Master of Arts in Pan-African Studies

Admission

Students applying for admission to the Master of Arts in Pan-African Studies program must meet the following standards:

1. A minimum 3.0 undergraduate cumulative GPA
2. A recommended combined verbal/quantitative GRE score of 300
3. Official transcript(s) reflecting previous degrees earned
4. A minimum of three (3) letters of recommendation
5. A personal statement outlining interests and objectives in Pan-African Studies graduate work and other relevant experiences that would pertain to your graduate career
6. A writing sample (well developed term paper or research paper). 

The Department of Pan-African Studies will consider exceptions to these standards using grades and GRE scores on a sliding scale (i.e. a higher GPA can off-set a lower GRE score, and vice versa) and admission in probationary status may be recommended for promising students with undergraduate grade point averages or GRE scores below the stated minimum.

Program Guidelines

The Department of Pan-African Studies Master of Arts program provides an opportunity for structured graduate study in the multi-disciplinary field of Pan-African Studies.  Students will have the option of choosing between two concentrations: African American Studies or African Diaspora Studies.

These broad concentration areas reflect sub-disciplines within the larger field of Pan-African Studies and will enable students to focus more intensively on their particular area (s) of interest.  Students must successfully complete 33 hours of graduate level courses of which 5 must be at the 600 level. Each student  must complete a thesis A thesis is equivalent to 3 credit hours with a Pass (P) or Fail (F) grade.  It consists of a written and an oral component.  Students must pass both in order to receive a Pass grade.

Guidelines for Thesis:

• Students must select a Chair for their thesis committee at the end of their second semester and by the beginning of their 3^rd semester for full time students, or after completing 18 credit hours for part-time students.
• Students must submit a thesis proposal to the Chair and other committee members by the beginning of their 3^rd semester or the semester during which they earn 27 credit hours.
• Students should follow the graduate school guidelines and deadlines for thesis submission. For more information visit the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies website.
• Students must have all their required courses (30 credit hours) completed before they can defend their thesis.
• Students with any incompletes (I), X’s, or F’s on their transcript will not allowed to defend their thesis.
• As a general rule, final copies of a thesis must be checked by graduate school and accepted 2 weeks prior to the university’s graduation date.  Thesis committee members should have a copy of the thesis 2 weeks prior to the oral examination. A copy of the thesis must also be submitted to the department’s main office for review by other non-committee faculty members, if they so desire. Realistically this puts the oral defense between early and mid-April.

Structure of Program

Core Courses:15

• PAS 601: Graduate Research Methods
• PAS 602: Theories and Issues in Pan-African Studies
• Nine (9) credit hours of PAS courses for graduate credit distributed as follows:
• Three (3) credit hours in Historical Studies,
• Three (3) credit hours in Cultural Studies, and
• Three (3) credit hours in Social Studies

Concentration Areas

African American Studies:12

Nine (9) credit hours of PAS courses for graduate credit focusing on African Americans distributed as follows:

• Three (3) credit hours in Historical Studies, 
• Three (3) credit hours in Cultural Studies, and
• Three (3) credit hours in Social Studies. 
• Three (3) credit hours in any PAS area focusing on African Americans.

OR

African and Diaspora Studies:12

Nine (9) credit hours of PAS courses for graduate credit focusing on Africa and/or the Diaspora, distributed as follows:

• Three (3) credit hours in Historical Studies,
• Three (3) credit hours in Cultural Studies, and 
• Three (3) credit hours in Social Studies. 
• Three (3) credit hours in any PAS area focusing on Africa and/or the Diaspora.

Thesis (3): PAS 604

Elective (3) in Related Field (with advisor’s approval)

Minimum Total: 33

Notes: A Student can transfer Credits (Grade B or higher, cross listed, taken at graduate level). Six credit hours from other university or other UOL graduate program or 09 credit hours from PAS certificate may be approved. Please list below any courses requesting approval:

Dual Degree Program

MSSW/Master of Arts in Pan African Studies Dual Degree—72 credit hours

If you are enrolled in the MSSW/PAS dual degree program, you will need a specialized curriculum plan approved by the MSSW Director—please contact the MSSW Advising team at msswhelp@louisville.edu for assistance. The following is an example of a Full-Time 3 year plan.

The advanced practicum (672 and 673) is determined in collaboration with PAS. Kent School will work with PAS to place a student in a social work context in an agency or organization that has an impact on African Americans and the learning contract will designate the work to focus on that group. The MSSW advanced research courses (668 and 669) are replaced with the PAS requirement for a Master's thesis. The Kent School will work with the PAS Chair to ensure the scope of intent meets the program's plan.

*SW 604 & SW 670 (Fall) and SW 605 & SW 671 (Spring) must be taken concurrently.

**SW 640 & SW 672 (Fall) and SW 677 & SW 673 (Spring) must be taken concurrently.

***Courses from Pan-African Studies must include:
Students will take 11 PAS courses approved by the PAS department (33 credits) if taking PAS 615 and 13 MSSW courses (39 credits); if taking SW 603, students will take 10 PAS courses approved by the PAS department (30 credits) and 14 MSSW courses (42 credits)

(Graduate Pan-African Studies website: http://louisville.edu/panafricanstudies/graduates/master-of-arts-in-pan-african-studies.html)