FLAS FAQ

Who is eligible to receive a FLAS fellowship?
FLAS Fellows must be US citizens or permanent residents enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students (or are accepted for and intend to enroll in a degree program) at Boston University during the award period. Applicants to BU academic programs are invited to apply for FLAS even if they do not yet know their admissions status for a BU degree program. Academic year applicants must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with Boston University selected to receive your FAFSA data. Specific requirements for each award type are available on the main FLAS page.

Can I receive a summer FLAS if I will graduate in the previous spring?
No.

May I apply for a FLAS if I am not a BU student?
To be eligible, a student must be enrolled as a student during the award period at the institution offering the FLAS fellowship, which in this case is BU. Applicants to BU academic programs are invited to apply for FLAS even if they do not yet know their admissions status for a BU degree program. Students currently enrolled at other institutions may be eligible for FLAS fellowships at FLAS-granting institutions if they enroll there, even on a temporary basis like for a summer intensive program. (For example, a student pursuing a degree at University A could receive a FLAS from University B if they enroll in a language program at University B.) The African Flagship Language Initiative at the University of Florida provides a useful list of FLAS-granting institutions for African languages.

Is there a limit on the number of FLAS fellowships I can receive?
There is no limit on the number of sequential FLAS awards one person may receive, but no more than one concurrent award can be accepted (whether from BU or other institutions).

Can I receive a FLAS award if I am in the BU Law School JD program?
You are eligible, but the requirements of your degree program may make it difficult to meet FLAS fellowship commitments. The first year does not include any optional courses and therefore 1L students could not qualify for the fellowship. In the second and third years, there is more flexibility, and meeting fellowship requirements may be possible. It would be difficult to balance FLAS requirements with the JD requirements for both of the remaining years. In addition, the Law School has noted that students often find that intensive language study is not compatible with the intensity of the law courses, but a determined student may make it work.

What happens after I submit my application?
Recipients, alternates, and non-recipients will receive notification of their status within about a month after the application deadline. Award letters will contain more information about payment processes, registration, etc.

Who will review/evaluate my application?
The African Studies Center’s Fellowships Committee is responsible for all evaluations and is comprised of the Center’s director, assistant director, African Language Program director, and additional African studies staff and affiliated faculty chosen to represent the center’s disciplinary diversity.

The review committee comprises scholars adept at reading across disciplines, so do not be shy about referring to specialized literatures, theories, or methods as appropriate. At the same time, do not try to impress the committee with arcane vocabulary or references. The best statements are clear and written in plain English, show seriousness of purpose, and are true to the challenges in your field of study and to your current stage of training. The committee understands that beginning graduate students may have rudimentary plans, while more advanced students will be able to lay out plans for major research projects in some detail. Likewise, the evaluation committee understands that essays from applicants in professional schools or other non-thesis degree programs will be quite different from essays written by students planning theses or dissertations, which in turn will be quite different from those of undergraduate students. Therefore, respond to all questions to address your specific situation and do not try to tailor your application to fit some perceived ideal candidate.

Do I need to submit a bibliography with my essay?
Bibliographies per se are discouraged, but if you wish, you may mention important authors or works in your text or include relevant citations parenthetically.

Can a FLAS award be used to participate in an internship program?
Generally not, because an internship program is neither a formal academic program of full-time study nor dissertation research. Contact your FLAS Coordinator about a specific internship if you feel it meets the full-time study requirement.

Is a FLAS fellow allowed to work during the award period?
In limited situations, yes. Remember that FLAS fellows are required to be engaged in full-time course work or dissertation research during the academic year, or in intensive language study during the summer award period. However, BU policy does allow up to 25% additional employment as a teaching assistant, research assistant or student hourly worker with prior permission. Contact your FLAS Coordinator for more details.

Can I receive both a FLAS and another fellowship during the same period?
Sometimes. Please consult your FLAS Coordinator.

Can I get a single semester award during the academic year?
No.

Can I take a semester off and finish the award during a subsequent period?
No.

Can I request a Pass/Fail grade for my courses?
No.

Can I use my FLAS at a different institution?
You must be a BU student to be eligible, but BU students in certain situations may use FLAS at other institutions. During the summer, it is not unusual for students to enroll in domestic or overseas programs run by other institutions. During the academic year, students may be eligible to enroll in BU Study Abroad programs if the programs meet other FLAS requirements; please contact the FLAS Coordinator for more information.

Can I use the FLAS for a reading knowledge course?
No. FLAS is designed to give students proficiency in speaking, writing, reading, and listening in modern languages.

What can I use an academic year FLAS for?
Academic Year FLAS fellowships are awarded for a full academic year to students engaged in:

• formal full-time coursework at BU that includes one area studies course and one African language course; or
• formal full-time coursework as part of a BU official undergraduate overseas program that includes one area studies course and one African language course; or
• full-time dissertation research abroad. The use of the African language in the dissertation research must be extensive enough to be able to consider the language improvement facilitated by the research equal to the improvement that would be obtained from a full academic year’s worth of formal classroom instruction.

