M.A. Program | Ph.D. Program | Current Students | Alumni Dissertations

Doctoral Degree

The awarding of the Ph.D. is a testament by the student's Doctoral Advisory Committee that the student has met the Committee's highest standards. The academic requirements for the Ph.D. include coursework, a language requirement, a Doctoral Qualifying Examination, a dissertation proposal, a dissertation and an oral defense of the dissertation. Admission is offered only once a year in the fall semester. The application deadline is January 15.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline: January 15

 

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration:

A master's degree in American Studies, Black Studies, Ethnic Studies, History with a concentration in African or African American Studies, or other content areas with a concentration in African or African American Studies is required.

 

Letters of Reference:
Three letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty members who have taught or worked with the applicant. Letters from employers with relevant relation to the applicant's area of study are also useful.

 

Statement of Goals and Objectives:

The Statement of Goals should be approximately 500-1,000 words in length and should include the following elements: the nature of the applicant's specific interest in the Ph.D. Program in African American Studies at Temple University; a clearly articulated research goal as it relates to African American Studies; future career goals; academic and research achievements; community service activities; and an explanation of exceptional circumstances.

 

Standardized Test Scores:
The GRE is required.  A combined minimum score of 1,000 on the verbal and quantitative sections is expected. Minimum TOEFL score needed to be accepted: 600 paper-based, 250 computer-based, or 100 internet-based.

 

Resume:

A resume or Curricula Vitae (CV) is required.

 

Writing Sample:

The writing sample should demonstrate the student's ability to conduct research and to write a scholarly paper relevant to the discipline. The paper should be no more than 20 pages in length and fully referenced according to a professional, scholarly style manual such as MLA, APA or Chicago Style.

 

Teaching Assistant (TA) Application: 

Funding is availible to Ph.D. students only, but it is a competitive application process for a limited number of lines. Please print and complete the attached TA Application and submit with your materials. 

Form: TA Application

 

Transfer of Credit from Other Programs

Advanced Standing:

A student who enters the Ph.D. Program with an M.A. in African American Studies from one of the AAS masters degree granting programs (e.g., Berkeley, Ohio State, SUNY–Albany, Wisconsin, Yale) may apply for advanced standing. The maximum number of advanced standing credits awarded is 30.

 

The incoming graduate student, with the assistance and approval of his/her advisor, may apply to have graduate credits taken at other accredited institutions counted towards completion of the M.A. in African American Studies. The intended transfer credit courses cannot be more than five (5) years before matriculation in the Department of African American graduate program. The application for these credits is to be made during the first semester of enrollment in DAAS.

Form: Advanced Standing

Program Requirements

Completion of the Doctorate in African American Studies requires the fulfillment or the requirement of a minimum of 63 credit hours. The time period for completing the PhD. is seven (7) years which begins with the semester of matriculation. In addition, the student must pass a written comprehensive examination testing his/her mastery of critical aspects of the discipline, and submit and defend a dissertation.

Core Course Requirements consist of the following:

• AAS 8001: Proseminar in Graduate Work in African American Studies
• AAS 8002: African Civilizations
• AAS 8003: Research Methods in African American Studies
• AAS 8004: Afrocentric Theory and Methods
• AAS 8005: African Literature OR AAS 8006: African American Literature:
• AAS 8007: African Aesthetics (offered every other year Fall 2010, 2012, etc)
• AAS 8008: Ethnographic Methods
• AAS 9001: Seminar in African Aesthetics (offered every other spring semester: upcoming Spring 2012)
• AAS 9002: Teaching African American Studies
• AAS 9614: Critical Readings in African Diasporan Experience

As of Fall 2011 the requirements for culminating experience credit are as follows:

 

 

 

There must be six (6) credits of any combination of culminating experience courses in the Ph.D., which are listed below.  Two (2) of which must be AAS 9999 Dissertation Research.

 

• AAS: 9994: Preliminary Exam Prep
• AAS: 9998: Pre Dissertation Reseach

• AAS 9999: Dissertation Research

Language Examination:
The language requirement in African American Studies is intended to ensure that students have a working familiarity with a language other than English and/or their native language. The Ph.D. student must pass the language examination before taking the Qualifying Examination. With the recommendation of the advisor, a student may demonstrate competency in statistics to fulfill the language requirement. The student who has English as a second language may use English to fulfill the language requirement.

 

Qualifying Examination:
The preliminary examination is a culminating examination intended to probe the student's knowledge of content, literature, theory/methodology, and methods in African American Studies, and to test the student's ability to apply theoretical issues to praxis. It is a proctored, closed-book, 12-hour written examination administered by the student's Examination Committee. Students are expected to take the qualifying examination upon completion of the coursework component of the program and upon the satisfactory completion of the language requirement.

Form: Preliminary Exam - return to department after completing section 1 & 2.

 

Dissertation Proposal:
The formal research proposal, at least 30 pages long, presents a plan for increasing the knowledge base in the discipline. The student makes an oral presentation and defends the proposal; after a successful oral defense and submission of the proposal along with the Proposal Transmittal form to the Graduate School, the student is raised to candidacy.

Form: Proposal Transmittal

 

Dissertation:

The dissertation is an original and definitive empirical study that makes a significant contribution to the field of African American Studies. It should add to the knowledge of one or more areas either by uncovering new information, providing an innovative synthesis of existing information, propounding a new theory, fine-tuning an existing theory, or offering a new interpretation substantiated by data. The length of the dissertation varies but should be in excess of 150 pages.

Form: Annoucement of Oral Exam  Note: Defence must be scheduled with the committee and department and this form submitted to the raduate School at least 10 business days before defense.  This policy is enforced by the Graduate School

 

Study Abroad:

The Department offers study abroad with the Temple University Ghana program.  A maximum of 6 credits may be applied toward the Ph.D degree.