Academics and Advising
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.
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.
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.
The U. S. average for completing the doctorate degree in social sciences and humanities fields is seven years. Most doctoral students in American Indian Studies complete their degree in a timeframe that is on par with the national average.
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.
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.
Full-time master’s or doctorate student not working as GTA: minimum 9 units
Full-time master’s or doctorate student working as GTA: minimum 6 units
Full-time master’s or doctorate student enrolling in 900-level coursework only, not working as GTA: minimum 3 units
Full-time master’s or doctorate student enrolling in 900-level coursework only, working as GTA: minimum 6 units
If a master’s student has completed all degree requirements, including the 6 required thesis units, but still needs additional time to complete the thesis, the student may enroll in a minimum of 1 units to maintain good standing at the university. Please note: 1 credit does not meet full-time status requirements for financial aid.
If a doctoral student has completed all degree requirements, including the 18 required dissertation units, but still needs additional time to complete the dissertation, the student may enroll in a minimum of 1 unit to maintain good standing at the university. Please note: 1 credit does not meet full-time status requirements for financial aid.
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.
American Indian Studies has a limited amount of scholarship funds available for first-year master’s students. The scholarship funds for master’s students may only be applied toward tuition/registration expenses. All students are strongly encouraged to seek funding support from outside the department.
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.
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.
For more information about American Indian Studies or graduate degree requirements, please contact John Carbajal, Program Coordinator, Senior, at (520)626-8143 or by email at johncarbajal@arizona.edu. Please keep in mind that information about individual students’ degree progress cannot be released except at the request of the student.
International Students and Scholars
Every year our program attracts applications from international students and scholars wishing to come and study/work in the American Indian Studies department. Below are a few suggestions and tips that you may find useful through the process and while in the program
Career Services - Working in the United States
Career Services - Useful links
Handshake - Campus jobs
Tax Information
Admission (undergraduate and graduate) information, objectives, legal information, tax information, grants, general inquires and more for international students.
Joanne Lagasse-Long, Director
jglong@arizona.edu
915 North Tyndall Avenue
P.O. Box 210441
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Tel: (520) 621-4627
Fax: (520)621-4069
Office Hours: 8:00-12:00, 1:00-5:00 Monday-Friday
isps@arizona.edu
http://internationalstudents.arizona.edu/home
Visa information, Exchange vistor, temporary workers, permanent residence, forms, fees, legal information, tax information, and other resources.
Dana Bleau, J.D., Director
kovach@email.arizona.edu(link sends e-mail)
Office of International Faculty and Scholars
935 N. Tyndall Avenue
P.O. Box 210513
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Tel: (520) 626-6289
Fax: (520) 621-2757
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8:00-12:00, 1:00-5:00
Program opportunities, advising, financial aid for study abroad, health and safety information, foreign student exchange, grants, and other information for general inquires.
David Wright, Ph.D., Director
wrightd1@email.arizona.edu(link sends e-mail)
939 N. Tyndall Avenue
P.O. Box 210529
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Tel: (520) 626-9211
Fax: (520) 626-9004
Office Hours: 8:00-12:00, 1:00-5:00 Monday-Friday
Passports, Passport renewal, fees, International ID cards, Grants.
1128 East Mabel Street
P.O. Box 210513
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Tel: 1-520-626-7161
Fax: 1-520-621-2757
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 9:00-5:00
Resources for U.S. students, non-U.S. students, U.S. scholars, non-U.S. scholars, and foreign language teaching assistants.
Contact Us for more info.