Program Overview: The purpose of the Graduate Certificate in African Studies is to permit students in any graduate major at Ohio University to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the National Resource Center for African Language and Area Studies and its many niche courses in specialized fields across the university. Fields such as international development, international health, and the arts offer both breadth and depth of study in Africa-related courses. As students often pair their disciplinary work with a regional interest, this certificate will provide them with the formal credential in African Studies as part of their programs. The 45-member African Studies faculty across the university is committed to the cross-disciplinary study of Africa, so the faculty is prepared to assist students with making curricular connections.

Admissions Information: No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Change of Major/Minor/Certificate Policy: No selective or limited admission requirements.

External Transfer Admission: No requirements beyond University admission requirements.

Opportunities Upon Graduation: Many of the students pursuing graduate level study related to Africa come to the university with prior Africa experience in work or travel. The Graduate Certificate in African Studies helps to pull together and focus those interests and give them intellectual and professional polish. Graduate study is so often about making the student more articulate and better informed about his or her area of interest; if Africa is the area of interest, improving one¿s communication skills about it will be important to prospective employers in government, business or finance, aid work, teaching and related fields. In some cases the Certificate may also direct the student to Africa for dissertation or other research projects.