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What does it cost?

Check out our cost calculator or visit student financial services for information on estimated costs.

How long will it take?

15 hours of graduate coursework must be completed.

Where will I take classes?
Atlanta Campus

Application Deadlines View Admissions Requirements

Students can apply two times per year:

  • March 1 for fall semester
  • November 15 for spring semester

 

Africana Studies Graduate Certificate

[email protected]
404-413-5131

Africana Studies is a growing discipline. An increasing number of employers are seeking to fill positions with people who possess a cultural and historical analysis of Black people in the U.S., the African diaspora, and around the globe. As a discipline that is interdisciplinary and diasporic, African American ​Africana Studies specifically educates students in:

  • Black political, cultural, philosophical and artistic thought and practice
  • Black popular and mass culture
  • Race in relation to the study of gender and sexuality
  • Social justice through community engagement

This certificate program allows master’s and doctoral students in other disciplines to amplify the Afrocentric analysis in their own course of study. Some may simply want to explore a specific area reflected in their course of study. Others may wish to pursue employment for which a certificate in African American Studies is deemed an advantage.

VIEW CATALOG INFORMATION

Program Details

Student Eligibility

Students seeking the AAS Africana Studies Graduate Certificate must submit a formal application through the Office of Graduate Studies of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Students apply online, using the standard online Graduate Application. GRE scores are no longer required for application and admission to AAS Africana Studies at GSU Georgia State University.

Contact the Director of Graduate Studies, with any additional questions.

Graduate Certificate Application Requirements

  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement of 750-1000 words
  • Official Transcripts (one from each institution attended)
  • Application fee

The following students are eligible:

  • Students who are enrolled in an M.A. or Ph.D. program in another department or institute at Georgia State must complete an online application, but existing materials on file with the Graduate Office may be used for the application, and the application fee may be waived. Once you have filled out a new online application for the Certificate program and attached a short personal statement about why you wish to receive the Certificate, contact the Africana Studies liaison in the Graduate Office, Kirstin Sylvester, to request that your transcripts and letters of recommendation be used for this application as well. Let her know that you are a current student and would like to request the application fee waiver.
  • Students who apply solely for the Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies must submit a complete application for the Graduate Certificate, including fees, to the College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Students in the Africana Studies M.A. degree program who are unable to complete the program, but would like to receive the Certificate, may do so if they have fulfilled the Certificate course requirements (5 AAS courses with a grade of “B” or better). These students must complete a new online application for the Certificate (rather than M.A.) program but can use the existing materials on file by following the procedure outlined above.

The Graduate Certificate in AAS ​Africana Studies is available to eligible graduate students who successfully complete five graduate courses (15 credit hours) in AAS Africana Studies with a grade of B or better in each. One of these courses must come from the graduate core: AAS 6000 (Proseminar) or AAS 6007 (Theories and Concepts). The remaining three courses must be drawn from graduate courses bearing an AAS prefix. The final course can originate from another department.

Completion of Program

Certificate students must notify the AAS Africana Studies graduate director via email when they have completed coursework. You must notify the graduate director before graduation so the certificate will be recorded on your transcripts. Send your name and Panther ID number. Students will need to apply for graduation from the certificate program via their PAWS account.

Visit the university catalog for a detailed listing of course options.

African-American ​Africana Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of African people nationally and globally. It recognizes how issues and factors in addition to race affect the lives of African people worldwide. As an interdisciplinary field of concentration, it offers critiques of knowledge presented in the traditional disciplines and professions, scholarly and artistic accounts of the realities of the lives of African-Americans and perspectives on social change. The Department of African-American ​Africana Studies provides students with the intellectual origins, concepts, research and models of the disciplines, the knowledge and skills necessary for the study of group cultures and a curriculum that contributes to the goals of multicultural education

Description

Careers

Africana Studies (AS) is an interdisciplinary field that prepares students for professional life and social responsibility. Our emphasis on critical engagement, communication (oral and written) skills, and research provides important preparation and competencies in a variety of careers. Our alumni have successfully pursued careers in law, education, historic preservation, public health, mental health, urban planning, social work, and human rights advocacy.

Contacts

Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 404-413-5131
Fax: 404-413-5140

Address
One Park Place Suite 962 Atlanta, GA 30303

Mailing Address
PO Box 4109 Atlanta, GA 30302-4109

Express Mail
1 Park Place South
Suite 962
Atlanta, GA 30303

College of Arts & Sciences Lockup25 Park Pl NE #2500
Atlanta, GA 30303

The information shared provides an overview of Georgia State’s offerings. For details on admissions requirements, tuition, courses and more, refer to the university catalogs.