Tuition & Fees

The total estimated cost for the M.A. in Cultural Sustainability program is $45,000, based on the current tuition and fees for the 2023-2024 academic year. The tuition and fees are re-evaluated every year and are subject to change each fall for the following academic year.

To view more information about tuition and fees, please visit our website. If you have any questions, please contact graduatebilling@goucher.edu.

Financial Aid

Contact our Office of Student Financial Aid for information and assistance in financing your Goucher education. All student accounts must be current before enrollment is allowed for subsequent semesters. A late fee will be assessed if payment has not been received by the due date.

Incoming students may apply to transfer up to 9 credits from approved graduate-level program or related courses successfully completed at accredited colleges or universities. Students seeking transfer credits must submit a photocopy of course syllabus, catalogue description, and other material that adequately describes the course to the director by the first day of the summer session. A transfer fee of $125 will be charged for each credit.

Payment Plan

A monthly payment plan is available through the CashNet FSPP (full service payment plan), which may be helpful for students who do not qualify for or do not wish to take advantage of the Federal loan program. Payments may be made by check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Contact Billing for more information.

Scholarships

Application Requirements

Only first-semester students are eligible to apply. To be considered for a scholarship, students must write a 500-700 word essay about their qualifications for the scholarship for which they would like to be considered. Students can apply for up to two scholarships but must write a separate essay for each. The essay must include:

• The specific title of the scholarship
• Evidence supporting your qualifications
• The relevant topical issues you are most passionate about that make you want to be known as a _______ scholar (e.g., Community Scholar, Cultural Equity Scholar, etc.).
• Your vision for the work you hope to do after graduate school and the impact you hope to have as it relates to the nature of the scholarship.

The Scholarships

Community Scholar

This scholarship is given to graduate students who demonstrate the potential for a leadership role within their own cultural community. The field of Cultural Sustainability is strengthened by the perspectives and experiences of diverse populations. We believe that the cultural traditions of some communities are in greater peril than others of losing viability, becoming invisible or disappearing altogether. For this reason, we are especially interested in encouraging scholars from under-served and under-represented communities who intend to return to those communities and apply the skills and knowledge acquired in graduate school to strengthen and sustain treasured cultural and artistic traditions.

Artist Scholar

This scholarship is given to graduate students who are first-and- foremost artists with a passion for using their creativity to make a difference in their communities. Artists have the capacity to motivate their communities to challenge conventions, offer creative solutions and imagine different stories with different outcomes. We believe in the power of story, song, dance, weaving, carving and other art forms to quietly or radically empower communities to seek sustainable ways of being in the world. All artists are welcome to apply for this scholarship, but we are especially interested in artists who practice folk and traditional art forms learned within their own community-based settings and sustained through community participation.

Cultural Equity Scholar

This scholarship is given to graduate students who are passionate about social equity issues and want to make an impact on the most critical social and cultural issues facing their communities. We believe that applying a cultural lens to challenging social issues (i.e. immigration, education, the environment or healthcare) reinforces cultural equity. As noted Ethiopian refugee artist Tessfaye Tessema once said, "Your culture makes you think like a human being." This award is for students who are committed to finding humane, culturally-aware solutions to our greatest social challenges.

Cultural Governance Scholar

This scholarship is for graduate students who want to make an impact by working with institutions, policies, regulations, and decision-making processes that support cultural sustainability planning efforts in communities, cultural institutions, or governmental entities. As Jon Hawkes notes, "cultural vitality is as essential to a healthy and sustainable society as social equity, environmental responsibility and economic viability," Scholars who receive this award will demonstrate an interest in discovering the practical ways in which notions of culture can be applied to public policy making.

Cross Cultural Scholar

"Men build too many walls and not enough bridges" - Isaac Newton. This scholarship is for graduate students who can demonstrate experience working across cultures, whether at the local level or the global level. Preference will be given to students who speak two or more languages, but this is not required. For our cultures to survive and thrive, we must not only sustain that which defines us, we must also be willing do the same for cultures around the world. This award will be given to students who are planning to do work that builds bridges between diverse and distinct cultures.

Amount Awarded per Scholarship

$1,000 - $1,500 per year (not to exceed $4,000 total). The award amount may vary between scholarships, but the amount awarded in the first semester will remain the same for the scholar in each subsequent semester.