2003-2004 UAF Catalog
Graduate
In general, you may be admitted to graduate status if you have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 (B) cumulative grade point average in your undergraduate studies, and a 3.0 (B) average in your major, and the major is deemed suitable for continuation of studies in the field of choice. Some programs require the GRE or GMAT and other special criteria for admission to their program. Equivalent accomplishments at a foreign university may be substituted.
For the purposes of admission to graduate study, all grades, including those generated from retaking a course, are included in the calculation of the grade point average.
Program heads in fields of interest will determine the adequacy of the student's preparation and whether or not departmental facilities are sufficient for the student's aims.
Information on specific degree programs can be obtained from academic departments or the Graduate School, via telephone (907) 474-7464, e-mail fygrads@uaf.edu, or online at www.uaf.edu/gradsch/.
To apply for admission to a UAF graduate degree program, please submit the following to the Office of Admissions:
- Graduate
Application
for
Admission
--
A
$50
non-refundable
application
fee
must
accompany
your
application.
The
fee
should
be
paid
by
check
or
money
order
in
U.S.
funds.
Please
do
not
send
cash.
- Transcripts
--
If
you've
attended
other
colleges
and/or
universities,
you
must
request
official
transcripts
from
each
college
or
university
you
attended.
The
transcripts
should
be
sent
to
the
Office
of
Admissions
by
the
schools.
Transcripts
will
not
be
accepted
if
you
submit
them.
- Resume/Vitae
--
Include
work
and
research
experience,
published
articles,
patents
held,
honors
received,
membership
in
professional
and
civic
organizations
and
foreign
travel.
- Statement
of
Academic
Goals
--
Write
a
statement
indicating
why
you
wish
to
study
in
a
particular
program,
your
qualifications
and
educational
experience.
(For
applicants
to
Education
programs,
a
four-to-five-page
self-evaluation
essay
is
required.)
- Letters
of
Recommendation
--
At
least
three
letters
of
recommendation
from
persons
able
to
vouch
for
your
work,
character
and
ability
to
undertake
graduate
study
and
research
must
be
sent.
- Testing
Requirements
--
Results
of
the
Graduate
Record
Exam
(GRE)
are
required
from
applicants
to
most
graduate
programs.
Some
programs
also
require
GRE
subject
exams.
MBA
program
applicants
are
required
to
submit
scores
from
the
Graduate
Management
Admission
Test
(GMAT).
Refer
to
the
admission
requirements
of
your
prospective
degree
program
to
determine
which
tests
are
required.
Results
of
the
GRE
or
GMAT
are
required
if
your
undergraduate
GPA
is
below
a
B
(3.0)
average.
- Master
of
Fine
Arts
Applicants
--
Submit
writing
samples
when
applying
for
admission
to
the
creative
writing
program.
An
art
portfolio
(usually
slides)
must
be
submitted
for
consideration
to
the
program
in
art.
- Interdisciplinary Applicants -- Submit a Graduate Study Plan (available for download at www.uaf.edu/gradsch/inds_application.html) and an outline of your research proposal. You must also obtain a commitment from a UAF faculty member to serve as advisory committee chair. Please contact the Office of the Graduate School for specific interdisciplinary application procedures.
You should apply six to nine months before the beginning of the semester in which you plan to enroll. At the latest, your application for graduate admission with all supporting documentation, transcripts and test scores should be received by Aug. 1 for the fall semester and Dec. 1 for the spring semester. Earlier deadlines apply for international applicants.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. Applications received near these closing dates will be processed if time permits, or may be considered for the following semester.
Most departments require even earlier submission of credentials for graduate study. Applications for programs in anthropology, art, biology, education, geology, geophysics, interdisciplinary study, psychology and wildlife biology should be sent much earlier. Contact your prospective department for specific deadlines, as the number of students accepted is limited.
- When
to
Apply
- Since
processing
applicants
for
international
students
takes
several
months,
the
application
must
reach
the
Office
of
Admissions
prior
to
March
1
for
the
fall
semester
and
Sept.
1
for
the
spring
semester.
Your
application
must
be
completed
and
accepted
by
August
1
for
the
fall
semester
and
Nov.
1
for
the
spring
semester
in
order
to
allow
time
for
your
I-20
form
to
be
issued.
- When
preparing
the
I-20
form
that
is
necessary
to
obtain
an
F-1
(student)
visa,
the
university
must
certify
to
the
Immigration
and
Naturalization
Service
that
you
have
been
accepted
for
full-time
enrollment
and
that
you
have
funds
to
meet
estimated
expenses
for
one
academic
year.
If
you're
in
the
U.S.
on
an
F-1
visa,
you
must
maintain
a
full-time
course
load;
you
may
not
enroll
as
a
part-time
student
(less
than
9
credits
per
semester).
- Since
processing
applicants
for
international
students
takes
several
months,
the
application
must
reach
the
Office
of
Admissions
prior
to
March
1
for
the
fall
semester
and
Sept.
1
for
the
spring
semester.
