Applicable only to students admitted during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Afro-American Studies

Interdepartmental Program
College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Afro-American Studies Program offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Afro-American Studies.

Admission

Program Name

Afro-American Studies

Afro-American Studies is an interdepartmental program. Interdepartmental programs provide an integrated curriculum of several disciplines.

Address

160 Haines Hall
Box 951545
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1545 

Phone

(310) 825-9821 

Email

idpstaff@bunche.ucla.edu  

Leading to the degree of

M.A. 

Admission Limited to

Fall 

Deadline to apply

December 15th 

GRE (General and/or Subject)

GRE: General 

Letters of Recommendation 

3 

Other Requirements

In addition to the University's minimum requirements and those listed above, all applicants are expected to submit (1) two official (sealed) transcripts from every undergraduate institution attended, and (2) three letters of recommendation, preferably from faculty.

All applicants must also submit (1) a two page statement of purpose describing the applicant's academic achievements and goals for study at UCLA; (2) a writing sample of approximately six pages; (3) the Diversity Fellowship Application; (4) the Fellowship Application for Entering Graduate Students; (5) a statemetn describing the applicants qualifications for the fellowship(s) selected; (6) a one to two page personal statement describing the applicant's financial need; (7) the Supplementary Information cover sheet; and (8) an optional resume or other record of accomplishments.

Afro-American Studies, M.A./Law, J.D.

Afro-American Studies and the School of Law offer a four-year, concurrent degree program whereby students pursue the Master of Arts in their first year and the Juris Doctor degrees in the three subsequent years of study. For admission, applicants are required to satisfy the regular admission requirements of both schools, and should, in addition, submit to Afro-American Studies (1) a statement of purpose describing the applicant's background, proposed program of joint study in African American studies and law and including future career goals; (2) an LSAT score in lieu of the GRE; and (3) written permission to use data from the applicant's Law School admissions files. 

Master's Degree

Advising

The M.A. program is supervised by an interdepartmental faculty committee. Upon admission, students are assigned a faculty adviser, who assists them with the formulation of their program of study for the first year. Students are expected to meet at least quarterly with their academic adviser, usually at the beginning of the quarter to have their enrollment plan approved. At the beginning of the second year in residence, students are expected to nominate a three-person guidance committee which is subject to approval by the interdepartmental committee. The guidance committee, which is usually chaired by the student's academic adviser, is responsible for supervision, review, and the final recommendation for acceptance of the thesis as partial fulfillment of the M.A. requirements. Students may, however, elect to complete the M.A. degree through the comprehensive examination plan.

Areas of Study

The M.A. in Afro-American Studies is interdepartmental, with formal linkages to other disciplinary departments: Anthropology, English, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Related courses are also offered in the following schools, departments, and programs: African Studies, Art, Economics, Education, Geography, Information Studies, Latin American Studies, Management, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Public Health, Social Welfare, Theater, and World Arts and Cultures.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students are required to satisfy the language requirement in one of the following ways: (1) documenting satisfactory completion of two full years of coursework in a foreign language at the undergraduate level, or (2) by successfully passing one UCLA foreign language course (one quarter) with a grade of “C” or better; or by participating in a study abroad program or other pre-approved course or equivalent that provides some exposure to language learning. Students in the M.A. program prior to 2012, but who have yet to complete the degree, may be allowed to complete the program under this language requirement.

Course Requirements

A total of 12 courses are required for the degree. Of that number, only four may be selected from upper division listings; the remaining courses must be selected from graduate listings. The program has a structured core of six required Afro-American Studies courses. Students are required to take one graduate-level course in research methods (for social sciences students) or in critical theory (for humanities students). The methods courses should be selected from the list approved by the interdepartmental degree committee (students may petition to substitute appropriate upper division courses if their outside department's methods courses are closed to non-majors. At least nine of the twelve required courses should be taken in the first year of study. The second year is devoted to acquiring disciplinary competence in the student's cognate field, and up to six courses must be selected from that discipline. Eight units of 500-series courses may be applied to either the total course requirement or the minimum graduate course requirement.

Afro-American Studies, M.A./Law, J.D.

For this curriculum, 12 courses are required for the degree, of which eight must be at the graduate level. Only 12 units of Law courses are allowed to be double-counted toward the M.A. degree by petition to the Graduate Division. 

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

Not required.

Comprehensive Examination Plan

Students may elect to complete the M.A. degree through the comprehensive examination plan. The examination is administered by a committee consisting of at least three faculty members appointed by the program. The examination is offered on a periodic basis.

Thesis Plan

Every master's degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student's ability to perform original, independent research.

Students may elect to complete the M.A. degree through the thesis plan. Before beginning work on the thesis, students should consult closely with their academic adviser and the thesis committee.

Time-to-Degree

Approximately six quarters in residence are required from the time of admission to award of the degree. This presumes full-time student status and normal progression through coursework. Students may view more detailed first and second year timelines on the program's website.

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

None.