Global and International Studies Student Handbook:
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Key Offices at KU:
COGA oversees graduate affairs and administers university policy for programs within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. The COGA Website contains comprehensive information on requirements and processes pertaining to graduate education at KU. Most common questions can be answered with the information provided there, including questions regarding enrollment changes and forms, University policies regarding exams and committee requirements, and University graduation requirements.
COGA reviews all student petitions of University and College policy, issuing decisions on behalf of the College or referring as required to a faculty committee and/or the Office of Graduate Studies. The more common student petitions relate to Enrollment, Leave of Absence, and Time Limit Extensions.
COGA is a resource if you have any questions about petitions or graduation requirements that your department is unable to answer. Refer to the COGA Website for current staff contact information.
General Admissions Policies & Procedures:
Degree or non-degree seeking applicants must have a bachelor’s degree (as evidence by an official transcript from the institution the degree was obtained) and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the most recent degree that was obtained.
Students* not meeting these requirements may be admitted provisionally upon recommendation by the department; however, restrictions on certain type of funding, including GTA/GRA/GA funding, apply to students on provisional admission status. Students should consult the program admissions advisor or Director of Graduate Study (DGS) on their eligibility for funding with admission.
*By Federal regulation, International students seeking F-1 status must meet the standards of Regular Admission. Provisional admission is not sufficient to issue the Form I-20.
Additional Global and International Studies admissions requirements can be found here http://global.ku.edu/how-apply and include:
- Online application and application fee
- Official transcript(s) from previous higher education institution
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- 500-1000 word Statement of Interest describing relevant aspects of background, potential thesis/research topic, potential advisor, and how this program will meet academic and professional goals
- Writing sample
- Copy of current resume
- GRE Results (LSAT or GMAT acceptable substitutions) Institution code: 6871
- Non-native English speakers: TOEFL or IELTS scores within the last 2 years
Related Policies and Forms:
We currently admit students for the fall semester.
- For the traditional MA program, the fall application deadline is January 15.
- For the Interagency Studies MA program, the fall application deadline is July 23.
To Apply: Choose Global and International Studies MA at http://graduate.ku.edu/ku-graduate-application
Please visit http://global.ku.edu/graduate to see the requirements for Admissions.
Although the online application asks you to self-report your GRE scores, an official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report must be directly sent from GRE to KU. KU’s GRE/TOEFL Code: 6871
There is an option for uploading unofficial transcripts to the online application, though official transcripts should also be sent from those previous institutions directly to KU via mail or by or by email at: gapc@ku.edu
Official Transcripts (physical copies) may be submitted to the following:
Graduate Admissions
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
313 Strong Hall
Lawrence KS 66045
For questions regarding transcripts, please visit: http://graduate.ku.edu/transcripts
For questions regarding references, please visit: http://graduate.ku.edu/references
The University requires all applicants, international or domestic, to demonstrate English proficiency for admission to any graduate program at KU. There are three ways to prove English proficiency:
1. Declaration of native speaker status on the online application for graduate study.
2. Graduation with a baccalaureate degree (or higher) earned in residence from an accredited English-medium U.S. college or university or a college or university in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, English-speaking province of Canada, or an English-speaking Caribbean country, with instruction conducted in English. Degrees earned online may not be used to verify English proficiency. Note: this option is not sufficient for employment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.
3. Official scores from an English proficiency standardized test (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS-Academic, or PTE), sent by the testing agency to the University of Kansas. Official scores must be less than two years old.
Applicants that do not meet the minimum scores should review the English Proficiency Chart, provided via the link above, for information about provisional admission and petition processes based on exceptional circumstances
Applicants should submit their scores directly to the Office of Graduate Studies:
Office of Graduate Studies
213 Strong Hall
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence KS 66045-7535
Related Policies and Forms:
To continue in the program, students admitted provisionally must meet additional requirements placed on them upon admission by the Director of Graduate Study (i.e. must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in the first semester of graduate coursework at KU).
For more information on Provisional Admission, please visit: http://policy.ku.edu/graduate-studies/admission-to-graduate-study
Provisional Admissions
To continue in the program, students admitted provisionally must meet additional requirements placed on them upon admission by the Director of Graduate Study (i.e. must earn at least a 3.0 GPA in the first semester of graduate coursework at KU).
