Last Updated on January 17, 2023
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Our department began in 1970, as a unit within the newly established special program of Ethnic Studies. It was comprised of African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano Studies, and Native American Studies. An A.B. Degree has been offered in African American Studies since 1973. The department is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the area of African Diaspora Studies. We’ve come a long way since then, but we’re still dedicated to preserving and continuing our tradition of excellence.
We offer a stimulating A.B. degree that provides students with interdisciplinary knowledge about the nature of race and racism in society; historical experiences and achievements of peoples of African descent; intellectual movements and artistic expressions generated by people of Black ancestry; and the contemporary realities faced by people of color in America. We also provide opportunities for students to study abroad, join clubs and honor societies, participate in groundbreaking research projects with faculty, and much more!
Graduate Program Introduction
The African American Studies graduate program focuses on the life, culture, and social organization (broadly defined) of persons of African descent. The study of Africa, North America, and the Caribbean are central components of the program. Students are expected to apply a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the international and national divisions of race as they pertain to persons of African descent, wherever they may find themselves. Such an approach is to be employed for the study and understanding of development and underdevelopment, domination and power, self determination, mutual cooperation, and aesthetic and creative expression. Issues of identity construction, marginality, territoriality and the universal role of race in the organization of political economy and in class formation are critical to the program’s intellectual agenda.
The African American Studies PhD program requires a minimum of two years or four semesters of academic residence, which is defined as enrollment in at least 12 units of graduate coursework. Each student must enroll in and complete a minimum of 12 units of graduate coursework every required semester of academic residency.
After successful completion of course work with a minimum GPA of 3.30, students are required to take the Pre Qualifying Examination based on general knowledge in African American Studies, administered by the department.
Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree and should demonstrate a general knowledge of African American history and an understanding of the disciplinary bases for the study of the African Diaspora. Demonstrated knowledge in the field should include understanding relations among social, economic, and political structures and culture in African American life.
Applicant records must also demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language at the undergraduate level comparable to this university’s language requirement.
Africology and African American Studies PhD
Contribute to progressive research and make an impact in the community with the Doctor of Philosophy in Africology and African American Studies in the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University. The Africology and African American Studies PhD is the oldest African American Studies doctoral program in the U.S., and it is deeply committed to the Afrocentric exploration of academic experiences.
Doctoral students are prepared to engage in a diverse range of intellectual issues that affect the lives of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. Students are invited to explore topics such as the art, culture, economics, history and politics of Africans, African Americans and people of African descent.
In addition to a robust curriculum, students pursue specialized research, often through teaching and/or research assistantships. While research is typically independent, students can work closely with faculty members. Africology and African American Studies PhD faculty are leaders in their field, and they are affiliated with leading organizations, including the
- African Literature Association,
- Association for the Study of African American Life and History,
- Association of Black Women Historians,
- National Council for Black Studies, and
- Pennsylvania Humanities Council.
The department’s faculty also edits the Journal of Black Studies—the top peer-reviewed publication in the academic discipline, to which students have the opportunity to contribute.
The individual research experience and specialized coursework afforded in the PhD program prepares students for careers in public and private sector areas, including arts and humanities, business, healthcare, and social services. Others continue their research or go on to teach at the collegiate level, inspiring future generations of thought leaders in the field of African American studies.
Africology and African American Studies Department
Temple’s Africology and African American Studies Department is one of the oldest of similar programs in the nation and was the first to offer a doctoral degree in the field. Emerging during the Black Power Movement, the program was created to serve as an academic platform from which students could combat racism, discrimination and oppression.
Today, the Africology and African American Studies Department and Temple University remain as committed as ever to this mission. Temple is home to more African American students than any other university in the Northeast, and it’s this diversity and sense of global community that sets the university apart.
Additionally, the department’s professors are recognized for their published work, and graduates continue to lead programs in African American studies across the nation.
Academic Community
Students in the Africology and African American Studies Department can
- contribute to the Journal of Black Studies, the top peer-reviewed publication in the academic discipline;
- connect with local, national and international African communities;
- learn from and research alongside highly esteemed faculty; and
- study abroad in Ghana.
Program Format & Curriculum
Students have seven years to satisfy their requirements for the PhD program, which can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Classes take place on Temple’s Main Campus.
The 51-credit Africology and African American Studies PhD curriculum comprises core courses, elective courses, a language examination and a dissertation.
Core courses include the following.
- African Civilizations
- Ethnographic Methods
- Seminar in African American Social Philosophy
- The Afrocentric Paradigm
- Theories and Methods in African American Studies
Related Graduate Degrees
- Anthropology PhD
- History MA
- History PhD
- Political Science MA
- Political Science PhD
- Urban Education MEd*
Related Graduate Certificates
- Diversity Leadership*
- Strategic Communication and Cross-Cultural Leadership**
- Teaching in Higher Education*
- Urban Education*
*College of Education and Human Development
**Klein College of Media and Communication
Tuition & Fees
In keeping with Temple’s commitment to access and affordability, this Doctor of Philosophy offers a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.
Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. These tuition costs apply to the 2021–2022 academic year.
Pennsylvania resident: $966.00 per credit
Out-of-state: $1,329.00 per credit
Fully Funded PhD Programs in African American and Africana Studies
Some PhDs have difficulties in finding full funding for their programs, so they have to look for possibilities outside their university. It’s important that you know the eligibility requirements of your program and the funding available to you. Moreover, it’s good to know where to find opportunities that are not limited by the borders of your country.
One way to find out about the possibility of getting funding for your PhD program is by looking at the list of universities that fully fund doctoral students in Africana Studies. You can also use a list of university rankings or review sites to check which universities give full funding for doctoral programs in Africana Studies.
Brown University (Providence, RI): The Graduate School offers incoming doctoral students five years of guaranteed financial support, including a stipend, tuition remission, a health-services fee, and health- and dental-insurance subsidies. Financial aid for master’s students is determined within each program.
Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): Africana Studies offers a Ph.D. program with full funding, which includes paid tuition, health insurance and a stipend.
Harvard University (Cambridge, MA): Our financial aid program features guaranteed funding for the first five years to all PhD students, and a variety of funding options and fellowships to other students.
Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Students admitted to the PhD program typically receive five years of funding, including a fellowship in the first year and teaching and research fellowships or departmental assistantships in subsequent years. Students will also receive summer support for five years. Fellowships and assistantships cover the full cost of tuition and provide a stipend.
Ohio State University (Columbus, OH): In addition to university-wide fellowships awarded directly by the Graduate School on a competitive basis, the Department offers financial support to graduate students in the form of teaching associateships (TA), research associateships (RA) or administrative associateships (AA).
Penn State University (State College, PA): All graduate students in good standing receive full financial support for five years. Students in our programs usually work as teaching assistants. The program also supports participation in academic conferences and provides funds for summer study and research.
University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX): Ph.D. candidates are automatically considered for funding during the graduate admissions process; no separate fellowship application is required. A typical award includes a combination of university and department fellowships, and teaching and graduate research assistantships.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI): The Department is able to guarantee 3-4 years of funding for students in the Ph.D. Program. Most admitted Ph.D. students are funded via academic-year Teaching Assistantships. In addition to their stipends (approximately $13,750/year), these appointments include full remission of tuition as well as benefits such as low-cost health insurance.
Yale University (New Haven, CT): Ph.D. students at Yale are normally fully-funded for a minimum of five years. During that time, our students receive a twelve-month stipend to cover living expenses and a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition.
