Political Science majors at UNC Asheville have the option of pursuing a joint degree with the University of Essex to earn both a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science from UNC Asheville and a Master of Arts (M.A.) or a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Human Rights from the University of Essex in roughly 4.5 years.
Students pursuing this option pay tuition and fees to UNC Asheville while enrolled here for the beginning of the program, and then pay tuition and fees to Essex where they enroll for the remainder of the program. Interested in learning more? Contact us at political_science@unca.edu
Requirements
- Complete 28 hours of credits of required & elective courses for the Political Science major and the entire Liberal Arts Core (and any minors) in your first three years at UNCA
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
Steps to Completing the Process
Rather than spending your senior year at UNCA, joint degree students will spend their final year at Essex, finishing their BA and earning their graduate degree. The Essex term starts in October of the senior year. If you are interested, you will need to apply in your junior year. While there is no formal deadline for the application, applicants should submit it by March of the junior year for consideration for internal Essex scholarships and to complete necessary paperwork. If you intend to apply, you should:
- Notify POLS department of intention to apply no later than early junior year
(interest should be expressed sooner). The department will contact the registrar. - Complete a Permission to Study Abroad form from UNCA
- Complete a formal Essex application
- On the text box in the application, need to note that you are applying as part of the joint degree with UNCA (it will be free for you to apply)
- Complete a Personal Statement
- Obtain 2 letters of recommendation
General information
- Those accepted to the joint degree program do get a 20 percent discount on tuition at Essex and no deposit is required
- FAFSA is accepted
- UNCA scholarships and aid might apply, but you will need to discuss this with Financial Aid office
- Once you are accepted, you will need to apply for a visa. Please note that this process can take a while, but you cannot apply until three months before you start the term at Essex. The visa fee is waived for joint degree applicants, and you will get free healthcare while you are enrolled.
- Essex guarantees on-campus graduate housing to all joint degree students, though this is an additional expense (it is not included in tuition)
- You will get UNCA credit for 3 terms at Essex (12 hours)
- 12-month dissertation module will fulfill student’s senior competency in Political Science with approval of faculty from both institutions