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Northern Arizona University

Arizona , Arizona ,United States

Bachelor of Science in Applied Indigenous Studies

This degree in Applied Indigenous Studies explores issues of concern to indigenous peoples both in the Americas and around the globe. The curriculum grounds students in tribal histories and cultures, governmental policies, sustainable economic development, indigenous entrepreneurship, and contemporary conditions on native lands and reservations.

What Can I Do with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Indigenous Studies?

The Applied Indigenous Studies degree program emphasizes contemporary tribal management skills and respect for indigenous cultures. Students will gain the knowledge and tools to contribute to the sustainability of the indigenous communities into the 21st century. Using a curriculum to community approach, students will prepare to move from learning to action, applying native ways of knowing for the benefit of indigenous communities within the United States and abroad.

Students will be able to effectively serve as administrators of key government service departments and programs within the tribal governments, such as planning departments, environmental, education, and related social service departments; apply the distinct laws, policies, regulations and executive orders applying to tribal nations and American Indian and Indigenous lands and jurisdictional areas; apply laws, policies, regulations and executive orders unique to American Indian tribal nations in the United States as well as international legal standards applicable to Indigenous peoples worldwide to manage and protect culturally significant sites and resources; and develop and implement economic development strategies that are culturally appropriate and feasible for Indigenous individuals, communities and nations using models of Indigenous entrepreneurship.

Campus Information

Flagstaff

Intakes

  • Jan
  • May
  • Aug

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Career exploration

  • Know what transferable skills are, provide examples of transferable skills, and identify strategies to build these skills.
  • Feel confident that you are able to identify your strengths, interests, and values, and begin to connect these to potential careers.
  • Feel confident in utilizing career and personality assessments to assess fit with careers and work environments.

Resume and cover letter reviewsAccordion Open

  • Identify and apply principles of high-quality resume design and formatting to your own resume.
  • Feel confident crafting bullet points (accomplishment statements) using strong verbs, quantifiable actions, and results.
  • Feel empowered to begin crafting a compelling Summary of Qualifications targeted towards desired jobs that reflect your skills, experience, and what makes you unique.

Internship exploration and resourcesAccordion Open
Identify strengths, interests, and values, and begin to connect these to potential internships.

  • Feel confident identifying reputable online internship search sites and using them to find internships.
  • Identify the application materials you need to apply for internships.

Job search strategiesAccordion Open

  • Feel confident about finding and using resources to match your strengths, interests, and values to various jobs.
  • Identify and locate reputable online job search sites.
  • Learn to use online tools, such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn, to investigate organizational culture.

Mock interviewsAccordion Open

  • Use the STAR Method to identify your responses to behavioral interview questions and practice these responses.
  • Identify nervous habits and replace them with professional, confident body language.
  • Recognize appropriate and professional interview attire.

PSW Opportunity

Post-Study Work visa or permit, allowing international students on F-1 visas to work in the US after completing their studies, typically through Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Eligibility:
To be eligible for OPT, students must have been enrolled full-time in a US educational institution for at least one academic year and be seeking work related to their major.

Duration:
Students can apply for up to 12 months of OPT, either before they finish their studies (pre-completion) or after graduation (post-completion).

STEM OPT:
Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields can apply for an extended OPT period of up to 24 months.

Contact our PSA counselor for more information

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

You are considered a freshman if you will graduate high school within one year, have earned fewer than 12 college credits since graduating from high school, or are dual-enrolled but have not yet graduated from high school.

You will be offered admission to Northern Arizona University if you have a 3.0 or higher core GPA (based on a 4.0 scale and calculated using only the 16 required core courses below) and have no deficiencies in those core courses.

You will be considered for NAU admission if you have a 2.5 core GPA and you have no more than one deficiency in any two areas of the required courses below. If you have a combination of a math and lab science deficiency, you are not admissible.

Note: The writing portions of the ACT and the SAT are not used for undergraduate admission.

Mathematics

Meet one of the following:

  • 4 years of high school math courses, including one year each of Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, and an advanced class for which Algebra II is a prerequisite
  • ACT: 24+ math score
  • SAT: 570+ math score (540+ if taken before March 2016)
  • One transferable three-credit college math course for which at least intermediate algebra is a prerequisite

Laboratory Science

Meet one of the following:

  • 3 years of high school laboratory science: one year each of biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics. An integrated science class may be substituted for one required course.
  • Two years high school laboratory science (biology, chemistry, earth science or physics) plus one of the following test scores (test score may be used to satisfy one lab science unit other than high school credits earned):
  • ACT: 20+ science score
  • SAT: 600+ chemistry score, 590+ biology score, or 620+ physics score
  • Three transferable four-credit college lab sciences courses (One semester each of biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics). An integrated science or advanced level science class may be substituted for one required course.

Social Science

Meet one of the following from each section:

  • History/Social Studies
  • One year high school American History
  • SAT II: 560+ American History/Social Studies score
  • One transferable three-credit college American History course
  • Social Science
  • One year high school social science (such as European history, world history, economics, sociology, geography, government, psychology or anthropology)
  • SAT II: 580+ world history score
  • One transferable three-credit college social science course

Second Language (not required starting summer and fall 2023)

Meet one of the following:

  • 2 years of the same high school second language (foreign, Native American or sign language)
  • Attain minimum score on national standardized second/foreign language test (AP 3+, CLEP 50+, IB 4+)
  • One year of transferable college study in same second language.

Fine Arts

Meet one of the following:

  • 1 year or a two-semester combination of high school fine arts or Career and Technical Education (CTE)
  • One transferable three-credit college fine arts course.

Applicants are allowed no more than two deficiencies in the above criteria. If the two deficiencies are a combination of math and lab science, the applicant is not admissible. Deficiencies are caused by the following:

  • Not taking the required number of courses in a competency area
  • Receiving a grade of “F” in a core competency course
  • Receiving an unweighted subject GPA of below 2.0

Exceptions

You may be exempt from the course requirements if you meet one of the following:

  • You are 22 years of age or older
  • We will evaluate using overall high school GPA or a combination of high school and college work
  • You’ve earned a GED (submit an official score report from the applicable state’s department of education)
  • Pre-2002: 50+ score
  • 2002-2014: 500+ score
  • Post-2014: 680+ score with minimum 170 in each content area
  • You were home-schooled
  • Provide a transcript of high school coursework. Submit ACT/SAT scores for scholarship consideration
  • TOEFL = 70 IBT (School code 4006, MyBest Score accepted)
  • IELTS = 6.0
  • Duolingo = 95
  • ACT English & Reading = 21
  • SAT ERW = 350
  • Pearson Test of English = 56
  • IB English A = 5 for higher level & 6 for standard level
  • IB English B = 7 for higher and standard levels
  • Transferring from a U.S. institution = One 3-credit course in English composition with a passing grade
  • Exchange student from Europe = B2 level in English
  • From a high school or university entirely taught in English = 4 years of high school English (composition and literature) with passing grades and/or verification from your school that all courses are taught in English
  • From one of these English-speaking countries = No proof of English required