Departments & Programs

African Studies

Certificate in African Studies

Purpose

The Certificate in African Studies provides a background for careers in foreign service, government, business, law, the academic world, and other areas.

Required Courses

The certificate requires completion of 18 credit hours of Africa-related course work. In addition to L231 African Civilization and L232 Contemporary Africa, students must complete four elective courses, at least one of which must be at the 300 or 400 level. Elective courses may be selected from the dozens of Africa-related courses taught in the major disciplines and schools of the university. Students should have courses approved in advance by the associate director or director of African Studies. To be counted toward the certificate, elective courses must be taught by an African Studies Program faculty affiliate.

Students must also enroll for two semesters in a language other than English that is spoken on the African continent or demonstrate proficiency in such a language.

Completion of the language proficiency requirement does not count toward the required 18 credit hours needed for the certificate. Each semester the African Studies Program provides a list of courses that can be taken for certificate credit.