FIU African and African Diaspora Studies

Admission Requirements and Procedures

M.A. in AADS

Each applicant to the African & African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program must complete a graduate application form, available online at http://gradschool.fiu.edu/ and arrange to send transcripts of all prior college (undergraduate and graduate) work and official reports of the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and TOEFL (if applicable) to FIU's Office of Graduate Admissions.

Along with copies of the above material, each applicant should also submit:

A statement of purpose, expressing the applicant's academic and professional objectives to the director of the African & African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program.
Writing samples and other relevant professional work that may support the application.
Three letters of recommendation from university professors who are able to comment on the applicant's academic potential. The letters of recommendation should be addressed to the Director of the African & African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program.

The deadline for receipt of the entire application--including all supporting materials and letters of recommendation-is February 1st. We encourage applicants to send their application materials sooner as we will begin reviewing applications on December 15th. To be admitted into the African and African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program, a student must meet the University's graduate admission requirements, which can be found in Florida International University's Graduate Catalog and the following minimum standards:

Applicants must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.
Applicants must have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and a combined score of 1050 or higher on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Applicants must submit both grade transcripts and GRE scores for consideration. The student must also have a GPA of 3.5 on any previous graduate work.
International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total score of 80 on the IBT TOEFL or 6.3 overall on the IELTS is required.

Combined M.A. in African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS)/PhD in International Relations

To be accepted into this program, students must simultaneously submit applications for the MA in African & African Diaspora Studies and the PhD in International Relations by January 15 in the year in which they wish to begin their studies. To be considered for admission, students must meet the following requirements:

Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 in undergraduate work.
Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in any prior graduate work.
Minimum score of 1120 in the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total score of 90 on the IBT TOEFL (equivalent to 575 on the paper-based version, or 232 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required.

Applicants must follow the admission procedures for both programs (see the appropriate sections in this graduate catalog). Only applications to begin studies in the fall semester will be considered. This new designation will appear in the menu of programs in the graduate application, and students must indicate their intention to apply for this combined program.

Each applicant must complete an online graduate application form available at https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=fiu-g and arrange to send transcripts of all prior college (undergraduate and graduate) work and official reports of the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and TOEFL (if applicable) to FIU's Office of Graduate Admissions.

Additional documents:

Along with copies of the above material, each applicant should also submit a separate statement of purpose expressing the applicant's academic and professional objectives.
Applicants must include writing samples and other relevant professional work that may support their applications.
Applicants must request three letters of recommendation from university professors who are able to comment on the various aspects of the student's academic ability. The letters of recommendation should be addressed to Director of the African & African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program. AADS will photocopy the recommendation letters once they are all in and send them to the Graduate Program Director of the International Relations department.

Combined M.A. in African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS)/Ph.D in Global & Sociocultural Studies

To be accepted into this program, students must simultaneously submit applications for the MA in African & African Diaspora Studies and for the PhD in Global & Sociocultural Studies by February 1st in the year in which they wish to begin their studies. Applicants must meet the admission eligibility requirements and follow the admission procedures for both programs. This new designation will appear in the menu of programs in the graduate application, and students must indicate their intention to apply for this combined program.

To be considered for admission, students must meet the following requirements:

Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 in undergraduate work.
Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in any prior graduate work.
Minimum score of 1120 in the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English are required to submit a score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total score of 80 on the IBT TOEFL (equivalent to 550 on the paper-based version, or 213 on the computer-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language) or 6.3 overall on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Applicants must follow the admission procedures for both programs (see the appropriate sections in this graduate catalog). Only applications to begin studies in the fall semester will be considered.

Along with copies of the above material, each applicant should also submit:

A statement of purpose, expressing the applicant's academic and professional objectives to the director of the African and African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program.
Writing samples and other relevant professional work that may support the application.
Three letters of recommendation from university professors who are able to comment on the applicant's academic potential. The letters of recommendation should be addressed to the Director of the African and African Diaspora Studies Graduate Program.

Certificate Programs in AADS

To apply for the Undergraduate Certificate in AADS, students should do the following:

Complete the certificate application form, available online at: http://registrar.fiu.edu/index.php?id=740 and submit to the AADS Department.
Complete the AADS Undergraduate Certificate Form and submit to the AADS Department.

To apply for the Graduate Certificate in AADS, students should do the following:

Complete the AADS Graduate Certificate Form and submit to the AADS Department.
All non-FIU applicants must complete an online graduate application form available at https://app.applyyourself.com/?id=fiu-g

To apply for the fully online program, students should to the following:

Complete the FIU certificate application form, available at: http://registrar.fiu.edu/index.php?id=740
Complete the AADS Online Certificate Form.

For additional information on the application process please call Program Assistant Cheryl Johnson at (305) 348 6860 or write to her at Cheryl.johnson@fiu.edu.