Graduate Admissions
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125-3393
For questions about general applications procedures or to obtain application materials, contact Graduate Admissions:
(617) 287-6400 or
online at: http://www.umb.edu/admissions/graduate/index.html
For specific questions about the Graduate Program in American Studies, call the Director of the Graduate Program:
Judith Smith 617-287-6774
Deadlines:
Priority deadline for consideration for an assistantship for Fall admission:
March 1
For admissions:
June 1 (for Fall admission)
October 1 (Foreign students only for Spring admission)
November 1 (for Spring admission)
Deadlines for foreign students are earlier; check with Graduate Admissions
Applicants must satisfy general admissions
requirements, including a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 in appropriate courses.
They must submit:
1) official transcripts of previous
work
2) three letters of recommendation
3) a statement of purpose
4) a writing sample demonstrating analytic ability in fields relevant to American
Studies
5) foreign students: TOEFL scores are required
Optional, but highly recommended: GRE aptitude scores
Your application will be reviewed only when it is complete. Please make sure that your application file is complete. Sometimes transcripts are delayed, or people who have been asked to write letters of recommendation need to be reminded. Check with the Graduate Admissions Office to make sure that the required documentation has arrived.
About the
Statement of Purpose
When we read your statement, we are looking to see how well you write. We also
want to assess how you think and speak about the intellectual issues and questions
that lead you to seek out an advanced degree in American Studies, and how well
your interests and purposes match the nature of our program.
In your statement of purpose, be specific about your interests and priorities, past experience and current concerns. What projects have you completed, what historical, social or cultural questions have stimulated your thinking, what problems and topics do you want to focus on in future graduate study? What kinds of potential research questions come out of your daily experience of American society at work, in your family, or in your community?
About the
Critical Writing Sample
Your critical writing sample should provide a recent (within the last four years)
analysis of some aspect of American society. It should demonstrate your ability
in historical, literary or social analysis. Where possible, we would like this
writing sample to demonstrate use of primary (original) sources. This writing
sample offers a measure of your mastery of the writing and research skills needed
for successful graduate study. In cases where an applicant has been out of school
for many years and does not have this kind of paper readily accessible, please
speak with the American Studies Graduate Program Director about what kind of
writing might substitute.
About the Letters
of Recommendation
Here we are most interested in letters from professors in recent courses who
can comment on your particular strengths and weaknesses as a student of American
culture, and your potential for graduate study. Your recommenders should be
able to comment in detail about the quality of your academic work and about
your strengths and weaknesses in American Studies and related fields. For people
who have been away from formal educational institutions, getting such letters
is sometimes a problem, but you can help by sending your professors copies of
papers you wrote for their courses or otherwise help them to remember what was
outstanding about your work. Sometimes favorite teachers do have long memories
or records, so do not hesitate to ask them for such a letter. Friends and employers
are less often a source of useful letters, except when they are in a position
to speak knowledgeably about your writing and critical thinking.
About Transcripts
We are especially interested in your work in fields relevant to American Studies,
and we pay attention to how your strength in these areas developed over time.
If you have a strong record, but no background in courses relevant to American Studies, we may recommend provisional admission, where we ask you to meet certain conditions before we recommend regular admissions. Often the condition would be to take a graduate course in our program as a non-degree student and earn a B+ or better. This would allow you to strengthen your preparation and let us know if you can handle the work in our program successfully. A grade of A- in a graduate course and a strong recommendation from the instructor would make a strong case for admission.
You may transfer up to two courses taken as a non-degree student to count towards your degree in American Studies once you are admitted to full standing in the program.
Non-Degree Students
Non-degree students may enroll in graduate courses in American Studies when
space is available. Admission is available to qualified non-degree candidates
who have a particular reason to enroll in a given course but do not plan to
matriculate as an MA candidate. Also, permission to enroll as a non-degree student
may be granted to applicants whose credentials suggest a strong case for potential
admission into the program but whose application and review cannot be completed
in time for the coming semester.
Non-degree students who wish to take a particular course should contact the Graduate Program Director to convey that interest, to discuss their background and preparation, and to place their names on a waiting list for access to that course.
Non-degree students with permission to enroll may register for these courses at a special non-degree student registration, posted by the Registrar, or with the signature of the Graduate Director of the program, during the first week of classes within the official university add-drop period, on a space-available basis.
Non-degree students must earn a grade of B or better in graduate courses to be admitted to future courses. If non-degree students consequently apply to the graduate program, the graduate committee will request references from instructors who have taught the applicant. Should a non-degree student be admitted into the program, two courses taken as a non-degree student may count toward the MA degree. This is not automatic. The student must ask the Graduate Program Director to fill out a special form and submit it to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office.
Transfer Courses
You may have done graduate work elsewhere. If so, you can apply to transfer
up to six credits of graduate work in American Studies taken elsewhere so long
as:
1) you received a B grade or better
in these courses
2) the courses are accepted by the Program Director as relevant to your degree
in American Studies
3) the courses have not been counted toward a previous degree
4) the courses were taken at an accredited institution
5) the course credits were earned no more that seven years before your matriculation.
To effect this transfer, you will need to write a request to the Graduate Program
Director, specifying the name of the school where the credits were earned, department
name, course number and full title, semester and year taken, grade received
and credits earned-accompanied by a transcript supporting this information.
You should also submit a copy of the syllabus.
If the Graduate Program Director approves this transfer, she will send the appropriate form to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office. You will then need to have an official transcript sent directly to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office.
Non degree students who take courses at UMass Boston and who are then subsequently admitted to the program must still transfer these courses in order for them to count towards the degree, by having the Graduate Program Director fill out and sign a special form instructing the registrar to count them.