Applicants are admitted for the Autumn semester only. Students who submit an application before the December 1, 2024 deadline, if admitted would begin in the Fall of 2025. The documentation required to apply for admission to our PhD program is the same as for the MA program.
The following procedures for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Program in African American and African Studies should be followed:
a) An online 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; this includes any transcripts for study abroad, post-secondary education, etc.
c) TOEFL scores for international students. International students must meet the Graduate School’s TOEFL requirement of 650 on the paper-based test or 114 on the Internet-based TOEFL (IBT).
d) A statement of purpose (double-spaced between 800 to 1000 words) should explain why the applicant wishes to pursue a graduate degree in AAAS, identify a clear research interest, and identify the disciplinary or interdisciplinary fields with which the research is engaged and any relevant research or professional experience. The statement should relate the applicant’s research interest to specific areas of the AAAS program (e.g. a specific concentration, graduate courses, departmental strengths, etc.) and identify three faculty members with whom they hope to work.
e) Three letters of recommendation are required. Unless the applicant has been out of school for 5 years or more, all three letters should come from faculty who can speak to the applicant’s strengths and areas of growth as a student, preparation for graduate studies, and the likelihood that the applicant will move through the program in a timely fashion toward degree completion. If the applicant has been out of school for 5 years or more, then at least two letters must be from faculty members that address the above criteria. These letters will be submitted through the online application system. Your references will receive an email asking them to submit their letters of reference after you complete your online application.
f) A writing sample should be between 15-25 pages (double spaced) and exemplify the applicant’s scholarly work. Ideally, the sample will relate to the applicant’s identified research interest and derive from previous undergraduate or graduate work, e.g., an honor’s thesis chapter, a research paper, an extended literature review, a review essay, or a historiographical essay. The writing sample may also be the product of a research project written in another setting that relates to the applicant’s proposed research interest. It should represent the applicant’s strongest writing.
g) AAAS requires that applicants submit a resume or curriculum vita (CV) of no more than two pages. This document should highlight the relevant academic and/or professional experiences that have prepared the applicant for the AAAS graduate studies program. All university fellowships require applicants to submit a resume or CV to be considered for a fellowship.
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.
Students who have completed a master's degree in African American and African Studiesor related fields can ordinarily apply directly to the PhD program. At the time of admission, the Graduate Studies Committee will decide the number of credits from the student's MA program that may be applied to the doctoral program. Students enrolling for the PhD with a relevant external MA degree can transfer up to 30 credits from the external MA program. Students enrolling for the PhD with a relevant external MA degree can transfer up to 30 credits from the external MA program. Students enrolling for the PhD with a relevant external MA degree can transfer up to 30 credits from the external MA program. Students enrolling for the PhD with a relevant external MA degree can transfer up to 30 credits from the external MA program.