For more information on Provisional Admission, please visit: http://policy.ku.edu/graduate-studies/admission-to-graduate-study
- was dismissed from a program at KU;
- was voluntarily discontinued (formally withdrew) from a graduate program;
- completed the graduate degree program; or
- most recently enrolled as a non-degree-seeking graduate student.
Before completing the Permit to Re-enroll form, students should verify with their graduate program that they are eligible to complete this form.
To complete the permit to re-enroll application, visit KU Graduate Permit to Re-Enroll.
Dismissed students and those who withdrew from the program must submit a full application.
Students will not be considered for readmission if they are currently on a leave of absence, if they have not been enrolled in the past year, or have already earned a degree from the graduate degree program.
General Academic Guidelines:
Graduate Advising
For prospective and current student advising questions regarding research guidelines, course credit towards degree, or thesis/research paper progress, please contact:
Dr. Luciano Tosta, Director of Graduate Studies
Center for Global & International Studies
211 Bailey Hall
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
Office (785) 864-1853
lucianotosta@ku.edu
For advising questions regarding admission, university requirements, resources, petitions, program milestones, exam scheduling, graduation, and any other questions related to student success, please contact:
Clare Thoman, Academic Advisor
Center for Global & Internatioanl Studies
310 Bailey Hall
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
Office (785) 864-9814
clarethoman@ku.edu
Changes in Student Mentorship
Under some circumstances, it is beneficial for a graduate student to be paired with a new faculty mentor. These situations may come about for varied reasons, including changes in thematic focus, need for additional expertise, departure or retirement of the faculty mentor, or incompatibility of student and mentor. Successful change in mentorship will be contingent upon the identification of an appropriate new mentor and the willingness of the prospective new mentor to assume the responsibilities. Students can initiate this process at any time by contacting the Director of Graduate Studies, the Graduate Advisor, and/or the Department Chair. They can also consult extra-departmental resources such as the University Ombudsman, who can provide support in the process. Upon being notified of the need to switch a graduate advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies will help guide the student through the change, which can include help in identifying a new mentor, communicating with the original mentor, and assisting in the transition. The DGS will be the interim advisor until a new one is matched with the student. Proposed changes in mentorship assignments will be ultimately approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and/or Department Chair, and must be signed by both the student, the new mentor(s), and the Director of Graduate Studies.
For graduate students in the College, advising on enrollment and course selection take place at the department level. While units within the College may define full-time enrollment more stringently, the University defines it as follows:
Fall and Spring semesters:
- Enrollment in 9 credit hours;
- Enrollment in 6 credit hours plus a GTA, GRA, or GA appointment, regardless of percentage of appointment;
- Enrollment in 6 credit hours for graduate students using the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (MGIB-AD) and Post-9/11 GI Bill – Active Duty;
Summer sessions:
- Enrollment in 6 credit hours;
- Enrollment in 3 credit hours plus a GTA, GRA, or GA appointment, regardless of percentage of appointment;
- Enrollment in 3 credit hours for graduate students using the Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty (MGIB-AD) and Post-9/11 GI Bill – Active Duty;
Graduate students are not normally permitted to enroll for more than 16 hours a semester or more than 8 hours in summer session.
While these are KU’s definitions of full-time enrollment, other institutions may have different definitions. Be sure to consult with your financial aid and/or health insurance providers before making enrollment decisions.
Student not enrolled by 11:59pm the day before the first day of classes will be assessed a late enrollment fee. The University Registrar then deactivates the KU ID of any not enrolled by the last Friday in October (for Fall) or last Friday in April (for Spring). Students who wish to enroll after that must pay a fee to be reactivated.
Students who wish to leave their graduate program should inform the department of such plans in writing so that a Voluntary Withdrawal form may be submitted on their behalf.
Deadlines for adding, changing, dropping, or withdrawing from courses entirely, as well any fines associated with the change, are set by the University. Deadlines vary from year to year. Students should carefully review the current Academic Calendar.
