Admissions
Admission criteria for the BA program in American Studies comprise a high-school diploma and an adequate grade in High-level English at the school-leaving exams. MA admission criteria include an undergraduate degree and an adequate score at the entrance exam.
BA Program (1st degree)
Admission criteria
Admission criteria for the BA program in American Studies comprise a high-school diploma and an adequate grade in High-level English at the school-leaving exams.
Admission Overview
1. Registration starts on June 6th and ends on July 10th, 2024
2. The limit of students to be admitted is 197
3. Announcement of ranking list online in Internet Registration of Candidates (IRK): July 22, 2024
4. Submission of required documents at the American Studies Center, Dobra 55, Warsaw
First round: July 23 -25, 2024
Second round (the waiting list): July 26,29, 2024
Third round (the waiting list): July 30, 31, 2024
The additional oral exams for candidates with foreign diplomas will be conducted online on July 17, 2024. Detailed schedule will be announced at a later date.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How to register?
You need to set up an account in the IRK system (https://irk.uw.edu.pl/pl/ ), choose the programs you want to be admitted to and pay admissions fees by the required deadline. - Is this a paid program?
The BA program is free for students from Poland, EU, EFTA and Swiss Confederation. For other students the tuition is 5000 EUR for each year. - What are the deadlines of registration?
The online registration for the BA program of the year 2024/25 starts on June 6th, 2024. Here’s the link to the registration platform https://irk.uw.edu.pl/pl/ .The registration will close on July 10th, 2024. - How difficult it is to be admitted to the American Studies Center?
The ranking list is based on the results of the secondary-school-leaving exam. - How competitive is the selective entry admission at the ASC?
It’s been lately 3.21 candidates per place. - What are the required English language qualifications?
B2 is absolutely necessary. - Are there any “native speakers” among the faculty, i.e., faculty members for who English is their mother tongue?
Yes, several of our permanent faculty are scholars from the US and Mexico. Additionally, every semester we host visiting professors from the US and European countries, under the Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Program and bilateral exchange agreements with other universities. - Is all instruction in English?
Correct; all the classes at the ASC are in English. - When should I apply for housing?
Applications for housing should be filed as soon as you get access to the USOSweb. For more go to: https://bpm.uw.edu.pl/ - What is the most important factor in the admissions process?
To be successful, the candidate must have a high grade from English at the HL level. - Are there any limits imposed on the number of places offered this year?
We are allowed to admit 197 candidates and there are 5 more places for students transferred from other universities. - What are the differences between the program offered by the ASC and that of the English Institute of the University of Warsaw?
Both programs are very different. The ASC offers an American Studies program. It does not teach English, the methodology of teaching foreign languages, linguistics or translation. ASC’s is an English-language program whose objective is the study of the culture, politics and economy of the United States. - Can one become a translator after graduating from the ASC?
The American Studies Center does not offer any practical translation skills classes. That said, many of our alumni, who learned their translation skills elsewhere, specialize in translations of American text, that is, text requiring good knowledge of American culture and society. - What are the requirements for BA dissertations?
You will find a full answer to this question here. - What is the program’s full curriculum?
The curriculum is described here.
MA Program (2nd degree)
There are two stages of the admissions process: submission of a short Research Interests Statement and participation in an oral exam based on this Statement.
The purpose of the admissions process is to select candidates who would benefit from our research-oriented program and who have preliminary ideas about what they would like to research over the course of their studies. At the stage of the admission, we need to know if you are interested in any specific topic in American studies and aware of what other academics have to say about this topic, and whether you can formulate promising research questions.
1st stage: Research Interests Statement
In 2-3 paragraphs (300-400 words), describe your research interests in American studies. The statement must be written in English. Explain why your interests are worth exploring, what is your present knowledge of this area, and formulate research questions. Include a list of 3-5 academic sources that you have already examined. Please note that the Research Interests Statement does not commit you to any specific topic as a future MA project at the ASC. It will be evaluated based on your:
- ability to formulate ideas/research interests in written English;
- ability to identify relevant and interesting research problems;
- relevance of research interests to the American Studies curriculum
A candidate can receive max 50 points for the 1st stage of the process. Candidates who receive at least 25 points move on to the 2nd stage.
2nd stage: oral exam based on the submitted Research Interests Statement
The candidate will be asked questions related to the Research Interests Statement submitted. The oral exam will be evaluated based on the candidate’s:
- ability to formulate ideas and arguments in spoken English
- familiarity with the basic concepts related to the declared research interests
- aptitude for interdisciplinary American studies
A candidate can receive max 50 points for the 2nd stage of the process. The minimum number of points in the 2nd stage required to be qualified is 25 points.
Candidates with the highest overall scores (from both stages of the admissions process) will be qualified for the program. Candidates must receive at least 50 points out of 100 overall to be qualified.
Admission Overview
- Number of students to be admitted is up to 70
- Second round of registration ends on September 10, 2024 (starts August 10, 2024)
- Oral exams will be organized on September 19-20, 2024 (online)
- Announcement of results: September 24, 2024
- Submission of required documents at the American Studies Center, Dobra 55, Warsaw
First round: September 25-26, 2024
Second round (the waiting list): September 27, 30, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the limit for the number of places available in the year 2024/25 in the MA program?
We can admit 70 candidates and have reserved 3 places for students transferred from other universities. - Is this a paid program?
The MA program is free for students from Poland, EU, EFTA and Swiss Confederation. For other students the tuition is 5000 EUR for each year. - Do I have to register for the exam, besides registering in the IRK online system?
You need to submit your Research Interests Statement in the IRK system. If you qualify for the second stage of the admissions process, the oral exam, you will be informed of its date and you will receive a link, but you do not need to register for the oral exam separately. - If I registered in the IRK for the first round of admissions to the MA program and took the exam but did not get in, do I need to register again for the second round of admissions?
Yes, you always register in the IRK for the round of admissions that is open at the moment. If we have places available after the first round of admissions closes, we will organize the second round. You will not be automatically registered for the second round, you need to register in the IRK again for the new round of admissions.
Coordinators
