Ph.D. in African American and African Studies

 

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in African American and African Studies is an interdisciplinary program of study devoted to advanced exploration and analysis of the social, cultural, and political experiences of Black peoples in the United States, Africa, and other parts of the African Diaspora. The objective of the program is to develop scholars committed to academic excellence and social responsibility in the Black world and the broader community. Comparative, integrative, and applied approaches to the acquisition and sue of knowledge are given emphasis.

Admission

To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Philosophy degree program in African American and African Studies, an applicant must:

1. Have a 3.0 grade-point average in their last 30 credits of coursework.
2. Have the results of the GRE General Test and original transcripts from universities attended forwarded to the College.
3. Submit a resume or curriculum vitae, personal statement, three letters of recommendation, and a writing sample, usually a recent research paper, to the College of Arts and Letters.

To be admitted with regular status, the applicant must have a master's degree in an appropriate field or have completed at least 30 credits of approved course work beyond the bachelor's degree. Applicants without a master's degree or sufficient course work may be admitted provisionally and be required to complete a specified number of collateral courses, not to count toward the degree, before regular admission is granted.

Deadline

December 28 for Fall Semester admission to PhD program (Application and all supporting materials must be submitted by this date.)

Guidance Committee

Three of the four guidance committee members must be selected from the core faculty of the African American and African Studies program, one of whom must be from the student's cognate specialization area. In addition to meeting the requirements of the University and the College of Arts and Letters, students must complete 24 credits of doctoral dissertation research, and the requirements are specified below:

1. Complete 30 credits of coursework, including:
   A. All of the following courses 3 Credits                                                                                                                                           
   AL 830 Introduction to African American and African Studies I 
   AL 831 Introduction to African American and African Studies II                      
   AL 832 Supervision Seminar in African American and African Studies
   AL 891 Introduction to African American and African Studies III
   
   B.  Both of the following courses for a total of 3 credits as approved by the Guidance Committee:
   AL 893A Internship in African American and African Studies.  Must be performed in an African American community     - 1 or 2 Credits
   AL 893C Internship in African American and African Studies.  Must be performed in a Black community outside of the United States  - 1 or 2 Credits
   
   C.  A minimum of 3 credits in research methods in the area of specialization.
   D.  An additional 12 credits of course work selected from an approved course list by the Guidance Committee.  At least 6 of these credits must be in the area of
       specialization.

2. Choose an area of specialization in consultation with the Guidance Committee.

3. Choose either an African or non-African language to fulfill the language requirement. Students selecting an African language must attain spoken and written second-year proficiency in at least one language from the following list (Yoruba, Hausa, Zulu, Shona, or Swahili). Second-year proficiency will be measured by completion of two years of university-level coursework in the language or by passing oral and written examinations equivalent to those given at the end of second-year coursework. For non-African languages (Spanish, Portuguese, French, or other languages approved by the Guidance Committee) there must be demonstrated advanced reading proficiency relevant to the student's area of specialization.

4. Pass two comprehensive examinations: a general examination in African American and African Studies and an examination in the area of specialization.

5. Assist faculty in one offering of AL 495, Research-Mentoring in Black American and Diasporic Studies.

6. Submit a dissertation proposal to the Guidance Committee and pass an oral examination in defense of the proposal. This examination must be passed before the student may begin dissertation research.

7. Prepare and successfully defend the dissertation.
   Fellowships, Assistantships, and other funding opportunities will be available.
   
   Apply for Admissions on-line at: http://www.msu.edu/user/gradschl/apply.htm