African Studies Ph.D Minor

As an interdisciplinary program of studies, the African Studies Program does not itself grant graduate degrees. Graduate students interested in Africa may earn a Ph.D. minor in African Studies or a certificate in African Studies. Complete details on concentration requirements and application form are also available online or from the African Studies Program office. The Department of African Languages and Literature offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in African Languages and Literature.

Candidates for the Ph.D. in any discipline can qualify for a minor in African Studies. The minor requires completion of a minimum of 12 graduate credits from the African Studies Program core curriculum (courses with 66-100% African content). These credits must be outside the major discipline and from at least two different departments.

Introductory language courses are not counted toward the minor field in African Studies. Language courses may count for a minor only in so far as they do not overlap with departmental language requirements. When a department requires an African language for the Ph.D., language courses may count toward the minor only above and beyond four semesters of study in one language.

Include no more than one independent reading and research course in the four courses or seminars submitted.

At least one of these four units must be a course or seminar at the 700 to 900 level. No thesis or dissertation credits (990) may be used.

Students with at least 20 credits of African Studies courses can qualify for a certificate in African Studies awarded upon the completion of the master's degree or Ph.D. in a university department. A minimum of 12 credits must be from the African Studies Program core curriculum, including four African Studies courses or seminars in departments other than your major field. No more than two courses in the major department will count. The certificate normally requires one year beyond the time needed to complete the master's degree.

The African Studies Program is an interdisciplinary program, not a department, and therefore does not grant admission. Students must apply for admission to the Graduate School for graduate study in one of the departments of the University. Applications for admissions and/or financial aid can be obtained by writing to the specific department.

Students from major Midwestern universities which belong to the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) may attend the University of Wisconsin while paying normal tuition in the home university. Details may be obtained from the CIC office at the student's home university.

Fellowships, teaching and research assistantships, and special stipends are offered through the departments of the University on the basis of annual competitions. The departments provide information on application and fellowship deadlines.

The African Studies Program itself also administers a small number of funding programs - such as the Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) - as well as a study abroad program with the University of Buea in Cameroon. More details on these and other programs can be found on our Funding and Campus Opportunities page.