Pan-African Studies (PhD)

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Admission Requirements

To be admitted students must have the following:

  • Advanced competency in research skills, as evidenced by completion of a master's degree thesis or other independent research project, such as a sole-authored research report, published articles in peer-reviewed journals, or edited volumes
  • Completion of a minimum of 33 credit hours at the master's degree level (i.e., beyond the baccalaureate degree), with a minimum GPA of 3.00
  • Official GRE Scores—successful students usually have a combined score of at least 300
  • A master's degree in Pan-African/Black Studies; a master's degree in a traditional discipline in the humanities or social sciences also will be considered for admittance

Students who apply for the program without a master's degree in Pan-African/Black Studies may be required to take prerequisite courses deemed necessary by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students may transfer six (6) credit hours from a previously earned master's degree toward the PhD, subject to the approval of the degree program and the Unit Dean. Students with a PAS MA degree will be allowed to transfer a maximum of twelve (12)  credit hours to the PhD.  In both cases, students must petition for additional credit hours. Only courses in which the student earned grades of B or better will be considered for transfer.

Application Process

The Pan-African Graduate Committee considers applications to the PhD program for fall admissions only. The deadline is January 15, but all applicants are encouraged to apply early!

When credentials are complete, the Graduate Admissions Committee will review applications and make selections. All applicants will be notified of their outcomes.

Applicants applying for admission to the doctoral program must submit the following required credentials to the Graduate School:

  1. A completed Graduate Admission application
  2. Application fee
  3. Proof of completion of a master's degree program or an equivalent number of graduate credits prior to admission
  4. Official transcripts of all undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate work
  5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores—successful students usually have a combined score of 300
  6. Submission of three recent letters of recommendation about the applicant's potential success in a doctoral program
  7. A written statement of intent of no more than a thousand words detailing the applicant's professional goals
  8. Current curriculum vitae
  9. A writing sample—applicants must supply a recent sample (10-20 pages) of their scholarly or professional writing

To check your application status, please visit: https://apply.graduate.louisville.edu/portal/status 

For questions about the admissions process contact the Graduate Admissions office at gradadm@louisville.edu.

Current or returning students with questions about policy or procedure not related to the admissions process should contact the Graduate Student Services Office at graduate@louisville.edu.

Program Requirements

Coursework Structure (full-time)

Year I & II
Research Strategies9
PAS 623
Qualitative Research Strategies and Pan-African Research
PAS 624
Quantitative Research Strategies and Pan-African Research
Research Strategies - Discipline Based (Historical, Social, Cultural - courses not in PAS)
Intellectual Approaches9
PAS 615
Theories of Race and Racism
PAS 622
Theories of the Pan-African Diaspora
Select one of the following:
Seminar on Race & Ethnicity in the Diaspora
- or -
Intellectual Approaches - Discipline Based (Historical, Social, Cultural - courses not in PAS)
Major (Track Area/Discipline) 1,212
Minor (Electives) 36
Profesional Development Seminar0
PAS 701Doctoral Exam Preparation (Summer course, reading for comprehensive examinations)6
Total Credit Hours (Year I and II): 42
Year III 4
Semester 1
Special Topics Courses and Comprehensive & Special Topics Exams9
Semester 2
PAS 702Dissertation Research9
Year IV
Semester 1
PAS 702Dissertation Research (and Writing)2
Semester 2
PAS 702Dissertation Research (Defend Dissertation)2
Minimum Total Hours64

Based on this structure students will take at least five courses in a specific discipline at the end of the first two years. These include one in research strategy, one in intellectual approaches, two electives, and at least one course cross-listed with PAS. These courses can also be in another area study such as Women's and Gender Studies, Latin American/Latino Studies, etc. 

Students may transfer six (6) credit hours from a previously earned master's degree toward the PhD, subject to the approval of the degree program and the Unit Dean. Students with a PAS MA degree will be allowed to transfer a maximum of twelve (12) credit hours to the PhD.  In both cases, students must petition for additional credit hours. Only courses in which the student earned grades of B or better will be considered for transfer.

1

Four courses in one of two tracks: African American Studies or the African Diaspora and within a historical, social or cultural field. At least one of these must be cross-listed. 

2

Courses from this area are potential teaching/research fields. They could be cross-listed with other departments and must be discipline/subject based. For example, a PhD student interested in history of the "Slave Trade," will study this as a history class with possible specialization in the "Atlantic Slavery" or "African Slavery" or "Comparative Slavery," etc. Upon graduation, the student can compete favorably for jobs in traditional History Departments as well as Black Studies Departments.

3

The two elective courses could be taken outside the PAS as part of the student's potential teaching fields.

4

Defend dissertation proposal