Degree Options and Requirements

undergraduate | graduate

Undergraduate Degree Options

AFRICAN LANGUAGE MINOR

• Five semesters of an African language
• L480 Introduction to African Linguistics or L481 Language in Africa

AFRICAN STUDIES CERTIFICATE

• L231 African Civilization (also listed as History H227)
• L232 Contemporary Africa
• Four elective courses chosen from African Studies cross-listed courses.  At least one of these should be at the 300 or 400 level.  Should be approved by the Associate Director or Director of African Studies.
• Two semesters of an African language (e.g. Akan/Twi, Arabic, Bamana/Bambara,

Kiswahili/Swahili, IsiZulu/Zulu) or French, Portuguese, German, Spanish.
The Certificate appears on the Indiana University transcript.  Students also receive a signed Certificate from the African Studies Program.

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Graduate Degree Options

MASTER OF ARTS IN AFRICAN STUDIES

The African Studies master’s degree program is intended for students who wish to: (1) obtain a graduate degree in African Studies in order to pursue careers in government, international relations (e.g. the Diplomatic Corps), international development, international business, or a professional field; or 2) continue graduate work in a discipline; or (3) combine an M.A. degree in African Studies with another Master’s degree in the Arts, Social and other Sciences, or in one of the professional schools.
The program normally takes two years to complete. It gives students the flexibility to tailor coursework to their needs and interests while requiring them to develop competence on a particular topic or region as well as in research methods and at least intermediate proficiency in an African language.

Admissions Requirements
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education with evidence of superior ability, completion of the graduate record exam, a statement of interest and a writing sample. The deadline for receipt of application materials is January 15th for fall semester admission and September 1st for spring semester admission.

Course Requirements Thirty credit hours of course work distributed as follows:
AFRI-A731 African Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar (3 cr),
AFRI-A732 Bibliography of Sub-Saharan Africa (3 cr),
AFRI-A650 Interdisciplinary Research Methods (3 cr),
AFRI-A651 Independent Research / Directed Readings (up to 6 cr); and elective courses organized around a topical or regional concentration to complete a total of 30 credits.

Elective courses are to be selected from the range of cross-listed African Studies offerings in the College of Arts and Sciences and several professional schools, with the approval of the student’s major advisor.
Electives may include three additional credits of AFRI A-731 since the topic for the African Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar changes every semester and is offered by different faculty members on a rotating basis.

Language Requirement
At least four semesters of an African language. Students may have the language requirement waived by demonstrating equivalent competence through an examination completed under supervision of the African Languages Coordinator. Up to three credits for the study of an African language beyond the second year level may count toward the electives.

M.A. Committee and Thesis
Students are required to constitute a committee composed of a disciplinary advisor and two additional members with relevant regional or topical expertise, approved by the director of the African Studies Program. Committee members must be selected from African Studies affiliate faculty with professional experience on the African continent. The purpose of the committee is to provide consultation to the student as needed and to read /comment on the Master’s thesis. There is no M.A. examination option.

• The M.A. thesis should be an in-depth treatment of the chosen topic, interdisciplinary in nature and 70 to 100 double-spaced pages in length. It may be an expanded seminar paper or an entirely new project based on library, archival, field, or museum research, and should make use of relevant sources in a language other than English. All three committee members must approve the thesis but may agree to waive an oral defense.

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DUAL MASTER OF ARTS IN AFRICAN STUDIES AND MASTER OF LIBRARY SCIENCE (M.L.S.)

The College of Arts and Sciences African Studies Program and the School of Library and
Information Science jointly offer a three-year program that qualifies students for a dual master’s degree (M.A./M.L.S.). The program responds to the growing need for librarians with Africa-specific knowledge and research experience in the humanities and social sciences. The dual M.A./M.L.S. program requires completion of a minimum of 56 credit hours of graduate course work and the two degrees must be awarded simultaneously. Students will be assigned a mentor/advisor from each unit. The student’s African Studies M.A. thesis committee should include a representative of the SLIS faculty or other means of including perspectives of both programs.

Admissions Requirements
Same as for the College of Arts and Sciences Master of Arts in African Studies degree, except that students must also apply to the master’s program of the School of Library and Information Science and meet its established admissions criteria. Students must be accepted by both units in order to be admitted to the program. The deadline for receipt of application materials for the African Studies component is January 15. Please contact the School of Library & Information Science for deadlines and information on the SLIS master's program requirements and deadlines.

African Studies Course Requirements
A minimum twenty-six credit hours of course work distributed as follows:
AFRI A-731 African Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar (3 cr),
AFRI-A732 Bibliography of Sub-Saharan Africa (3 cr),
AFRI A-650 Interdisciplinary Research Methods (3 cr); at least twelve credit hours of elective courses organized around a topical or regional concentration; AFRI A-651 Independent Research / Directed Readings (up to 6 cr) toward M.A. thesis.

Elective courses are to be selected from the range of cross-listed African Studies offerings in the College of Arts and Sciences and several professional schools, with the approval of the student’s major advisor.

Electives may include three additional credits of AFRI A-731 since the topic for the African Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar changes every semester and is offered by different faculty members on a rotating basis.

