Degree Requirements
Forty (40) units are required for the M.A. Most courses are four units; students may decide to complete an optional thesis. A minimum grade of B in each course is required. Three-year residency at the Institute is also required. Students must complete the minimum number of required courses in each area:
Language: (3 courses)
Three courses in Language :
Linguistics: (2 courses)
Two courses in each area : Linguistics, Culture and Literature or Interdisciplinary Studies
Culture: (2 courses)
Literature or Interdisciplinary Studies (2 courses)
First Year Student Courses
In their first summer, Institute students must take the following three courses (native speakers of French can, with the Director's approval, petition to substitute other courses for FR 210SS and FR 211SS):
Students may also take an elective in their first year, although this is generally not recommended due to the heavy course load. In their second and third summers, students select their desired courses from the available offerings, which change each year in order to allow for maximal variety in the curriculum.
Transfer Credits
Credit for upper-division and graduate courses may be transferred to UCSB only if the student was enrolled in a graduate program when the courses were completed and they have not been applied toward a degree already awarded. Graduate students must complete one quarter of residency at UCSB before they can petition to transfer units earned elsewhere. With the permission of the Graduate Division and the academic department, up to 8 quarter-units (or 6 semester-units) of credit for courses completed with a "B" or better from an accredited college other than another University of California campus may be transferred as upper-division credit toward a graduate degree. Up to 12 quarter-units may be transferred from another UC campus. No transfer credit is allowed for any course taken as an undergraduate.
Site Index
A Word from the
Institute Director
Financial Aid, Fees and Scholarships
Information for Admitted Students
Photo Slideshow / YouTube
(by graduate James Pao and
Hannah Pao)