Your
application
must
be
completed
and
accepted
by
August
1
for
the
fall
semester
and
Nov.
1
for
the
spring
semester
in
order
to
allow
time
for
your
I-20
form
to
be
issued.
- Additional
Requirements
If an applicant is not a citizen of the United States of America and requires an F-1 visa, the following information must also be provided:
- A
current
financial
statement
with
supporting
document.
You
must
sign
a
statement
and
provide
documentation
that
funds
are
available
to
pay
all
expenses
while
you
attend
UAF,
as
well
as
the
amount
needed
for
round-trip
transportation
between
your
home
and
Alaska.
The
minimum
cost
for
attending
UAF
for
one
school
year
is
$19,213.
This
amount
covers
university
fees,
room
and
board
on
campus
and
a
reasonable
amount
of
personal
expenses.
It
does
not
include
transportation
to
and
from
Alaska,
summer
living
or
cold
weather
clothing
costs.
Since
the
application
for
the
F-1
visa
requires
affirmation
that
you
don't
intend
to
live
in
the
United
States
permanently,
you
aren't
eligible
for
resident
tuition
fees.
- If
your
native
language
is
not
English,
a
minimum
TOEFL
(Test
of
English
as
a
Foreign
Language)
score
of
213
(computer
exam)
or
550
(paper
exam)
is
required.
For
some
programs,
the
minimum
score
may
be
higher.
- You may also be asked to take the TSE (Test of Spoken English) or the TWE (Test of Written English). Please consult with your department of interest to be certain that you have satisfied all necessary requirements.
- A
current
financial
statement
with
supporting
document.
You
must
sign
a
statement
and
provide
documentation
that
funds
are
available
to
pay
all
expenses
while
you
attend
UAF,
as
well
as
the
amount
needed
for
round-trip
transportation
between
your
home
and
Alaska.
The
minimum
cost
for
attending
UAF
for
one
school
year
is
$19,213.
This
amount
covers
university
fees,
room
and
board
on
campus
and
a
reasonable
amount
of
personal
expenses.
It
does
not
include
transportation
to
and
from
Alaska,
summer
living
or
cold
weather
clothing
costs.
Since
the
application
for
the
F-1
visa
requires
affirmation
that
you
don't
intend
to
live
in
the
United
States
permanently,
you
aren't
eligible
for
resident
tuition
fees.
Students with Master's Degrees
Second Master's Degree Programs
At the discretion of your advisory committee, admitting department and dean, you may transfer up to 20 percent of the minimum number of credits required for a UAF master's degree from a previously earned master's degree. Transferred credit may not be research, project or thesis credit. The transferred credit must be for completed graduate-level courses and not portions of a course. For a 30-credit master's degree, therefore, up to 6 graduate credits may be transferred; for a 45-credit master's degree, up to 9 graduate credits maybe transferred. The following procedures are required for students who wish to pursue a second master's degree:
- A
new
application,
including
application
processing
fee,
updated
transcripts
and
three
new
reference
letters.
- Acceptable
GRE
scores
submitted
previously
may
be
applied
to
a
second
master's
degree.
- You
must
fulfill
all
general
university
requirements
for
the
second
master's
degree,
including
taking
a
comprehensive
exam
(if
required),
completing
a
minimum
of
30
semester
credits
(including
thesis,
research
and
transfer
credits)
and
passing
a
defense
of
a
thesis
or
project.
- All of the work used to fulfill degree requirements for a second master's degree must be complete within seven years.
To apply for admission into a Ph.D. program, you must submit a description of your proposed graduate program and professional goals.
A maximum of one-third of all graduate credits approved for your UAF graduate program may be transferred from institutions outside the UA system, and up to one-half may be transferred from UAA and UAS. All transfer courses must have been taken within the appropriate time for the degree and must have been completed with a B grade or higher.
Conditional and Final Acceptance
Qualified applicants can be accepted for admission while currently enrolled in their last semester at another college. The acceptance is conditional, however, pending receipt of the final transcript indicating satisfactory completion of work in progress and the completion of graduation requirements prior to enrollment at UAF.
Final acceptance to UAF, for the purpose of earning scholastic credit, is complete only when all credentials are received and accepted by the Office of Admissions.
Your offer of admission is valid for the semester for which you applied. If you are unable to attend that semester, you will need to contact the Office of Admissions. You may request postponement of admission for a maximum of one calendar year. Requests should be directed to the UAF Office of Admissions and are subject to approval.
Western Regional Graduate Programs
If you are from Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington or Wyoming and you are doing graduate work in justice, northern studies or rural development, you may be eligible for resident tuition through the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP/WICHE). For more information about this program, contact the Graduate School via telephone (907) 474-7464, e-mail fygrads@uaf.edu or online at www.uaf.edu/gradsch/. Alternatively, contact the WICHE Student Exchange Program, P.O. Box 9752, Boulder, CO 80301-9752, (303) 541-0210, or online at www.wiche.edu/sep/WRGP/index.asp.