African American Theatre (CERT)
The 15-credit African American Theatre certificate, offered fully online, explores Black dramatic literature, hip-hop theatre, history and community-based performance. Customize electives to align with your career goals or pair with another graduate degree. Ideal for professionals seeking to expand cultural competency, strengthen teaching or apply African American theatre traditions in education, the arts or community leadership.
Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (GA)
Department: Theatre Arts
Program Webpage
Academic Plan Code(s): AATHCAT, AATHCATO
Program Information
This program can be completed 100% online.
The first and only graduate certificate program in African American Theatre in the United States.
The certificate requires 15 credit hours of graduate credit including:
• Nine (9) credit hours in African American Theatre
• Three (3) credit hours of theatre-related community service
• Three (3) credit hours of electives (approved by the AATP director)
The African American Theatre certificate can be completed as a stand-alone program or in conjunction with another graduate program in any area (e.g. Comparative Humanities, English, Music, Pan-African Studies).
The certificate program is specially designed for:
• Persons preparing for professional careers in the theatre arts
• Teachers, government and community agency professionals
• Individuals with a passion for theatre and performance from Africa and the African Diaspora
• Graduate students at the University of Louisville and other institutions
Admission Requirements
Application for Admission
- All candidates for admission to graduate programs must complete the online application form.
- Consult with your intended program for specific application deadlines.
- A new application must be received any time a student is beginning a graduate program, transferring graduate programs, changing from non-degree to degree-seeking status, or adding a dual or certificate program to an existing degree program.
- Note: The University of Louisville reserves the right to change programs of study, academic requirements, fees, schedules of courses, the announced academic calendar and deadlines without prior notice.
Application Fee
- A non-refundable application fee is required with the application. Applications will not be forwarded to the department until this fee is paid.
Transcripts
- All applicants must submit official transcripts showing all degrees awarded and all undergraduate and graduate work (all courses) completed from each accredited college/university previously attended.
- All University of Louisville transcripts will automatically be submitted with the completion of an application. Transcripts must be sent directly from the school to the Graduate School, Graduate Admissions, in order to be considered official.
English Proficiency
- All applicants for whom English is a second language must also submit official TOEFL scores of 79 or higher on the internet-based test, 213 or higher on the computer-based test for verification of English proficiency. English proficiency can also be met by submitting official IELTS scores of at least 6.5 overall band score from the academic module exam or Duolingo overall score of 105.
- Information concerning the TOEFL exam can be obtained from www.ets.org/toefl or 1-877-863-3546.
- Information concerning the IELTS exam can be obtained from www.ielts.org.
- Information concerning the Duolingo exam can be obtained from englishtest.duolingo.com/applicants
- Students holding a bachelor's or advanced degree from an accredited institution in the United States may be exempt from this requirement.
Recommendations
- Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's academic work are required. There are programs that require more than two letters of recommendation. Please check with your department for additional requirements.
Additional Requirements
- All credentials and/or communications submitted to the Graduate School, Graduate Admissions should contain the student's full name, University of Louisville issued student ID, and date of birth. Lack of this information may cause processing to be delayed.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MFA graduate students (contact AATP Director for alternative options) | ||
| TA 566 | Advanced History of African-American Theatre (or TA Elective) | 3 |
| TA 664 | Approaching African-American Theatre 1, 3 | 3 |
| TA 654 | Independent Study in Community Service 1, 3 | 3 |
| TA Elective in African American Theatre (including TA 557 Advanced Hip Hop Theatre, TA 562 Advanced Black Dramatic Literature, TA 563 Advanced African American Women in Theatre, and TA 565 Advanced Theatre of the African World) 1 | 3 | |
| One or more of the following: | 3 | |
TA 625 | MFA Performance Project I (in an approved play) 1, 2 | |
or TA 655 | Independent Study | |
TA 626 | Thesis Performance (in an approved play) 1 | |
TA 655 | Independent Study (or approved courses in PAS, Humanities, and English) | |
| Minimum Total Hours | 15 | |
African American Theatre Program courses that can be taken for graduate credit and are offered online: | ||
TA 562 | Advanced Black Dramatic Literature | |
TA 557 | Advanced Hip-Hop Theatre | |
TA 555 | Special Topics in Theatre (Adv Cultural Diversity in Performance) | |
Note: Students enrolled in the MFA in Theatre Arts may not count more than six (6) required MFA credit hours towards the Certificate.
- 1
Required for the MFA.
- 2
Two (2) credit hours required for MFA thesis performance.
- 3
The Director of the AATP can approve the substitution of graduate credits earned in other universities' graduate programs, particularly for students pursuing the certificate as a stand-alone program.