Africana Studies Graduate Certificate
Enhance your understanding of the diverse people of African descent through interdisciplinary scholarship, creative expression, and community-based research. The Africana Studies Graduate Certificate prepares you to make a meaningful impact on both academia and society by integrating scholarly inquiry with practical application.
Program Overview
The Africana Studies Graduate Certificate teaches research on the culture, history, traditions, and civil rights of African Americans and the African Diaspora.
Our program explores a variety of topics related to the African Diaspora, Africa, Africans, and African Americans with an emphasis on preparing students for careers in academia and teaching. You’ll have the opportunity to take interdisciplinary coursework in English, geography, history, sociology, and more, while learning about African American literature; topics in race, ethnicity, crime, and justice; as well as African history in relation to civil rights movements and slavery.
With a graduate certificate in Africana studies, you’ll graduate with the breadth of knowledge and critical analysis skills necessary to apply interdisciplinary knowledge of Africana studies, no matter where your career leads.
Why Study Africana Studies?
A graduate certificate in Africana studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville prepares students to work alongside faculty and visiting scholars who are committed to advancing scholarship on social inequalities and critical issues in health, U.S. history, and gender. At UT, you won’t just gain historical and sociological knowledge of the events that impacted people of African descent; you’ll also learn how their cultural and social identity has influenced aspects of literature, music, art, and politics around the world.
Through studying both the enduring legacy and impact of societal change on the African Diaspora, students will graduate with interdisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills to tackle urgent challenges and become knowledgeable global citizens.
What Can You Do with a Graduate Certificate in Africana Studies After Graduation?
The Africana Studies program in the College of Arts and Sciences is a program dedicated to celebrating the traditions and history of African Americans, providing students with a deep understanding of the diverse people of African descent and their past. Students’ education is shaped through interdisciplinary scholarship, creative expression, community-based research, and innovative teaching, where they are encouraged to build strong connections locally and nationally as well as empowered to become critical thinkers and compassionate leaders. Graduates of this program go on to have careers in a diverse range of fields, including human services, education, business, advocacy, communications, and more.
In human services and social work, graduates become case managers, social services coordinators, or community outreach coordinators for youth organizations, clinics, and mental health institutions. In advocacy and international work, many graduates work for civil rights organizations, international aid groups, and community action organizations, as humanitarian aid workers, policy analysts, program coordinators, and community development officers.
Communication and media is another option, where you could work as a journalist, museum curator, or public relations specialist. If you’re interested in law or politics, you could work in campaign management, special interest advocacy, or policy advising. In educational settings, others become teachers, student affairs administrators, multicultural program coordinators, or librarians, at universities, campus cultural centers, or academic support programs.
All of these fields and more are great opportunities for students with the comprehensive and wide skillset they gain from the Africana Studies program.
Featured Courses
AFST 421 Comparative Studies in African and African-American Societies
Comparative studies of African and African-American societies in such areas as education, religion, and social stratification. Includes the respective views African-Americans and Africans have of each other and concept of Pan-Africanism.
ENGL 443 Topics in Black Literature
Content varies according to particular genres, authors, or theories from 1845 to present, including Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance, Richard Wright and Gwendolyn Brooks, writing by black women, international black literature in English, and black American autobiography.
SOCI 452 Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice
Examines racial/ethnic disparities in criminal offending and victimization, as well as different experiences with law enforcement, judicial and correctional agencies. Emphasis on social justice.
HIST 563 Topics in African History
This course consists of a reading seminar with a focus on the history of Africa.
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The College of Arts and Sciences offers students the broadest range of academic programs and opportunities for research and creative activities at the University of Tennessee, powered by faculty expertise across every discipline.
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