Questions

Answers

• How much does tuition cost for graduate students?
  At the University of Arizona, tuition and registration fees are higher for graduate students than for undergraduate students. See the Fee Rates Table on the Bursar’s Office website for current fees.

• What kinds of expenses do doctoral students have beyond tuition and registration fees?
  The completion of a doctorate degree differs significantly from a bachelor’s, or even a master’s degree, in terms of the student’s investment of time, energy, and resources. Doctoral students begin the degree program by completing course work according to a plan of study. In the American Indian Studies program, most students spend about two to three years completing their coursework before moving on to the other program requirements. Other program requirements include demonstrating proficiency in a foreign language and completing a comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam is a two part exam, one part written and one part oral, designed to test students’ proficiency in their areas of study and their ability to conduct independent research. After passing the comprehensive examination, students begin their independent research through a project of significant size and scope and eventually report their findings in a dissertation, which can be a book-length document. Our students engage in a wide range of research projects, but research for the dissertation may include weeks or months of research at sites across the United States or abroad and/or extensive interviewing of many consultants (as many as sixty people or more). Scheduling and completing such research often requires a substantial amount of time, and the gathering of evidence is followed by additional time for analyzing the data, then documenting the findings in a series of drafts written under the close supervision of a faculty advisor. It is not unusual for the research, analysis, and writing process to require a minimum of two years. The U. S. average for completing the doctorate degree in social sciences and humanities fields is seven years.  

Students in a doctorate program are responsible for all costs associated with their research, analysis, and writing: including travel, equipment, supplies, gifts for interviewees and consultants, reproduction costs for archival research, etc. These expenses are above and beyond living expenses, and tuition and university registration fees.

• What kinds of expenses do master’s students have beyond tuition and registration fees?
  To complete a master’s degree in American Indian Studies, students must complete coursework according to a plan of study and write a thesis or master’s report based on their own original research. Our students engage in a wide range of research projects, but research for the thesis may include weeks or months of research at sites across the United States or abroad and/or extensive interviewing of many consultants. Scheduling and completing such research often requires a substantial amount of time, and the gathering of evidence is followed by additional time for analyzing the data, then documenting the findings in a series of drafts written under the close supervision of a faculty advisor. 

Students in a master’s program are responsible for all costs associated with their research, analysis, and writing: including travel, equipment, supplies, gifts for interviewees and consultants, reproduction costs for archival research, etc. These expenses are above and beyond living expenses, and tuition and university registration fees.

• How long does it take to complete a master’s degree in American Indian Studies?
  The master’s program in American Indian Studies is a two-year program. Some students may take longer to complete the degree, if they enroll as a part-time student or choose a thesis topic that requires more than the usual amount of research time.

•  How many courses must graduate students take each semester?
  Graduate enrollment requirements differ significantly from undergraduate enrollment requirements; in general graduate students are required to enroll in fewer units than undergraduates. The required number of units for graduate students depends upon whether the student is working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), and the stages of his/her degree progress.

• What kind of funding does American Indian Studies offer graduate students?
  American Indian Studies offers Graduate Teaching Assistantships to doctoral students during their first year in the program. The Graduate Teaching Assistantship is a part-time position (10-13 hours of work per week) which includes a salary, partial tuition waiver, and student health insurance. 

• If a Native student receives funding from his/her tribe, does that mean that American Indian Studies will not offer the student any additional funding?
  No. American Indian Studies will not withhold funding from a student because he or she is able to obtain additional funding from an outside resource. Some types of funds may not be used in combination with one another, however, so students are required to report all funding sources to AIS.

• Why are students required to report all funding they receive from outside sources?
  American Indian Studies requires students to report all of their funding sources to the department because some types of scholarships and funding cannot be used in combination with one another. It is important to manage the funds carefully to obtain the maximum advantage for the student.

• Who should I contact for more information?
  For more information about American Indian Studies or graduate degree requirements, please contact Mark L.M. Blair, Academic Adviser, Senior, at 621-5234. Please keep in mind that information about individual students’ degree progress cannot be released except at the request of the student.