The College Office of Graduate Affairs’ (COGA) website has a very useful Enrollment Changes Guide, which provides comprehensive guidance on the forms and endorsements required for different enrollment situations, including late enrollment changes after the published deadlines.
You may also wish to consult the Registrar's page on Effects of Dropping or Withdrawing on your Transcript.
Related Policies:
The Office of Graduate Studies' Grading policy governs requirements for the grading of graduate students above those described in Article II of the University Senate Rules and Regulations. Additionally, individual schools, departments, or programs may have grading policies that are more stringent than those of Graduate Studies. Students should review the College-specific grading information and consult their adviser and the departmental section of this handbook for additional information that may affect them.
At minimum, for all graduate students at KU, at least a B average is required on course work counted toward any of the master's degrees at KU, and only courses graded A, B, or C (excluding C-) may be counted. Course work counted toward a doctorate, including that for a master's degree if obtained at KU, should average better than a B.
Additional information pertaining to graduate grading can be found on COGA's pages for Retroactive Withdrawal, Incomplete Grades, and Graduate GPA. The Registrar’s Office’s also offers information on the Credit/No Credit option.
Related Policies:
- University Senate Rules & Regulations
- Grading
- Academic Probation
- Dismissed Enrollment
- Probation and Dismissal (CLAS)
The Office of Graduate Studies policy on Graduate Credit defines KU’s conditions for the following:
- Definition of graduate credit for the purposes of a course “counting” towards a graduate degree or graduate certificate at KU;
- Transfer of graduate credit to KU from an outside institution;
- Reduction in the required number of graduate hours for Master’s students;
- Counting credit hours taken as non-degree seeking student towards a later graduate degree at KU;
- Counting credit hours taken as a certificate seeking student toward another graduate degree.
Transfer Credit
The transfer credit option allows master’s students to add graduate-level coursework completed at another institution to their KU transcript to count toward their KU degree. Upper level coursework taken as an undergraduate, even courses numbered at the graduate level, is not eligible for transfer in any case. Additional restrictions apply to what non-KU graduate courses and the number of credit hours that can be counted toward a KU master’s degree, so students should carefully review the information provided in the link above and the related policies below, as well as consulting with their DGS. In all cases, transfer credit must first be approved at the department or program level. To begin the transfer process, students should consult with their DGS to submit the required transfer materials. These include a transcript reflecting the courses to be transferred and descriptions and/or syllabi for the courses in question.
No transfer of credits is allowed for the Ph.D. In circumstances where students enter the Ph.D. program with an M.A. from another intuition or relevant graduate coursework, it may be possible for students to request a reduction in the number of hours required for the Ph.D. Students should consult with their DGS about their enrollment plan.
Reduced Credit Hour Degree
KU policy defines 30 hours as the minimum for master's degrees. Departments may petition for a reduced hour degree Master's degree for individual students in cases where they may provide evidence that the student entered the program especially well-prepared to complete a graduate-level degree and the student is able to maintain a superior grade point average. A reduction in hours is distinct from a transfer of credit and is reserved for those students in that they may in some cases be based on coursework that was already used to fulfill requirements towards a completed degree, some non-coursework (e.g. internships, study abroad), and there are no modifications on the transcript.
Restrictions apply to the number of credit hours that can be reduced for a master’s degree, so students should carefully review the information provided in the link above and the related policies below.
In all cases, a reduction in hours must first be approved at the department or program level, so to begin the process for approval, students should consult with their DGS. Students must also provide documentation of the coursework or experience being used to justify the reduced hours (e.g. transcripts, program descriptions).
Because there is no minimum number of required hours for the Ph.D., reduction of required hours based on prior degrees or experience is determined solely at the program level. Doctoral students should consult with their DGS about their enrollment plan.
Count Toward Degree
The Count Toward Degree form is an Office of the Registrar Form that allows graduate credit hours taken at KU as a non-degree seeking student to count towards a later degree at KU.
As with transfer credit and reduced hour degrees, restrictions apply, so students should carefully review the information in the link above and the related policies below, and consult with their DGS.
