Navigating Graduate Program Admissions at American University: A Comprehensive Guide

American University (AU), a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., offers a wide array of graduate programs across its eight schools and colleges. These programs are designed to prepare students for leadership roles in various fields, emphasizing public service, internationalism, and practical idealism. This article provides a detailed overview of the requirements and procedures for graduate program admissions at American University, drawing from the university's official Graduate Academic Regulations and other relevant sources.

Introduction to Graduate Studies at American University

American University is committed to educating students through a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum that fosters intellectual growth, critical thinking, and a commitment to public service. The institution emphasizes the importance of global engagement and ethical leadership, encouraging students to understand complex social, political, and economic issues from diverse perspectives.

The university offers over 160 academic programs, including 71 bachelor's degrees, 87 master's degrees, and 10 doctoral degrees, as well as JD, LLM, and SJD programs. With students representing all 50 U.S. states and 141 countries, nearly a fifth of the students are international.

Application Process and General Requirements

The graduate admission process at American University begins within each respective school or college. Prospective students are encouraged to explore the schools and programs offered to connect with an advisor or start an application.

Application Submission

Application for graduate study is made directly to the academic unit offering the degree program. Applicants are admitted to a particular program for a specific degree objective (M.A., M.S., M.F.A., Ph.D., etc.). Applicants are responsible for requesting that official transcripts and test scores be sent directly from the issuing institutions to the appropriate graduate admissions office. Attendance at all institutions must be reported whether or not credit was earned. International applicants should refer to International Student Admission for additional instructions.

Read also: Internship Guide

Master's applicants are encouraged to apply to their chosen program by the posted Priority Deadline for their intended application term. Applications completed by this deadline are guaranteed to receive funding consideration. PhD applications must be completed by the posted deadline. The graduate application is available online and can be saved and completed at the applicant's convenience. Submitting the application form as early as possible and allowing time for supplemental documents to be received by the application deadline is strongly encouraged.

Basic Admission Requirements

American University requires all applicants whose first language is not English, regardless of citizenship, to demonstrate English-language proficiency. The minimum university admission requirements for graduate study are outlined below.

Bachelor's Degree: All applicants to graduate programs must possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution by the date of anticipated enrollment. This includes a baccalaureate degree from an international institution with a similar level of accreditation or recognition by its home country. Assessment of a foreign degree will be based upon the characteristics of the national system of education, the type of institution attended, its accreditation, and the level of studies completed. Applicants must provide proof of an undergraduate degree with an original certified transcript.
Transcripts: Applicants are required to submit transcripts from all institutions attended. For admissions review purposes, unofficial transcripts from most US-based colleges and universities are allowed; however, applicants who attended institutions outside of the US are required to submit official paper transcripts prior to the application deadline.
Personal Statement: A personal statement is required, with questions differing by academic degree program. It is important to review the program’s essay question(s) and download the essay template early in the application process to allow ample time for writing and refining.
Resume/CV: A resume/CV allows the review committee to assess an applicant's background and previous experiences and will serve as the detailed source of information about their employment.
Letters of Recommendation: All applicants are required to submit two letters of recommendation to support their application. PhD applicants are required to submit three letters. Letters of recommendation should evaluate the applicant's academic performance and suitability for graduate study in international affairs. Recommenders are strongly encouraged to submit their letters electronically.
English Language Proficiency: American University requires all applicants whose first language is not English, regardless of citizenship, to demonstrate English-language proficiency. This can be demonstrated through the TOEFL iBT Test (minimum score of 100), the Duolingo English Test (minimum score of 120), or the IELTS (minimum score of 7).
Standardized Tests: The GRE is not required for any on-campus graduate program except for the PhD in International Relations. If you have taken the GRE and wish to submit your scores as a supplemental piece of information for your application, please have ETS send official test scores to AU directly. The SIS institution code for GRE score reporting is 5007.

Conditional and Provisional Admission

Provisional Status: Applicants may be admitted with provisional status. The academic unit must establish one or more academic provisions for the student to meet within the first one or two semesters of enrollment. If the provision(s) are not met, the student will be academically dismissed. Provisions can include, but are not limited to, earning a minimum cumulative GPA after 9 credits of study or earning a minimum grade in a specific course. Specific provisions must be provided to the student in the admissions letter.
Conditional Status: If an applicant does not have a complete application, the academic unit may admit the student with conditional status. The student has one semester of graduate study to provide the university the missing application requirements. Failure to supply these items will result in dismissal.

