African Studies M.A.

For a complete outline of degree requirements, see "Program Requirements for UCLA Graduate Degrees" available  on 

the Graduate Division homepage.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

All students have to complete the following requirements for the degree before they can be awarded the M.A. in African Studies:

1. Core seminar African Studies 201A (Africa and Disciplines)

2. At least eight additional courses (32 units minimum) distributed as follows: 

- Five courses in student's area of concentration. Comprised of a minimum of five courses of which at least three must be at the graduate level (200+). The other two courses may be either graduate level or upper division undergraduate courses (100+). 

  - Three additional courses outside of major concentration area of which two must be at the graduate level.

3. Language requirement

In addition to minimum course requirements,  MAAS students are required to satisfy the African Area Studies Foreign Language Requirement before graduation by achieving elementary proficiency in an African Language.   European languages spoken in Africa  may be substituted by petition to the chair. The Program Language Requirement may be satisfied in any one of the following two ways:

- Language Courses: take three courses (12 units) in a single  African Language or Arabic with an average of `B' or better (please note that language courses are not applied to the nine course requirement). Approved Summer Language or Intensive Language courses may also be substituted. 

-Language Examination Demonstrate elementary proficiency in an examination with the African Languages Coordinator.

4. Final project:  thesis or capstone project. 

Disqualification from the Program

Any recommendation of a student's disqualification from the African Area Studies Program will be made by the MAAS Program Chair and approved through Graduate Division. Disqualification may be recommended (though not necessarily automatic) for any of the following reasons:

1. Failure of the student to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout their time to degree.
2. Failing to pass the Comprehensive Re-examination upon the second attempt.
3. Insufficient progress toward the degree.
4. Serious infractions of academic standards (such as plagiarism.)

Please note: disqualifications are extremely rare but not unknown.

Foreign Language Requirement

In addition to minimum course requirements, MAAS students are required to satisfy the foreign language requirement before graduation by achieving elementary proficiency in an African Language.

UCLA offers the following language courses that can be applied to the African Studies degree: Amharic, Arabic, Swahili, Yoruba.   Students can also enroll in intensive language courses during the summer. In the past, UCLA students enrolled in the summer intensive language courses at UC Berkeley and Boston University, among others.

The Program Language Requirement may be satisfied in any one of the following two ways:

1. Language Courses
take three courses (12-15 units) in a single African Language with an average of `B' or better (please note that language courses are not applied to the nine-course requirement). Approved Summer Language or Intensive Language courses may also be substituted.  

2.Language Examination
Demonstrate elementary proficiency in an examination with the African Languages Coordinator.

Native speakers of African languages can be exempt from taking language courses.  Contact the Advising Office for more information.

Capstone Project

The Capstone Project consists of the submission of three research papers with focus on Africa (at least one seminar and two upper division papers) and evaluation of them by the ad hoc committee. The original evaluators of each paper will constitute each student’s three-person ad hoc committee.

Students need to submit capstone project committee nomination form to the program's office by Friday of week 2 of their final quarter of enrollment.  For information on capstone committee regulations please scroll down. 

• Students have to submit three papers written under the supervision of three faculty committee members; 

• At least two of those papers must have originated in 200-level courses;

• Each of the papers should be about 17-20 pages in length;

• The papers should reference at least 15-20 sources listed in the bibliography;

• It is the student’s responsibility to contact each member of the committee at least eight weeks before planned graduation, so that the faculty can indicate if they want revisions in the papers before they are formally submitted to the committee;

• It is expected that all three committee members will review the three papers; however, professors who are not experts on the topic of the paper do not need to evaluate that paper;

• The papers are graded Pass/Fail.

• The papers have to be submitted via email to idpgrads@international.ucla.edu during the last term, by the last day of the quarter in which the student is graduating. The papers should be submitted as three separate documents, preferably in pdf form;

• The  Capstone Project Approval Form has to be submitted via email along with the papers.    It is preferred that the professors sign the same approval form, but if that's not possible, the professors can put their signatures on separate forms.

Students are advised to monitor the progress of these procedures by remaining in touch with members of their Committee and the Coordinator of Student Affairs. Failure to submit completed forms by Program deadlines, failure to may result in the postponement of the graduation to the following academic quarter. (Any exceptions to the above must be pre-approved through the Program Chair/Faculty Advisor.

***

Faculty Committees

It is the student's choice and responsibility to decide whether they wish to satisfy their final degree requirement by writing a Master's Thesis or by submitting the Capstone Project. It is likewise up to the student to select which faculty will serve on their committee, but:

- Capstone Project committee must be formally appointed via formal petition signed by all Committee Members and the MAAS Program Chair.

- At least two of the three faculty members must be chosen from the African Studies program's Faculty list. (a maximum of one member does not have to be included on the list, however, has to be UCLA ladder faculty).

These above stipulations apply to both Capstone Project and Thesis Committee appointments. Any exceptions to these stipulations must be pre-approved by the Program Chair.

African Studies MA Degree Worksheet

Graduate Division Language Petition

African Studies MA Capstone Project Title Page
African Studies MA Capstone Project Committee Nomination Form
African Studies MA Capstone Project Approval Form
African Studies MA Capstone Project Guidelines

African Studies MA Thesis Committee Nomination Form

Graduate Division Thesis Committee Nomination Form

Master's Advancement to Candidacy Petition

Student Petition Form