Funding
- The Department also awards teaching assistantships, which include tuition waiver plus an annual stipend paid over 12 months. These are annually renewable based on a standard review of the student's academic and teaching assistantship performance. The student is responsible for payment of miscellaneous university fees.
- Research fellowships are occasionally available through faculty external grants (such as from the National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health): the financial arrangement is approximately equivalent to that of teaching fellowships.
IMPORTANT! Fellowships often have very early application deadlines. To be considered for any FUNDING opportunity that would begin in the 2023 Fall Semester, you would need to have a fully completed application with UGS (University Graduate School) before Jan. 1st, 2023.
How to Apply
- Complete an online application with the University Graduate School.
- In addition, please mail (in original format) to the University Graduate School:
- Official transcripts from previous undergraduate and graduate programs.The minimum requirements are a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 in undergraduate courses and a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 in any prior graduate courses.
- Official GRE verbal and quantitative scores, sent directly by the Educational Testing Service.
- Students with international transcripts need to submit NACES approved evaluation.
- International graduate student applicants whose native language is not English: TOEFL or IELTS scores, sent directly by the Educational Testing Service. The minimum requirement is a total score of 80 on the IBT TOEFL (equivalent to 550 on the paper-based version, or 213 on the computer-based version of TOEFL) or a total score of 6.3 on IELTS.
Once you complete submitting the previous requirements to the University Graduate School at FIU, you will be REFERRED to our department for further graduate candidacy.
What We Look For
The Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies (GSS) uses the following criteria to evaluate applicants for admission into the doctoral program. GSS’s Graduate Program Committee uses these criteria to help identify and recruit students with training, skills, and intellectual interests that are suitable for the department. Please submit electronic copies of the following items to the University Graduate School.
| Personal Statement | GSS uses the personal statement to evaluate whether or not the departmental research strengths fit well with the applicant’s stated research and intellectual interests. This is a one of the most crucial components of our evaluation process; since we want make good matches for both the student and the department. A strong personal statement clearly identifies a potential research project (or area of interest) and faculty mentors. |
| Writing Sample | Students applying to the GSS doctoral program should include a writing sample, such as a paper or thesis, in their applications. This is one of our key criteria. The Graduate Program Committee uses the sample to evaluate the applicant’s writing capabilities and critical thinking skills. |
| Prior Training | GSS evaluates the applicant’s past training and educational background (including type of undergraduate program, prior degrees, and professional experience) to help us determine the applicant’s preparedness for our program. Including a C.V./resume (in a format of your choosing) helps summarize this information. |
| GRE | While GSS does not have a minimum GRE score for admission to the doctoral program, we do consider the GRE an important evaluative tool. We recognize that cultural and linguistic differences, as well as learning styles, make the GRE an imperfect predictor of student success. Therefore, we evaluate GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) separately and in relation to other admissions criteria. While the Graduate Program Committee utilizes a rubric of assessment which includes various dimensions, applicants scoring above the 60% on the verbal and quantitative dimensions as well as above 70% on the analytical dimension are assured of receiving serious consideration. |
| GPA | Students applying to the GSS doctoral program should have a minimum 3.2 grade point average from their undergraduate study and 3.5 from graduate training in another program, if applicable. |
| Letters of Recommendation | Three (3) recommendations from applicants’ former professors, mentors and colleagues are important criteria GSS uses in the admissions process. Applicants should encourage their letter writers to address how the applicant’s prior studies, research experience, and personal background will contribute to their success in our program. And don't forget to use a "Letter of Recommendation Form" per recommender. |
We're here to help! Please don't hesitate to email, call, or drop by with any questions you may have about our program or the application procedure. In addition, we'll be happy to put you in touch with the best source of information: our current graduate students.
