MAAS Handbook

for Graduate Students in theMaster of Arts in Asian Studies Programat Florida International University

Steven Heine, Director
305-348-1788; SIPA 504; asian@fiu.edu

For more information: https://asian.fiu.edu

MAAS Program Information
The Master of Arts in Asian Studies at Florida International University prepares students
for a variety of careers in public service, education, business, government, and other arenas inwhich expertise in the culture, history, language, politics, philosophy, religion, geography, and/oreconomics of Asian countries is desirable. The MAAS program encourages students to take aninterdisciplinary approach, and it is receptive to students with a wide variety of backgrounds.
This document explains the requirements and procedures of the MAAS program, as well
as some of the relevant university and graduate school requirements. Prospective and current
students are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with the policies of the University
Graduate School (UGS), which can be found on the UGS website (http://gradschool.fiu.edu/).
Admission
All applicants must have a BA or BS degree, or its equivalent, from a recognizedinstitution of higher education before matriculating in the program. They must meet at least oneof the following entrance requirements:
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3.5 GPA in upper level undergraduate coursework;
3.0 GPA in upper level undergraduate course work and a 151-152 score (after August2011) on the verbal portion of the GRE (or 475 prior to August 2011);
MA in the humanities or social sciences from an accredited institution;
3.0 GPA in upper level undergraduate course work and with appropriate language orstudy abroad background as determined by written examination or evaluated by theprogram faculty committee;
3.0 GPA in upper level undergraduate course work and a 3.0 GPA or above in 9 hours ofgraduate courses as a special student in the program. (These nine hours may not be inIndependent Study courses.)

The following materials are also required to complete the application:••••

Complete FIU Graduate School on-line application.
Official transcripts from all the universities attended (Note: official certified - translations
are required for foreign transcripts, where the language is not English)
One letter of recommendation from a college or university professor.
Statement of purpose (750 words).

For applicants who are not native speakers of English, a minimum score of 550 on theTOEFL (213 computer-based; 80 internet-based) is required. Non-native English speakers
seeking graduate assistantships must take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and score 50 or
better or score 26 or better on the speaking portion of the internet-based TOEFL. The
Admissions Committee may make an exception to the minimum admission requirements when it
is persuaded that a particular case warrants doing so. Students seeking a waiver of the minimum
admission requirements should include a justification for this waiver with their application.

