Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnic Studies

Ethnic Studies is the first interdisciplinary PhD program in the U.S. dedicated to the study of comparative race and ethnicity in national, hemispheric, and global contexts. It continues to be a premier PhD program that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training as well as critical grounding in comparative, relational, and intersectional analysis made possible by the core subfields of the department: Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, Native American Studies, and Comparative Ethnic Studies.

The graduate program draws on faculty strength in a wide range of fields, including studies of race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, and sexuality, citizenship, migration, and borders, diaspora and transnationalism, sovereignty and decoloniality, representation and performance, social movements and cultural politics, religion, food, museums, labor, and war. Students learn social science and humanities methodologies, including archival research, ethnography, oral history, and textual and visual analysis. Students also have the opportunity to pursue a Designated Emphasis in such areas as Critical Theory, Film Studies, New Media, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

The following minimum requirements apply to all graduate programs and will be verified by the Graduate Division:
A bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution,
A grade point average of B or better (3.0),
If the applicant comes from a country or political entity (e.g., Quebec) where English is not the official language, adequate proficiency in English to do graduate work, as evidenced by a TOEFL score of at least 90 on the iBT test, 570 on the paper-and-pencil test, or an IELTS Band score of at least 7 on a 9-point scale (note that individual programs may set higher levels for any of these), and
Sufficient undergraduate training to do graduate work in the given field. Transcripts: Applicants may upload unofficial transcripts with your application for the departmental initial review. If the applicant is admitted, then official transcripts of all college-level work will be required. Letters of recommendation: Applicants may request online letters of recommendation through the online application system. Hard copies of recommendation letters must be sent directly to the program, not the Graduate Division. Statement of purpose, Writing sample, Letters of recommendation.