Related Policies:
- Graduate Credit
- Count Toward Degree Form
- Co-enrollment
- MA and MS Degrees (on Reduced Hour Master's Degree)
The University supports and encourages interdisciplinary study, which may include graduate students enrolling in coursework at the graduate level that is outside of their primary discipline. The Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) is an option for graduate students who are taking a course that is not required for their degree or certificate and who do not wish to have the course grade reflected in their overall graduate GPA. Rather than a grade appearing on the transcript, the student receives a designation of CR or NC, which does not factor in the GPA.
No course graded CR/NC will count toward the satisfaction of any graduate degree or certificate requirement. This includes, but is not limited to, courses taken to fulfill the Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement for doctoral students.
Students make the CR/NC election via the Registrar’s CR/NC online request form. Elections and changes to elections can only be made during the specific CR/NC period. For regular semester courses, this period begins after the last day to add a class and extends for approximately two weeks. Exact dates may be found on the current KU Academic Calendar. Please keep in mind, short courses may have alternate dates.
The student should consult with their own program advisor about the appropriateness of the course prior to enrolling; however, in cases where CR/NC is elected, the course instructor is not informed of the election unless the student chooses to share this information.
Additional restrictions apply. Students should carefully review the information in the link above.
Related Policies and Forms:
Probation is an academic status that can be assigned to a graduate student that is not making satisfactory progress toward completing their degree. The department initiates the probation process and will inform the student of why they are not making satisfactory progress, what they must do to return to good standing, and the deadline for doing so.
Students are most commonly placed on probation due to their graduate cumulative GPA droping below a B average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). In these cases, probation occurs automatically and is reflected on the student’s record for the semester following the semester in which the student’s GPA drops below 3.0. If the student’s cumulative GPA is raised to 3.0 by the end of the probationary semester, the student will be automatically returned to good academic standing.
Students may also be placed on probation by their departments for other reasons that constituting a failure to make satisfactory progress towards degree. These may include, but are not limited to; failure to make adequate progress on a thesis or dissertation, unacceptable academic performance on program components outside of coursework (e.g. exams), an unsatisfactory result in their department’s annual evaluation, or as a result of going beyond their official time to degree. Students should carefully review the Good Academic Standing policy for graduate students at KU for more information on what constitutes making satisfactory academic progress.
Individual programs may also have additional measures of progress. Students should also consult the Annual Review section of their department graduate handbook and with their program advisor for more information.
If a student is unable to raise their cumulative GPA or otherwise meet departmental expectations for adequate academic progress by the end of the probationary period, the department will reconsider their continuation in the program, in most cases will recommend the student for dismissal, or that the student voluntarily withdraw from the program.. Once dismissed, a student is no longer able to be enrolled in coursework and cannot complete their degree. Students dismissed from any graduate program may not be admitted to any other graduate program at the University of Kansas.
A student on probation or facing dismissal should discuss their status with their advisor.
Related Policies:
The University expects that master’s degree should typically be completed in two (2) years of full-time study, the doctorate degree in five (5) years of study, and both the master’s and doctorate together in six-seven (6-7) years of study.
Students who anticipate exceeding these targets should review the information in the link above and in the policies below, as well as consult with their program advisor to create a timeline for degree completion. In order to support this process, COGA offers departments and students a Mentoring Agreement Template to use and/or adapt to their own needs. The template may be used with students in danger of going beyond the program’s expected time limits, or simply as an advising tool for all their students. It is especially useful for students in the dissertation or thesis phase.
Related Policies and Forms:
In exceptional circumstances (e.g. cases of illness, emergency, financial hardship, military leave, to pursue family responsibilities, or to pursue full-time activities related to long-range professional goals) it may be necessary for graduate students to take a break from their program temporarily, without having to withdraw entirely from the program. An approved leave of absence allows a student to take a temporary break from enrolling in graduate coursework while remaining in good standing with the University and the department and while “stopping the clock” on their time to degree.
Requesting a Leave of Absence is done via a University petition. University petitions must first be approved and supported at the program level, so students wishing to initiate the petition process should first consult with their Director of Graduate Studies and review their department’s internal petition procedures. Units or the Director of Graduate Study may request documentation to support the student’s need for a leave of absence; however, the only document that the College requires for the petition is the Leave of Absence form, linked below.