Joint and Dual Degrees

Joint Degrees: Admissions procedures for joint degrees vary by individual program, but each academic unit administering the joint degree must review applications and make admissions decisions.
Combined Bachelor's/Master's Programs: American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s master’s programs. Highly qualified AU undergraduate students in good academic standing may apply to a graduate program for a combined degree. Students must apply before completing 90 credits toward their degree except with the approval of the Associate Dean of the academic unit. Students are not required to re-apply for the graduate program once they have been accepted in a combined bachelor’s/master’s program. They must, however, satisfy the conditions of admission to the graduate program at the end of their undergraduate career. Each academic unit and teaching unit may add additional admission criteria.
Dual Degree Programs: For admission to an approved dual degree program, the student must meet the admission criteria for each of the degrees and must be admitted separately to each degree program. The student must be admitted to the second program before completing the first. Admission to one degree program does not guarantee automatic admission to a second. Each admission decision is separate and conducted according to established procedures for the specific degree.

Non-Degree Status

Admission to attend classes with non-degree status is open to applicants who have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent. Enrollment as a non-degree student does not guarantee acceptance into a degree program. Admission to attend classes in post-baccalaureate for-credit certificate programs is open to applicants who have a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent. Students who have non-degree status or who are enrolled in a post-baccalaureate graduate certificate program at AU may be admitted to a graduate degree program following completion of the regular applications process. Graduate programs may approve specific credit hour limits and relevant coursework earned in non-degree status or in a post-baccalaureate certificate program for transfer to a degree program, but no more than 12 credit hours can be transferred for credit towards a degree.

Academic Regulations and Policies

The Graduate Academic Regulations are maintained by the Office of Graduate & Professional Studies and approved by the American University Faculty Senate. Students are expected to know and follow these regulations; ignorance of a regulation will not be accepted as an excuse for failure to act in accordance with it. Academic units and graduate programs may establish additional regulations for their students, but all students must follow these regulations.

Credit Hour Definition

American University uses the Carnegie Classification definition of a semester credit hour. Courses that carry 4 or 5 semester credit hours require proportionately more work each week both inside and outside the instructional venue. Courses that carry 1 or 2 semester credit hours require proportionately less work, both inside and outside the instructional venue. Courses that meet fewer than 2.5 hours a week that are assigned 3 semester credit hours must require students to do additional work outside the instructional venue to achieve the expected learning objectives of a 2.5 hour a week course.

Read also: American Career College Anaheim

GPA Calculation

All graduate-level courses taken at AU and courses taken through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area while a student is enrolled in a degree program or a certificate program, or as a non-degree student, are included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA for graduate students. If a student is admitted after having earned a graduate or undergraduate degree at AU, the cumulative GPA does not include grades from the earned degree unless coursework is shared.

Thesis (797) and dissertation (899) course credits are graded as Satisfactory Progress (SP) or Unsatisfactory Progress (UP). With grades of either SP or UP, students receive credit for these courses, but the grades earned are not used in computing the GPA.

Grading Policies

Graduate students, unless approved by the associate dean, must earn a letter-grade for a course unless that course is only offered pass/fail or SP/UP. Courses that can only be taken Pass/Fail may be included as part of a student’s Program of Study. A grade of Pass for a graduate student indicates performance of no less than a C, which indicates a numeric equivalent of 2.00. Neither Pass nor Fail grades are used to compute the GPA.

Course Exclusions from GPA

Courses may be excluded from the GPA calculation under specific circumstances:

The student was enrolled in a different degree program or certificate than the current degree program or certificate when the course was taken.
Courses taken as a non-degree student may also be excluded from the GPA.

The petition may be submitted after at least one year from maintaining enrollment (including temporary leave) in the other degree program or certificate. Courses excluded from the GPA computation will still appear on the official transcript but will include notation that they are not included in the GPA.

Read also: Understanding the LSAT for AU WCL

Audit Option

Graduate students may register for courses that are not part of their Program of Study with an audit grade option. Faculty will establish standards for class participation and/or attendance for auditing students. When auditing students fail to meet those standards, the instructor will assign the grade of ZL (administrative withdrawal from audit). Tuition for courses registered for an audit grade option will be billed at the same rate as courses registered for academic credit.

