Graduate Admission Requirements

African and African American Studies Program
Africana Women's Studies Program

Students must meet the following standards to qualify as regularly enrolled degree-seeking students in the African and African American Studies and Africana Women's Studies Programs.

• Possession of the B. A. or B. S. degree in a field, which provides reasonable preparation or reasonable expectation of success.
  
  
• An undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. (Note: With extraordinary other qualifications, students with GPA above 2.7 may be permitted to enter as probationary students. Consult the Graduate Catalog for university wide regulations concerning probation. Consult the Graduate Catalog for additional rules of this Program).
  
  
• Admission to any graduate program requires official transcripts confirming awarded degrees and official results of the GRE examination.
  
  
• Probationary admission means that if conditions of probation are not met, the student is not eligible to be enrolled in the following semester. Conditions specify both the number of hours and the grades in all courses when grades are at issue. When documents are at issue, their content may preclude continued enrollment.
  
  
• Completion of all admission and registration procedures.
  
  
• A Special Student is a student who is not initially admitted into a degree-granting program. Special Students pursue a program of independent study pursuant to their needs and goals and may enroll in most of the courses offered by the Program. However, a student admitted as a Special Student may subsequently request to use credits earned as a Special Student as requirements toward a degree program. Special Students are not eligible for scholarships, etc. A Special Student may remain in this status for one year. Thereafter continuance in this mode will be upon further review and written approval by the Chair.
  
  
• Admission to the doctoral program is conducted and governed by the Doctor of Arts in Humanities Program. For information regarding admission to it, consult the Chair of the DAH Program, relevant sessions of the Graduate Catalog, the DAH Student Handbook, and other University publications. African and African American Studies (as well as Africana Women's Studies) is one of the optional concentrations in the DAH program. Persons entering this concentration must have a master's degree in an appropriate field that includes substantial attention to the arts and culture of African Americans. In doubtful cases, the applicant may be required to pass the African-American section of the CAU master's comprehensive examination.
  
  
• The procedure for admission requires the student to submit all materials to the Office of Admissions, however, prospective students are encouraged to consult with the department at all stages. The Chair and one other member of the faculty will review applicants. A third faculty member is consulted when the two reach different recommendations.
  
  
• The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination: CAU requires that all applicants submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination before admission can be authorized. All foreign students are also required to take the TOEFL examination, unless their undergraduate coursework was conducted in English. (See the Catalog).
  
  
• A regular student is deemed to be admitted in good standing when all of the pre-requisites for admission are met. Admission despite any one deficiency confers probationary standing. A student is deemed to be in probationary standing during the first semester in which conditional admission has been operative.