Students on Leave of Absence are automatically reactivated after their leave is over and are eligible to enroll for their intended semester back during the normal enrollment periods. See the KU Academic Calendar for exact dates that enrollment begins.
If at any time plans change and a student wishes to return and enroll before leave was supposed to end they may contact their department to be reactivated early.
Related Policies and Forms:
For more information on specific petitions, please visit: http://coga.drupal.ku.edu/for-departments/petitions
In cases where the policy or requirement is a departmental requirement, the graduate faculty will issue a final decision.
Degree Requirements:
All graduate students must complete one or more exams as part of their degree requirements. In addition to department or program guidelines, the University has several policies pertaining to the following exams:
- Master's Exam/Thesis Defense for Master's degree
Before a student is allowed to sit for any of these three exams, pre-approval from the College is required in advance of the exam date. The College verifies that the student has fulfilled University requirements. The full list of these requirements may be found via the link in the heading above. Students should work with their departments well in advance of their planned exam date, to schedule their exams in a timely fashion and to ensure that all University policies relating to oral exams are being followed.
In many cases, programs may have additional exams, such as a written pre-qualifying exam. Exam pre-approval by the College applies ONLY to the oral portions of the three exams listed above.
The following are University policies pertaining to these oral exams:
Oral Exam Committee Composition
For all oral exams, the committee members must be appointed members of the Graduate Faculty of KU. In addition, a majority of committee members serving on a graduate student oral examination committee must be tenured/tenure-track faculty holding regular graduate faculty or, in the case of doctoral committees, dissertation faculty status in the candidate’s department/program of study.
Many additional restrictions apply, especially for doctoral exam committees. Master’s and doctoral students should carefully review the University policies pertaining to exams, as well as consult with their Director of Graduate Studies when forming an exam committee.
The Oral Exam Attendance policy describes rules for physical versus mediated attendance (e.g. Skype or phone) at oral exams.
In all cases, a majority of committee members must be physically present with the student for an exam to commence. Both the chair and outside member (for doctoral exams) must form part of this majority. In all cases where the student prefers that all committee members are physically present, the student's preference shall be honored.
Master’s and doctoral students should carefully review the policies below, as well as consult with their Director of Graduate Studies in the formation of an oral exam committee.
Related Policies and Forms:
Graduate Certificate Requirements
Foreign Area Studies Requirements
Please consult with your academic advisor regarding any questions or exceptions.
In order to select a Non-thesis Option, you must consult with your advisor and seek permission from the GIST Director of Graduate Studies.
Option #1 (Research Project)- students selecting this option are required to take either GIST 810 or GIST 898 and complete an original research project of between 30-45 pages of text, not including notes, references or appendices. The project must involve original and systematic analysis of data/information (i.e. it must utilize a research method) and will include an oral defense. Should a repeat of the oral exam be necessary as determined by the student’s committee, this must take place no less than 30 days and no more than 90 days after the first attempt. The faculty committee for the first oral exam also administers the second oral examination. Students who fail the second exam will be dismissed from the program.
Option #2 (Exam)- students choosing this option must take an additional 3 credit hours, corresponding to one of their two coherent clusters. In the final semester, the student must successfully complete a written examination over the course content and the student’s regional and substantive areas of focus. Students receive comprehensive questions over the areas mentioned above and are given 72 hours to responds to each of the three questions with a minimum of ten pages of text. Students considering this option must receive the advance approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.
For more information, please visit: http://global.ku.edu/non-thesis-option
The thesis defense date must be established and submitted to the graduate advisor at least three weeks prior to the defense.
The thesis must be submitted to the defense committee, the graduate director, and the graduate advisor a minimum of 10 days prior to a scheduled defense date. Failure to do so will result in the defense date being pushed back, even if this changes the student’s semester of completion. Should a repeat of the oral defense be necessary as determined by the student’s committee, this must take place no less than 30 days and no more than 90 days after the first attempt. The faculty committee for the first oral defense also administers the second oral examination. Students who fail the second exam will be dismissed from the program.
