Graduate Certificate in African American Literature

The graduate certificate program provides training to students interested in teaching African American literature. The 15 credit-hour program provides students with the background necessary to develop African American literature programs for elementary or secondary classrooms. The certificate is an ideal way for current and future teachers to highlight their expertise in African American literature for career advancement and employment.

Admission to the Graduate School is open to anyone holding a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from an accredited college or university. In cases, where a program’s accrediting body allows alternate admissions standards, exceptions may be made. Applicants should have completed undergraduate or graduate work of sufficient quality and scope to enable them to successfully pursue graduate study. The University of Memphis offers equal educational opportunity to all persons without regard to race, religion, sex, creed, color, national origin or disability. Baccalaureate Degree: The applicant must provide an official transcript showing that a bachelor’s degree was awarded by an accredited college or university. If you are a UofM undergraduate student applying to Graduate School at UofM, you do not need to request that an official transcript be sent to Graduate Admissions. This office has access to your transcript. In addition, transcripts from any other college or university attended may be requested. Only transcripts received directly from an issuing institution are considered official. Personal copies are not acceptable as official documents. GPA: The applicant must have earned an acceptable grade point average, typically a minimum of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0, but departments may make exceptions for students whose overall GPA does not adequately reflect their ability to succeed in their chosen field. English proficiency test scores required by the University: Duolingo English Test- For students affected by test center closures due to COVID-19, the University is temporarily accepting Duolingo as an alternative. 100 or higher on the overall score, all sub scores must be at least 80. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Institution code 1459. TOEFL - 550 or higher on the paper version, 79 or higher on the internet-based test IELTS (International English Language Testing System- 6.0 or higher PTE (Pearson Test of English) - 53 or higher Students eligible to take courses as non-degree seeking students at the University of Memphis can complete the certificate requirements. Applicants should send a letter of intent and two letters of recommendation to the Department of English Graduate Office. Applicants must also apply and send official transcripts to the University of Memphis Graduate School. An overall minimum grade point average of 2.75 in English or a related area is recommended at the undergraduate level. Since up to 15 credit hours from the certificate program may count toward the MA, MFA, or PhD degrees, it is expected that many already-admitted students will earn the certificate on their way to the MA, MFA, or PhD degree. Such students wishing to earn the Certificate must apply to the Certificate Program through the Graduate School.