Library and Information Science Course Requirements
Thirty credit hours of course work consisting of:
a) 15 credits of MLS foundation courses, with S552 Academic Library Management to fulfill the management and leadership skills requirement;
b) 3 credits of either S521 Information in the Humanities or S522 Social Science Information; and
c) 12 credits of elective courses chosen in consultation with the student’s SLIS advisor. An internship related to African Studies Librarianship is strongly advised.

Language Requirement
Same as for the College of Arts and Sciences Master of Arts in African Studies degree.

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JOINT MASTER OF ARTS IN AFRICAN STUDIES AND MASTER OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEGREE PROGRAM

Academic programs in African Studies continue to grow, with a corresponding need for scholars in Public Affairs who have knowledge and research experience in the humanities, social science, policy, and management aspects of this field. The dual M.A. /M.P.A. program requires completion of a minimum of 62 credit hours of graduate course work. Students must apply for admission to the master’s programs of both the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (Public Affairs) and the College of Arts and Sciences (African Studies Program), and meet the admissions criteria established for each. Students will be assigned a mentor from each unit until they form an M.A.-M.P.A. thesis committee which should be co-directed by a faculty member from each unit. The two degrees must be awarded simultaneously.

Admissions Requirements
Same as for the College of Arts and Sciences Master of Arts in African Studies degree, except that students must also apply to the master’s program of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and meet its established admissions criteria. Students must be accepted by both units in order to be admitted to the program. The deadline for receipt of application materials for the African Studies component is January 15. Please contact the School of Public and Environmental Affairs for deadlines and information on the SPEA master's program requirements and deadlines.

African Studies Course Requirements (26 credit hour minimum)
A. Required Courses (9 credits)
A731 African Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar (3 credits)
A732 Bibliography of Sub-Saharan Africa (3 credits)
A650 Interdisciplinary Research Methods (3 credits)

B. Electives (12 credits minimum)
Students should take elective courses organized around a topical or regional concentration. These courses are to be selected from the range of cross-listed African Studies offerings in the College of Arts and Sciences and several professional schools, with the approval of the student’s major advisor.  Electives may include up to three additional credits of A731 because the topic for the African Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar changes every semester and is offered by different faculty members on a rotating basis.

C. M.A. Thesis
A651 Independent Research (up to 6 credits)

D. Language Requirement
At least two years (four semesters) of an African language (up to 6 credits).
Up to three (3) credits for the study of an African language beyond the second year level may count toward the electives.

SPEA Course Requirements
The core requirements for the M.P.A. and a specialized SPEA concentration (36 credit hours) to include:
A. MPA Foundation courses (18 credits):
SPEA-V 502 Public Management (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 506 Statistical Analysis for Effective Decision Making (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 517 Public Management Economics (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 540 Law and Public Affairs (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 560 Public Finance and Budgeting (3 cr.)
SPEA-V 600 Capstone in Public and Environmental Affairs (3 cr.).

B. Specialized Area Students may design and develop a program of specialization courses in consultation with SPEA faculty advisors (18 credits).

Language Requirement
Same as for the College of Arts and Sciences Master of Arts in African Studies degree.

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Ph.D. Minor in African Studies
The African Studies Program offers the Ph.D. Minor to students in the following fields: anthropology, archeology, comparative literature, economics, education, English, ethnomusicology, fine arts, folklore, French, geography, history, instructional systems technology, journalism, law, linguistics, political science, public and environmental affairs, sociology, and Spanish and Portuguese.

Students selecting African Studies as a Minor are encouraged to visit the African Studies Program office (Woodburn Hall 221) as soon as possible after arriving on campus.  The Program director and staff will assist with orientation concerning courses, faculty, and students.

Course Requirements
Students minoring in African Studies must complete AFRI –A732 Bibliography of Sub-Saharan Africa (to be taken, if possible, during the first year) and four other graduate-level courses in African Studies outside their major field of study.  The courses should be in at least two different disciplines; must be taught by an African Studies Program affiliated faculty member; and must be approved by the Program director. 

The African Studies Interdisciplinary Seminar AFRI-A731 may be taken twice for a total of six credits but variable credit is only allowed in addition to having taken it once as a three-credit seminar. One language course in the third year of study, or higher, may be counted toward the Minor.

The Program strongly recommends that Ph.D. candidates who minor in African Studies take two years of an African language in addition to their course work for the Minor.  Serious scholars of Africa are proficient in at least one African language.  Moreover, language proficiency improves opportunities for fieldwork and funding; in fact it is a requirement for important overseas study grants (e.g., SSRC and Fulbright-Hays awards).

Students preparing a Minor in African Studies and a Minor in another field may double-count only one course. Students with special qualifications or previous course work at leading institutions may petition the Graduate Affairs Committee to give credit for work that is comparable to specific courses at Indiana University.  Petitions must include a formal letter of request from the candidate, as well as a syllabus from the course in question.  The materials should be submitted to the Chair of the Graduate Affairs Committee or the Director of the African Studies Program.
The requirements stated above constitute a minimum level of expectation.

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