Prospective Graduate Students
For admission to the M.A. or Ph.D. programs in Languages and Cultures of Asia, the applicant must meet both the Department’s and the Graduate School’s admission criteria.
An MA degree from another institution or from the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia (or equivalent MA) is a prerequisite for admission into the Ph.D. program.
Faculty Advisors
Before submitting a formal application to the department and the Graduate School, we strongly recommend that applicants identify individual faculty in the department that work in their area of interest who would be a potential advisor. Applicants can make contact with their potential advisor either in person, by email, or phone prior to applying for admission. The deadline for submission of application materials for admission is the December 30th. Admission decisions are made in late January or early February and applicants will be notified by email.
HOW TO APPLY
Both the Department of Languages and Cultures and the Graduate School require specific materials for graduate application. Please note that most application materials need to be submitted to both the department as hard copies and on-line to the Graduate School.
Graduate School Application Form and Application Fee
All applicants must complete the Graduate School's online application which is available on their Electronic Application website. In order for the department to review your file, you will need to pay the Graduate School application fee.
Supplementary Departmental Application
The LCA supplementary application assists the admissions committee by providing additional information.
The supplementary application will appear as a part of the Graduate School's electronic application once the applicant selects: Languages and Cultures of Asia.
After filling out the supplementary application on-line, applicants should send also send a print copy of the supplemental application to the department along with their other required departmental application materials. Currently, the graduate school screen is asking you to upload the supplemental application. Please ignore this field as you can not upload the application. Print a copy of the on-line supplemental application page from the graduate school application or fill out the LCA supplemental application separately. Please send the printed copy along with the other required printed application materials: transcripts (if they are not being sent directly from the school), reason for graduate study, and writing samples.
Transcripts
Applicants must submit two official sets of transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate study to the department. Both copies should be sent directly to the department and do not need to be submitted to the graduate school.
International academic records must be in the original language accompanied by an official English translation. Documents must be issued by the school with the official seal/stamp and an official signature.
The Languages and Cultures of Asia department requires all applicants to have a BA/BS degree from an accredited institution.
A minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours from the most recent bachelor's degree institution is required for regular admission to the Graduate School. If an applicant has received a post-baccalaureate degree and the GPA for that degree is above a 3.0, they may be admitted with full standing even if their undergraduate GPA does not meet the standards above. Under some circumstances, applicants with lower averages are admitted on probation.
Reasons for Graduate Study
This should describe the applicant's graduate program interests, objectives and career focus.
The "Reasons for Graduate Study" should be uploaded to the Graduate School electronic admission website. In addition, a print copy should be sent to the department along with other required material.
Three Letters of Recommendation
The preferred method for requesting letters is online through the Graduate School's electronic format (see Electronic Letters of Recommendation Process for more information). If recommenders are unable to submit the letter electronically, it can be mailed directly to the department.
Writing Samples
MA applicants are required to submit one writing sample. Ph.D. applicants are required to submit two writing samples. The admission committee will use the writing sample(s) for evidence of competence in English composition and the ability to think critically. There are no guidelines about particular topics or lengths. Writing samples should be uploaded to the Graduate School’s website with your electronic application. The originals should be printed out and sent to the department.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide official scores from TOEFL, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB).
An admitted applicant whose TOEFL internet based (iBT) test score below 92; TOEFL (paper-based) test score is below 580; TOEFL computer-based test (CBT) score below 237; IELTS score below 7; or MELAB below 82 must take an English assessment test upon arrival. Students must then register for any recommended English as a Second Language (ESL) course(s) in the first enrolled
GRE Scores
GRE scores are not required. However, GRE scores are required if you are applying for financial support other than the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship. Our institution code number is 1846. Since we receive the scores electronically, no department code is needed.
All application materials that are to be submitted as hard copy should be mailed to:
Graduate Coordinator
1239 Van Hise
1220 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
If you have additional questions, please contact the Graduate Coordinator at (608) 262-3012 or email:ddvanruy@wisc.edu
