How to Apply

Complete IU’s Graduate School application

All students seeking admission to Department of African American and African Diaspora graduate programs must complete the Indiana University Graduate School online admissions application and pay the required application fee. The application fee is $70. The online application fee must be paid via credit card.

Application requirements vary depending on the program to which you are applying for admission. Please review these requirements below.

Master of Arts

The program is open to any eligible student with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0. Letters of recommendation, a brief personal essay, and GRE scores are the main sources of information upon which decisions will be made.

Dual Master’s degrees

You must apply for admission to the master’s programs of both African American and African Diaspora Studies and the school of the corresponding joint degree, meeting the admissions criteria established for each. The two degrees must be awarded at the same time.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The AAADS Graduate Studies Committee, in consultation with the chair of the department and faculty, will be responsible for the admission of graduate students into the doctoral program. The committee will consider GRE scores, a personal statement, a writing sample of no more than 30 pages, and at least three letters of reference from instructors who have sufficient evidence to write candidly about your intellectual abilities and potential for success in this endeavor.

Prospective graduate students who hold a master’s degree must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in their prior program(s). Incoming graduate students who have recently completed their undergraduate studies must have at least a 3.3 grade point average for their last two years of undergraduate studies.

Ph.D. Minor

Doctoral students in good standing are admitted to the African American and African Diaspora Studies minor through interview or correspondence with the graduate advisor. At the time of admission, each student and the graduate advisor together plan an individualized program of study, including the selection of a major concentration area.