Do I have to take specific classes?
FLAS recipients must take at least one African language course and one African studies course each semester. An appropriate African studies course is one that has at least 25% Africa-related content, measured by readings, topical focus in the syllabus, case studies, and assignments. The ASC compiles a list of pre-approved courses each semester, but please check with the FLAS Coordinator if you have questions concerning approval of courses that may not be listed.

How many credits do I need to take?
FLAS Fellows must engage in full-time study during the tenure of the award as defined by BU. Awardees must take at least one course in the African language of the award and one African studies course each semester. FLAS Fellows must remain in academic good standing (satisfactory progress toward a degree, enrolled full time, attend classes faithfully, completing course requirements on schedule). The required language and African studies courses must be taken for a letter grade; pass/fail courses are not acceptable.

Beyond classwork, is anything required of FLAS Fellows?
All fellows will be required to fill out pre- and post-award reports for the US Department of Education and will be surveyed periodically in the years following their award. In addition, all fellows must take pre- and post-award language proficiency assessments.

What can I use a summer FLAS for?

Summer FLAS fellowships are intended to help students gain the equivalent of a year’s worth of college-level language study. They support students enrolled in:

• formal domestic programs of intensive language study at the intermediate or advanced level; or
• formal overseas programs of intensive language study at the intermediate or advanced level; or
• formal overseas programs of intensive study for graduate students only at the beginning level of languages, if 1) appropriate equivalent instruction is not available in the United States and furthermore 2) the graduate student has achieved advanced proficiency in another language of the world area of specialization, and learning a second language of that world area is required for the student’s overall training and expertise.

Intensive language programs must offer a minimum of 140 contact hours for instruction (120 for advanced level) and must be a minimum of 6 weeks in duration.

Does a summer FLAS include a travel award?
Not always. Students may be eligible for a summer travel award of up to $1,000, or the actual cost of travel to and from the program site, whichever is less. Travel awards may be made at the discretion of the ASC and only with the permission of the US Department of Education. Contact the FLAS Coordinator for more information.

May I switch programs and/or languages after I submit my application?
Requests to change programs and/or languages are handled by the FLAS Coordinator and are rarely granted. Before students prepare an application for a Summer FLAS, they should thoroughly research available programs for their proposed language of study.

Beyond classwork, is anything required of FLAS Fellows?
All fellows will be required to fill out pre- and post-award reports for the US Department of Education and will be surveyed periodically in the years following their award. In addition, all fellows must take pre- and post-award proficiency assessments.

Where can I find a list of FLAS-eligible summer language programs?
The availability of FLAS-eligible summer language intensive programs varies from year to year. The African Flagship Language Initiative (AFLI) at the University of Florida regularly offers intensive training, and for summer 2023 a list of domestic African language intensive programs can be found here. For programs abroad, consult your language instructor and the FLAS Coordinator for assistance in identifying programs.

Developed by Emily Hammel, MPH ‘20

This section is intended to provide suggestions to MPH students looking to navigate both MPH and FLAS program requirements, which generally require some flexibility within the standard MPH program. Please note that SPH requirements may change without the African Studies Center’s knowledge. If you have further questions or suggestions for additions to this list, please contact the FLAS Coordinator.

Can I take a full course load AND the required language class?
Yes. However, full time tuition covers up to 18 credits. Taking four 4-credit classes plus a language class would be 20 credits. You may need to pay for additional credits, take a 2-credit class, or drop a course.

As a first year MPH student I am required to take the 4 CORE classes. Can I count one of those towards my area studies requirements?
It is possible to count one of your required SPH classes towards the Africa area studies requirement. However, it’s a good idea to talk to your advisor and explain your situation before registration. Together, you can reach out to your professors and inquire about in-course assignments that may satisfy the African area requirement. (At least 25% of the course or its assignments must focus on Africa.) This can sometimes be achieved through a final project or a semester research paper. Many courses at BUSPH have a global focus, and others allow freedom for the student to study a topic of their choice.

If I drop one of the CORE classes during the first semester, can I make it up over the summer?
No. The registrar’s office requires that you complete all four CORE classes before registering for additional courses at SPH. However, you can take CORE classes in the spring during your second semester concurrently with other courses.

How will this affect my practicum?
It’s required that all four CORE classes are completed before starting your practicum. This means you need to finish (not be enrolled in) all four classes before you can start accumulating hours towards the 240-hour practicum. If you are completing your CORE classes in the spring, you will not be able to start your practicum until the summer. If you choose to take all four CORE classes in the fall, you will be able to start your practicum during your second semester.

My African language class conflicts with the CORE class schedules at SPH. What do I do?
You might consider joining the evening cohort (Cohort E) to avoid scheduling conflicts during the day. You may also consider reaching out to the professor of the language class to see if the class time is flexible, though this will depend on the professor and the size of the class. You can write a petition to the registrar’s office explaining your situation and request to join a separate cohort for one of your classes; however, since the FLAS is not affiliated with BUSPH, they are not obligated to accommodate your schedule.

If I finish my CORE requirements over the first two semesters, will I still graduate on time?
The flexible MPH program allows students to study part-time during their second year. FLAS fellows may choose to take additional classes during their 3rd and 4th semester to make up any credits and still graduate in May. There are also summer courses available at BUSPH, and students can choose to take classes during the summer if they want to graduate by December.