For more information on Thesis requirements, please visit: http://global.ku.edu/thesis-option
Graduation:
At the beginning of the semester that you plan to graduate, please apply for graduation. Step by step instructions can be found here.
Once you have completed all MA requirements and defended your thesis, please connect with your advisor to review the Master’s degree checklist.
The beginning of the semester in which you plan to graduate:
- Please meet with your advisor to make sure that you have fulfilled all degree requirements. Master’s Degree Checklist can be found here.
- Apply for graduation through Enroll and Pay.
- Step by step instructions can be found here.
- You MUST apply for the semester in which you intend to graduate. If you have applied previously and did not meet that graduation deadline, the AFG DOES NOT roll over into another semester, therefore, you must re-apply.
- Meet with your Thesis Advisor to discuss timeline of finishing thesis.
- Continue to check in throughout the semester to ensure you are making the necessary progress.
4-6 weeks before Graduation Deadline (See Semester Specific Deadlines):
- Schedule thesis defense with your thesis committee and Academic Advisor
- Work with your advisor to make sure all necessary documents have been submitted to the College Office of Graduate Affairs.
- Your advisor will need the following:
- When you plan to graduate
- Official thesis title
- Date and location of thesis defense
- Committee chair & committee members
- Your advisor will need the following:
0-4 Weeks before Graduation Deadline (See Semester Specific Deadlines):
- Thesis Defense
- Things to bring to your defense:
- Thesis Defense Outcome Form
- Title Page
- Acceptance Page
- Copies of your thesis
- Things to bring to your defense:
- Thesis Defense Documentation Submission
- After defending, please submit your Thesis Outcome Form to your advisor within one week of your defense.
- Complete any necessary edits on your thesis
- Once the thesis is finalized, please submit to your chair for her or his final review and signature on your acceptance page.
- Please submit your acceptance page to your COGA advisor or to COGADocs@ku.edu.
- Electronic Thesis Submission
- Comply with Thesis instructions and formatting requirements
- Submit the PDF version of your thesis to the UMI/Proquest submission site
- Your submission will be verified by COGA to check for formatting errors only. You will receive email communications indicating if there are revisions to formatting requested or if your submission has been accepted. These checks may not always occur prior to the Application for Graduation deadline. This will not impact your graduation date. If you have submitted your thesis by the Application for Graduation deadline, this item is considered complete for purposes of graduation.
- COGA does not submit the final approval of your work to UMI/ProQuest until after the degree verification process is complete. This is after the end of the semester in which you graduate. Your work will not be available through UMI/ProQuest until that time. COGA makes every attempt to deliver your submission in a timely manner; however this process may be lengthier due to larger numbers of graduates in a particular semester, etc.
- Pay any fees to UMI/ProQuest (if applicable)
- There is an optional copyright fee. You may also order bound copies for an additional cost.
- Questions about the processing of bound copies should be directed to UMI/Proquest, as COGA is not involved in this process.
- ETD Release Form:
- Please review and sign the form: http://clas.ku.edu/sites/clas.ku.edu/files/docs/KU_ETD_release_form.pdf
- Creative Writing MFA/PhD students can find their specific release form here
- On section A.1. COPYRIGHT, one or both boxes must be checked. Selection of one or both of these options also serves as verification that you understand and agree with the copyright statement above.
- If you need to place an embargo on your thesis, you must also obtain your Director of Graduate Studies original signature. Please note, if you choose to embargo your thesis, your submission will still be delivered to UMI/ProQuest and you will receive notification of this as stated above. However, your request for embargo is noted in the delivery checklist. Note that embargos will expire at the end of the given period starting with the month of graduation. Upon expiration of an embargo your work will be publicly available.
- For more information, please refer to our ETD FAQs sheet.
| Signed Outcome Form & Title Page | Submit to Advisor |
| Signed Acceptance Page | COGADOCS@ku.edu |
| ETD Release Form | COGADOCS@ku.edu |
| Application for Graduation | Enroll & Pay |
| Submission of Final Electronic copy of Thesis | UMI/Proquest |
For more information on UMI/Proquest formatting and submission, please visit Graduate Studies Thesis Formatting.
University Policies:
