Applying

Requirements for admission to a graduate degree program in Scandinavian Studies:

• Advanced or near-native proficiency in at least one Scandinavian language
• B.A. degree in Scandinavian Studies or its equivalent (for the M.A. program)
• M.A. degree in Scandinavian Studies or its equivalent (for the Ph.D. program)

All applicants must complete the following steps:

1) Apply to the Graduate School.
2) Pay the $50 fee to the Graduate School
3) Submit one set of official transcripts to the Graduate School
4) Send GRE scores to the UW main code: 4854 (GRE scores may be waived for international applicants)
5) Mail the following materials to the Dept. of Scandinavian Studies, Univ. of Washington, Box 353420, Seattle, WA 98195 by January 31st (same deadline for domestic and international applicants)

• Copy of the Graduate School Application
• 3 letters of recommendation (to be mailed directly by the recommender to the Graduate Program Coordinator)
• Statement of purpose and intent (Describe your academic preparation, including any foreign study in Scandinavia; your primary field or areas of interest; and your professional goals.)
• 1 set of official transcripts (all applicants)

Special instructions for International applicants:

• November 1st is the deadline for international applicants to complete the on-line Graduate School application.
• International applicants must first review carefully the Preliminary Evaluation Process (PEP) for International Applicants before filling out the Graduate School application.
• Please submit TSE or SPEAK and TOEFL scores to the Graduate School

Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships

The Department offers teaching assistantships in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish to the most well-qualified domestic and international graduate applicants with advanced proficiency in the target language. Teaching assistantships in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian may also be available. Teaching and research Assistantships include out-of-state tuition costs, a monthly salary of approximately $1,400, and benefits. Applicants with a strong academic background, competitive GRE scores, and excellent letters of recommendation may be nominated by the Department for the Graduate School's Top Scholar Award, which is a Research Assistantship.

To be considered for a Teaching or Research Assistantship, please include the following materials with your application for admission:

• Assistantship and Fellowship Application
• 3-5 minute tape or CD in your target language about your past study of Scandinavia, your experiences in that country, and future academic interests and goals

Master of Arts Degree

The M.A. degree requires a minimum of 40 graduate credits (quarter system) in Scandinavian and related subjects approved by the Department; a reading knowledge of one non-Scandinavian foreign language (usually German or French); and a written 6-hour degree examination. At least 20 of the credits must be in seminars numbered 500 and above. Either a thesis or a non-thesis program may be selected. M.A. degrees may be taken in Scandinavian Languages and Literature or in Scandinavian Area Studies. Students who choose the Area Studies track can emphasize study in Scandinavian Folklore, History, or Politics.

Admission to the Graduate Program requires minimum language proficiency (ordinarily two years of study, or the equivalent) in at least one of the Nordic languages. Usually, this is acquired during the completion of a Scandinavian Studies undergraduate degree or by intensive language study.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 72 graduate credits (including M.A. credits, but excluding dissertation credits) in Scandinavian related subjects approved by the Department, including a course in literary theory and a sequence of two quarters of Old Icelandic (Old Norse).

Further requirements for all Ph.D. students include a reading knowledge of two non-Scandinavian foreign languages; General Examination for admission to candidacy consisting of three six-hour written examinations and an oral examination; an acceptable dissertation and a final examination on the dissertation.