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 for the coming academic year is January 15.

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.

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.

PH.D. MINOR

• AFRI-A732 Bibliography of Sub-Saharan Africa
• Four 3-credit graduate level courses outside the major field of study, selected from at least two different disciplines.  The courses must be taught by a faculty affiliate of the African Studies Program and should be approved by the African Studies Program Director or the Chair of the African Studies Graduate Affairs Committee.  G731, Interdisciplinary African Studies Graduate Seminar, is taught every semester on a different topic and may be taken for up to six credits as part of the elective credits.
• At least two years' study of an African language is highly recommended.  Serious scholars of Africa are proficient in at least one African language.  Three credits of African language study at the fourth semester or higher level may count toward the four elective courses if the student obtains at least a grade of Ã’BÓ in the course.   

SPECIALIZATION IN AFRICAN STUDIES LIBRARIANSHIP

• AFRI-A732 Bibliography of Sub-Saharan Africa
• E531 and E532 History of Africa I-II
• Y657 African Politics
• E310 Introduction to the Cultures of Africa
• Three credit hours of an elective course, chosen in consultation with the African Studies librarian

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