Incomplete Grades

Students on probation may not receive an Incomplete. To receive an Incomplete in a course, students must receive the permission of the instructor in advance of the assessment of final course assignments and agree on an incomplete contract before grades are posted. The instructor must provide, in writing, the conditions for satisfying the Incomplete to the student and post them when entering the final grades for the course. Remaining work must be completed before the end of the following semester. Students may not drop a course once an Incomplete is granted. An Incomplete may not stand as a permanent grade and must be resolved before a graduate degree or post-baccalaureate certificate can be awarded.

Independent Study and Internships

Independent Study: With the approval of their Graduate Program Director, students in Good Academic Standing may register for an independent study. The independent study must be identified as a course in the Program of Study. Before registration, the student and the supervising faculty member must agree upon and document the title, objective, scope, credit value (1 to 6 credit hours), and method of evaluation for the independent study. Students will not have more than 9 independent study credit hours in any graduate program.
Internships: Graduate students may register for credit-bearing, paid, or unpaid internships with a significant academic component with the approval and guidance of a faculty member. The internship must be identified as a course on the Program of Study. With the approval of the Graduate Program Director, students may enroll for 1 to 6 credits in a single internship. Individual graduate programs may set lower limits on the number of credits for which a single internship may be registered and limit the total number of internship credits in a Program of Study. Students may not exceed six internship study credit hours in any graduate program.

Course Repetition

Graduate students may repeat a course only once if grades, either letter or pass/fail, were earned both times. Graduate students may repeat a course twice, with approval of the academic unit, if one of the attempts ended with a withdrawal. Dropping a course does not count as an attempt.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students are making Satisfactory Academic Progress when they are meeting the defined milestones in their Program of Study as prescribed below, have consistent check-ins with the Graduate Program Director, Thesis Director, or Dissertation Committee Chair, and they have received the minimum grade required in at least two- thirds of the courses that they have attempted. For students writing a thesis or dissertation, it is the collective responsibility of the student and the student’s Thesis Advisor or Dissertation Committee Chair to ensure that Satisfactory Academic Progress is being maintained.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

The University Registrar will place students enrolled in a graduate degree program on Academic Probation when, after attempting and receiving credit in at least 9 credit hours of coursework, their cumulative GPA falls below 3.00 or when students fail to receive credit in at least two-thirds of the courses they attempt. Students will be placed on Academic Probation for the time it takes them to attempt 12 additional credits or three enrolled semesters, whichever is shorter. After the Academic Probation period is completed, students who fail to raise their cumulative GPA to 3.00 or fail to raise their course completion rate will be academically dismissed from the University by the Registrar. If at any point while a student is on Academic Probation status, it becomes mathematically impossible to raise his or her cumulative GPA to 3.00 within the allotted 12 credits from the onset of Academic Probation, the student will be academically dismissed. If the Program Director or Associate Dean of an academic unit determines that a student is not making Satisfactory Academic Progress for any academic reason, the Dean or Dean’s designee may decide either to issue an Academic Warning or place the student on Academic Probation. The Dean may also academically dismiss the student without Academic Probation or Warning.

Financial Aid and Funding Opportunities

Applicants/admitted students may be required to submit additional documents during or after the application process to be eligible for specific funding opportunities. International graduate students requesting immigration documents from American University for an F-1 or J-1 visa must submit supporting financial proof and the Certification of Finances for International Students (CFIS) Form to the Graduate Admissions Office.

Incoming students for on-campus masters programs can apply to have their employer educational benefits matched by SIS for up to $5,000 each year for a maximum of two consecutive academic years. Availability and amount of support is budget-contingent for each admission cycle. Priority consideration is given to students who have not been awarded any SIS merit funding, or have not received any major funding from an external source to cover their tuition. Students are responsible for ensuring that the employer benefit funding is remitted to American University.

The Leadership Engagement Award recognizes students and professionals who are members of, or have participated in, substantive global leadership or engagement programs aimed at promoting cross-cultural understanding, global collaboration and public service. This fellowship supports graduate students who focus on global Kurdish studies. Students from across the university are invited to apply for various funding opportunities through the OGSR.

tags: #american #university #graduate #programs #ranking #requirements