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Applicants should note that the above requirements represent minimum qualifications; meetingany or all of them does not, in itself, assure admission to the program.
If admitted to the program, students may transfer up to 12 graduate credits earned in nondegree seeking status at FIU and up to 6 graduate credits earned at other recognized institutionsof graduate education, provided a grade of B or better was awarded. MA students may
matriculate in either Fall or Spring semester.
For detailed instructions on how to apply, visit the MAAS program website(http://asian.fiu.edu/).
Financial Assistance
The MAAS program provides financial assistance in the form of a very limited number ofteaching assistantships. These assistantships include a tuition waiver for 9 credits per semester
and a stipend sufficient to cover the living expenses of a single person. Please note that there areother fees which are not covered by the assistantship (e.g. parking fees, health fees, etc.).
Stipends or partial stipends may be available during the summer. Also, Teaching Assistants mustregister for at least 3 credits of graduate courses during the summer. Check for updates onstipends and summer requirements. Continuing students may apply for vacated assistantships as
they become available.
Students who wish to be considered for financial assistance should notify the Graduate
Director when applying to the program.
Graduate students receiving an assistantship are assigned to work with a faculty member
in one of the departments participating in the Asian Studies program for 20 hours per week asteaching assistants. Assistantships are renewable on a competitive basis, subject to satisfactory
academic progress. Students receiving financial assistance may not carry incomplete grades formore than one semester. Assistants are expected to be full-time students, not otherwise
employed.
Foreign students who receive assistantships will need a US work permit and social
security number in order to receive their stipends. Students who are US citizens or resident
aliens, but not legal residents of Florida, are strongly encouraged to meet requirements for
Florida residency as soon as possible. Eligible students should begin this process before they
begin their first semester of study in the program. The difference in tuition fees is significant, andfew tuition waivers are available for non-resident students.
Advising
New students will plan their degree program with the assistance of the Graduate Director
at the beginning of the semester of matriculation. The Graduate Director will advise students ondegree requirements throughout their programs of study. By the end of their second semester inthe program, however, MAAS students should select a faculty advisor from among participating
Asian Studies faculty. Students are responsible for developing good working relations with2members of the Department faculty who share their interests. MAAS students are strongly
encouraged to attend and participate in events sponsored by the Asian Studies Program.
Enrollment and Active Status
The MAAS program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit at the graduatelevel. Students who fail to maintain a 3.25 grade point average will be dismissed from theprogram. Undergraduate courses which are taken to satisfy prerequisites for graduate courses do
not count toward the 30-hour minimum requirement.
MA students are encouraged to take courses on a full-time basis (9 credits per semester).
All students must enroll for at least 3 credits per semester until they have completed 30 credits.
Thereafter, students must enroll for at least one credit per semester to maintain their degreeseeking status. While some courses are offered after regular working hours, students should not
expect all the courses necessary to complete their program of study to be offered in the evening.
Lapses in enrollment for three or more consecutive semesters will result in automatic
dismissal from the program, with no assurance of reinstatement, unless the student has beengranted a leave of absence. Students may apply in writing for a leave of absence not to exceed
two years. The Graduate Director and the Dean of Graduate Studies must approve leave requests.
An admitted degree-seeking student, who has not enrolled in any course at the Universityfor two (2) or more consecutive terms, excluding summer terms and military withdrawals, will
be required to apply for re-admission. The student must meet the University and program
regulations in effect at the time of re-admission. Students must contact the Office of Admissions
to apply for re-admission.
Full-time students should be able to complete degree requirements in two years. Parttime students should make every effort to complete their degree requirements in three years. Allstudents must complete degree requirements within six years of matriculation in the program.
Transfer of Credits
During the student’s second semester, the Graduate Director will decide on the student’s
requests to transfer credits earned from other programs at the University or at other accredited
institutions, based on relevance to the planned program of study. The Graduate Director may
approve the transfer of up to 12 graduate credits earned at FIU as a non-degree seeking student
prior to admission into the program and up to 6 graduate credits earned at other recognizedinstitutions. The Graduate Director may request that students provide supporting information(course syllabi, research papers) before deciding on the transfer of credits for any course,including independent study courses. After matriculating, students must secure the Director’s
approval before attending another institution to earn credits for transfer.
Program Requirements3

All MAAS students must complete a core sequence of three courses (9 credits), usuallytaken during the first year of enrollment in the program. Only in exceptional circumstances willcore courses be replaced by courses for which credit has been transferred. A list of core courses
is available at https://asian.fiu.edu/academic-programs/ma-in-asian-studies/ma-programrequirements/.
In addition to satisfying the core requirements, students must complete at least 15 hoursof main concentration coursework and satisfy the program exit requirements (as describedbelow). A list of potential main concentration courses is available from the Asian Studies
website. Students should consult with the Program Director (before enrolling) to determine
whether other courses not on this list will satisfy program requirements. Students who would liketo petition for an exception to Asian Studies program requirements must submit a petition inwriting to the Graduate Committee for consideration.
Exit Options
To complete the requirements of their degree, MAAS students have the option of either(a) writing a Master’s Thesis, or (b) a non-thesis Master’s Essay. At mid-course in the program(15 credits) the student must meet with the Program Director, who will determine whether
the student is recommended for the Thesis option or the non-thesis Master’s Essay option.
No exceptions.
If the Thesis option is recommended, the student must take responsibility to find anadvisor who will form the advisory committee and make a recommendation to the ProgramDirector.
If the non-thesis Master’s Essay option is recommended, the student must takeresponsibility to find a professor to help guide this option.

