Graduate Studies

The African Studies Center at Boston University is among the oldest and most highly respected centers for graduate studies of Africa. Students who have graduated from BU with a Certificate in African Studies have gone on to positions in universities, government, nongovernmental organizations, business, and development agencies.

The African Studies Center places strong emphasis on multidisciplinary education, language preparation, and active participation in the African Studies Center community. Students in African Studies at Boston University choose from among 350 courses drawn from 14 departments of the College of Arts & Sciences and the schools of Education, Law, Theology, Management, Public Health, and Communication. The African Studies Center provides numerous opportunities for graduate students to enrich their knowledge of Africa through academic lectures, symposia, films, and other activities. We encourage graduate students to participate actively in the development of Africa-related programming, such as the annual Graduate Conference.

The African Studies Center does not grant degrees but instead offers a Graduate Certificate in African Studies for students pursuing master’s and PhD degrees in specific disciplines. We seek to enrich the disciplinary and professional training of students with a focused multidisciplinary curriculum of African-content courses. Although the African Studies Center is based in the College of Arts & Sciences, students in any of Boston University’s schools can earn a Graduate Certificate in African Studies. The African Studies Center offers funding to a limited number of graduate students whose work focuses on Africa and who are seeking to complete the Graduate Certificate.

The Graduate Certificate Program

The Graduate Certificate in African Studies is available to U.S. and international graduate students who fulfill the basic requirements in African area studies (see below) within an existing degree program. It is a particularly useful certificate for students in law, management, fine arts, education, or medicine.

Requirements of the Graduate Certificate Program:

  • Successfully complete at least 16 hours of course work from the African Studies core curriculum.
  • Obtain a grade of B or better (i.e., not a B-) in each of the core courses.
  • Include courses from at least two departments or schools.
  • Include no more than 8 hours of courses in directed study or research (not including continuing student credits).
  • Complete a piece of significant research such as an MA or MFA thesis or doctoral dissertation, or two substantial research papers in graduate-level seminars.
  • Have a reading knowledge of an African language or major European language used in African Studies.
  • Receive approval of completion from the director or assistant director of the African Studies Center and the student’s faculty advisor

Annual Graduate Student Conference in African Studies

This conference, wholly convened and organized by volunteer second- and third-year graduate students, will celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2012, a remarkable feat and a sign of the high caliber and energetic graduate student body affiliated with BU’s African Studies Center.

Professor James McCann, who was the Associate Director of the African Studies Center at the time, has written some memories of the first conference and its origins here.

Follow this link for more information and to submit an abstract for this year’s 20th anniversary conference.