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Applying for TAM

Application deadline: The next deadline will be in December 2024. Please check back for the specific date.

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BEGIN SOMETHING NEW.

Applications are welcome from students world-wide. Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university, or its international equivalent, in the Social Sciences or Humanities (preferably in a relevant subject area such as political science, history, international relations, European studies, American studies, economics, or modern languages) by the time they plan to start the TAM Program.

TAM has a multi-faceted structure. If you have not reviewed the program details, please do so before beginning your application. Depending on the degree type for which you are applying, requirements may vary. All TAM applicants apply through UNC’s Graduate School. Please follow the school’s directions for submission and reporting requirements. The additional TAM forms to be submitted with your application can be downloaded from this page.

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The Application Process

Checklist:

Your TAM application is processed through the UNC Graduate School. You must apply as the “TransAtlantic Masters Program – UNC M.A. in Political Science” by the deadline and upload all the necessary supplemental TAM documentation to their website.
This form should be filled out completely and uploaded along with the rest of your application to the UNC Graduate School. The document details your degree option, TAM track, and partner site selection.
This form may be completed for any languages which have been learned through study; however, if English is one of your non-native languages, a TOEFL score will suffice. The language evaluation should be conducted by a university or college faculty member, with the goal of confirming the student’s ability to participate fully in university level coursework in that language. (If a student is a native speaker of one of the consortium languages, it is not necessary to complete this form. Because all overseas sites now offer classes in English at the MA level, this form is no longer required. It may be helpful, however, to submit this form if you wish to take classes in the language of the site.) You may upload this form along with the UNC Graduate School application if you wish.
Provide a 500-word statement in English explaining your interest in the TransAtlantic Masters program and your research interests. Although this statement does not commit you to a particular topic or location for your thesis, it should indicate that you have given some thought to the structure of your study program. You should attach this document as a supplement to the UNC Graduate School application form.
Include a 10-page sample of your writing in English. This should be an academic essay, or a section of some larger academic work. You should attach this document as a supplement to the UNC Graduate School application form.
Three current letters of recommendation from persons qualified to evaluate your academic and professional qualifications are required. You should request recommendations from individuals who are familiar with your academic achievement and potential who can address your potential for success in this particular academic setting. The recommendation form is completed as part of the UNC Graduate School application.
One transcript from each post-secondary (after high school) institution attended. To prevent delays, applicants may submit transcripts before mid-year grades are posted (final transcripts must then follow). Transcripts should be submitted through the UNC Graduate School application.
Official GRE General Test scores are now waived for all applicants.
All international applicants, except those from countries where English is the official language of instruction or those who have received a degree from a university in the United States (excluding trust territories) must submit an acceptable, official (reported directly from ETS) TOEFL or IELTS score. These scores are reportable for a period of two years from date of the exam. You should take the test no later than mid-December in order for the score to arrive by our deadline.
A recent copy of your curriculum vitæ is also required. Please upload this document as part of the UNC Graduate School Application.

Documents & Links:

UNC Graduate School Application
TAM Supplemental Application Form2023Fall
Optional Language Evaluation Form

More Questions?

Email: tam@unc.edu
Talk: +1 919 962 4507
Find: FedEx Global Education Center
301 Pittsboro St.
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Frequently Asked Questions

The average GPA for our accepted applicants is about a 3.5. The UNC Graduate School sets the standard at a 3.0; however, the committee also looks at other important factors such as foreign-language ability, letters of recommendation, work and academic experiences, and the balance of students at the various overseas sites.
While it is certainly possible to ask an employer or supervisor for a letter of recommendation, the admissions committee does prefer to see letters from your professors. We would like to get a sense of your work as a student. For the optional language evaluation, you might try contacting a language professor or instructor at a local college or university.
All students start the TAM Program as UNC degree seekers and may also be pursuing one of the European credentials simultaneously. Our double degree option is slightly longer in duration and costs a bit more.

It is possible to seek single MA degrees through TAM from UNC, Humboldt University in Berlin, and Bremen University. A joint HU-METU degree is also available through the German-Turkish Studies track of TAM.

All students in the TAM program will need to consider visa issues and begin to make arrangements well in advance. Students who are not permanent residents of the United States will need to acquire a student visa (F1) in advance of the fall semester at UNC, which usually starts at the end of August. Students who are not permanent residents of an EU country / the UK / Turkey will need to arrange their student visas for the appropriate country (countries) well in advance of their start date overseas.

The UNC office of the TransAtlantic Master’s program will advise and assist you when possible, but ultimately it will be necessary for you to take full responsibility for acquiring your visa documents. You will need to contact the embassies/consulates of each country in which you intend to study and ask for the necessary requirements and paperwork. In general, you will have to provide documentation in the following areas: (1) Financial resources (2) Health insurance & Immunizations (3) Proof of admission to an academic program; (4) Police record / FBI background check. For the details of each country’s requirements, again, you must contact the consulate directly.
Immediately after admission, students who are not legal residents of the United States will need to begin the application process for the F1 visa which will allow them to study at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Most TAM students have undergraduate degrees in either political science, economics, global studies, international relations, history, sociology, international relations, or one of the languages of the consortium universities. One-third to one-half of the students admitted have previous work experience, often with international businesses or programs. Work-experience is not required, however, and students from undergraduate majors not mentioned here are encouraged to contact the TAM office with further questions: tam@unc.edu.
You are certainly welcome to apply to the program even if you only speak English; all overseas partner sites now offer some courses in English. If you speak a language other than Italian, Spanish, French or German, the committee will take that skill into account and consider you for an all-English-language track.
No, the intensive TAM course work does not leave time for language classes unless it is a requirement of your scholarship. Students are expected to be prepared for university-level coursework at all sites indicated in their study program by the time they begin their TAM studies.
Yes. Though we are not able to offer TA positions, some RA positions have been given to TAM students in the past. In addition, TAM students have successfully secured STINT, DAAD,Erasmus +, Fulbright, and Ford Foundation awards to name just a few applicable external funding sources. For more information on TAM tuition, financial aid, scholarships, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) program, please visit the Prospective Students page and scroll down to the “Paying for TAM” section.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

TAM strongly supports the University’s core values encouraging diversity and equal educational opportunities throughout the University community. These values are articulated in the University’s non-discrimination policy and by the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

PAYING FOR TAM

Learn More

TAM is an affordable, competitive Masters program. If you want to learn more about tuition costs and university fees as well as scholarship and financial aid opportunities, more information is available on our Prospective Students page.

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EDUCATIONUSA

TAM participates in EducationUSA, a US State Department network of over 400 international student advisors around the world. We highly recommend international applicants investigate resources made available through this entity.

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