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Thesis Exit Option (30 credits)
Students who successfully defend their proposed topic for the Thesis exit option areresponsible for all forms and dates pertaining to the Thesis process. M-forms and their respective
due dates can be found on the UGS website (http://gradschool.fiu.edu). Please note that all Mforms must be submitted to the University Graduate School and not the Asian Studies office.
Students writing a Thesis will normally take 6 credit hours of supervised research byenrolling in ASN 6972 Master’s Thesis over two successive semesters. Students planning toenroll in ASN 6972 should prepare a thesis proposal for approval by a Thesis committeeconsisting of their Faculty Advisor and two other members of the university's Graduate Faculty.
The Faculty Advisor and at least one other member of this committee must be faculty affiliatedwith the Asian Studies program. Students completing the Thesis should also consult theUniversity Graduate School's Thesis/Dissertation Preparation manual (available online from theUGS website, https://gradschool.fiu.edu/thesis-dissertation). Students must carefully follow theprocedural, stylistic, and other guidelines specified therein.
The MA Thesis must conform to accepted standards of scholarship in the relevantdisciplines, as determined by thesis committee members. Students are therefore encouraged toconsult often with the members of their committee.
No Thesis may be approved until all committee members indicate that the student may
defend it in a public examination. This thesis defense must be scheduled prior to the appropriate
University Graduate School deadline, and any member of the university community, including
guests invited by the student, may attend. The outcome of the examination may be either toaccept the Thesis, to specify revisions as a condition of acceptance, or to reject the Thesis. In thelast case, committee members will specify conditions under which they will participate inanother defense. All such decisions are made by a consensus of Thesis committee members.
Please keep in mind that the Thesis must be approved by the Academic Dean of the College ofArts & Sciences.

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Non-Thesis Master’s Essay Exit Option (30 credits)
Students pursuing the non-thesis Master’s Essay option must complete a 40-page essay,
in consultation with his/her faculty advisor and the Program Director. To fulfill the requirementsof this option, students will complete 3 hours of coursework related to their proposed topic aswell as 3 credits of ASN 6912 Master’s Essay.
The Master's Essay is carried out under the direction and supervision of a PrimaryProfessor along with a Secondary Professor. The Primary Professor should have expertise in thefield of the student's research. The professors supervise the Essay and provide constructive
criticism in content, style, and form. The Primary Professor must be chosen and approved by the
Asian Studies Program Director at least four weeks before the semester in which the essay is
being completed. THE PRIMARY PROFESSOR WILL CONSULT AND DISCUSS WITH
THE GRADUATE COMMITTEE BEFORE APPROVAL IS GIVEN. Please note that if
Asian Studies Director, Dr. Steven Heine, serves as Primary Professor, he will work withstudents to select a Secondary Professor. If a different Primary Professor is chosen, then Dr.
Heine will generally serve as the Secondary Professor.
Students following the Master’s Essay option will first submit a 2-page formal proposal.
The proposal should explain the problem to be investigated and convince the Primary professor
that the problem merits investigation. It should show that the student has read the relevant andrecent literature on the subject and contain a list of materials consulted during the preliminary
stages of research. The proposal is part of the learning process and helps the student avoid
oversights and possible mistakes as well as assists the Primary professor to provide appropriate
assistance to the student in his/her task.
Approximately one month later, Master’s Essay students will submit a 5-page, doublespace overview of their topic with a bibliography. This overview must be presented anddefended with the primary and secondary professors. The 5-pages serve as a benchmark for theprofessors to assess the topic for clarity, depth, and continuity. It also serves as an advisement
time for continuing research and constructive criticism.
Advisement Policies
For additional information and guidance relating to the Asian Studies MA Program,please reach out to asian@fiu.edu for advising.

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