Graduate

Why should I apply for the African Studies Graduate Certificate

In any given year, KU regularly has more than fifty Africa-focused students in a variety of disciplines, across seven professional schools and 17 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences departments. The Graduate Certificate in African Studies helps bring this wide-ranging body of graduate students into closer contact with the Center's resource base. The Certificate also enhances graduate students' future marketability. Many disciplines in which the AAAS & KASC graduate student community is concentrated advertise jobs for PhD candidates with African expertise. The Certificate in African Studies strengthens KU graduates' opportunities in this specialist job market.

Admissions criteria

Current KU Graduate Students:
Apply for admission to the AAAS Graduate Certificate Program by

1. Writing a letter to the AAAS Graduate Director stating their interests in African Studies and include a current DPR form.

2. Complete the online Certificate application through the KU Graduate Studies website. 

A graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is required. Students applying for admission to another graduate program at KU should send a letter of application stating their interests in African Studies and request a letter stating that they have been admitted from the other department or school upon admission thereto. They may be admitted to the African Studies Graduate Certificate Program on the condition that they are admitted by the other program in regular status. If they are not admitted to the other program in regular status, they may use the following procedure for admission to the Graduate Certificate program.

Non-KU Graduate Students:
Non-KU graduate students (Non-degree C category students) should complete an online application to the Graduate School and pay the application fee of $35, provide official transcripts from all previous post-secondary educational institutions, a personal statement of interest in African Studies, and two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with their academic work or potential for graduate school. Minimum requirements will be a bachelor's degree; a GPA of 3.0 or higher in undergraduate work is normally required for admission, but the GPA requirement may be waived at the discretion of the AAAS Graduate Director. An admissions committee consisting of the AAAS Graduate Program Committee will meet at least once each semester to make admissions decisions.

All inquiries should be directed to

Dr. Shawn Leigh Alexander, AAAS Graduate Director, 15 Bailey Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045
email: slalexan@ku.edu

or Dr. Elizabeth MacGonagle, KASC Director, 207 Bailey Hall, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045
email: macgonag@ku.edu