For information about Ph.D., Ph.D. Minor, M.A., J.D./M.A., and Undergraduate Minor Guidelines, forms, financial aid information, internships, human subjects research, FAQs, and more, visit the Student Resources page here.
Ph.D. - In the fall of 1997, The University of Arizona was the first educational institution in the U.S. to offer a Ph.D. in American Indian Studies. The Ph.D. in American Indian Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to: prepare graduate students for academic careers; conduct advanced and applied scholarly research from a cross-cultural perspective; develop theoretical and innovative theories, methodologies, and research tools appropriate for and useful to sovereign tribes; and to educate students to assume leadership and policy-making roles in higher education, tribal communities, the state and nation. The Ph.D. program is designed to be completed in 3-4 years (after completing the Master's degree).
Ph.D. Minor - AIS also offers a Ph.D. minor for majors across the university. The Ph.D. minor was approved in 1984. The Ph.D. minor is planned by the student and two AIS faculty who serve on the student's Ph.D. committee.
M.A. - A Master's Degree with a concentration in American Indian Policy was inaugurated in 1979 in the Political Sciences Department and subsequently, an interdisciplinary Master's Degree in American Indian Studies, the first of its kind in the nation, was formally approved in 1982. The Master's program offers opportunities for advanced study in all four concentration areas (American Indian law and policy; American Indian societies and cultures; American Indian literature; and American Indian education) to gain a broad understanding of American Indian Studies.
Concurrent Degree in Law and American Indian Studies - A concurrent Juris Doctor (Law degree) and Masters degree in American Indian Studies also began in the fall of 1997. The objective of this concurrent program is to attract exceptional students into American Indian Law and American Indian Studies. This is the first program of its kind in the U.S. and Canada. The concurrent degree will be granted upon the completion of a minimum of 106 units in Law and American Indian Studies. Graduates will be qualified to provide legal representation to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and Indian individuals in cases involving civil rights, land and water litigation, fishing and hunting rights, religious and cultural protections and taxation on Indian lands. The joint degree is designed to be completed in four years.
Undergraduate B.A. - The major provides students with a holistic, integrated, and analytical study of critical issues Native North America have faced in the past since contact with Europeans, are facing in the present, and are preparing to face in the future. The major seeks to provide students with a broad understanding of the cultures, histories, creativities, philosophies and societies of the Indigenous Peoples of North America and their political and economic relationship to external governments and societies in a changing and increasingly globalized world.
Undergraduate Minor - American Indian Studies offers a minor at the undergraduate level. The minor is designed to complement or enhance a student's major. A minor in American Indian Studies consists of 18 hours of coursework. Course selection is usually done in consultation with advisors in the major and minor departments.
For a comprehensive list of tuition prices see the Bursar's office.
AIS Graduate Applications are due January 15th for Fall admission
