed.
NOTE: No decision on admission or financial aid can be made until an applicant’s file is complete. We, therefore, recommend that you follow up with your undergraduate institution and referees to make sure that the requested actions have been completed. Once applications are submitted students are encouraged to check the status of materials received by the department’s graduate program office, through the Graduate Admissions website indicated above on a regular basis.
Reinstated Students
Students who desire to be reinstated after a period of absence from the program must request reinstatement no later than three years from their most recent semester of enrollment, and must have been in good standing with the graduate school at the end of that most recent semester of enrollment. Students who are reinstated but who do not enroll before the end of the academic year in which they are reinstated, will be considered to have declined said reinstatement. A student who desires to return to the program after an absence of more than three years, must apply for admission as if he/she were applying as a new student.
Transfer Students
Students already admitted to the Graduate School of The Ohio State University and registered in other departments who desire to transfer to the Department of African American and African Studies must submit petitions for change of department to the Director of Graduate Studies. Petition forms may be obtained from the Office of the Graduate School. Students enrolled at another university who wish to transfer to the Department of African American and African Studies must follow the regular procedures of admission for all new students.
Transfer Credit
The decision to grant transfer credit for graduate work completed at another university is made by the Graduate Studies Committee on a case-by-case basis, however candidates are not normally permitted more than 6 hours of transfer credit. Transfer of credit is not automatic and will be allowed only when the Graduate Studies Committee judges the previous work to be appropriate to the program of study in the Department of African American and African Studies. In all cases, no decision will be made on transfer credit until the Department has had sufficient time to assess all the relevant evidence.
Graduate Non-Degree Status
Students who are not working toward an advanced degree will be registered “Graduate Non Degree” in the Graduate School for the purpose of taking course work upon verification of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and with the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. Should such a student later be admitted to a graduate degree program, no more than 6 hours of graduate credit accumulated while in the non-degree status may be transferred for degree credit.
Please note: No decision on admission or financial aid can be made until an applicant’s file is complete. Once applications are submitted students are encouraged to check the status of materials received by the department’s graduate program office, through the Graduate Admissions website on a regular basis.
