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GREENSBORO — Current and prospective students interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies can now earn the degree at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
The UNC Board of Governors recently approved the new undergraduate degree for the university. Courses in African American Studies at UNCG are consistently full, and the university expects increased interest in the program as an official major.

  “We are pleased to be able to offer a baccalaureate degree to our students in addition to the well-received existing minor currently offered,” said UNCG Provost Edward Uprichard. “The interdisciplinary nature of the major will allow students to use inquiry methods from a number of traditional disciplines to study African American individuals and culture.”

 Core African American courses will be augmented by cross-listed courses in areas that include literature, history, music, visual arts, art history, religion, economics, philosophy, political science and sociology.

 UNCG’s African American Studies Program has existed since 1982. Dr. Frank Woods, the program’s current director, said prospective students could expect to receive thorough exposure to a wide range of perspectives on race and ethnicity in the United States.

 “Our new major will provide students with opportunities to examine experiences of African Americans using theories and methods from a wide range of disciplines,” Woods said. “Students progressing through the major will be enrolled in courses that engage them in meaningful learning activities that will provide an integrated and critical understanding of the experiences and contributions of peoples of African descent in the Americas.”

University officials anticipate the major will be offered as early as the upcoming fall semester. UNCG will be the third university in the UNC system to offer a baccalaureate degree in African American Studies. Currently, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Charlotte offer the major.

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