Bachelor of Arts African American and African Studies (BA)
Please note: Admissions beyond Fall 2026 is on hold for program review.
Requirements
Lower-Division General Education
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Written Communication | 6 | |
| Oral Communication | 3 | |
| Mathematics | 3 | |
| Language and Culture | 0-6 | |
| Information Literacy and Research | 3 | |
| Human Behavior | 3 | |
| Human Creativity | 3 | |
| Interpreting the Past | 3 | |
| Literature | 3 | |
| Philosophy and Ethics | 3 | |
| The Nature of Science | 8 | |
| Impact of Technology | 3 | |
STAT 130M is required to fulfill the Mathematics requirement
Language and Culture requirement - BS students' competence must be at the 102 level. BA students must have competence through the 202 level and competence is not met by the associate degree.
Information Literacy and Research requirement can be met in the major by AAST 308/POLS 308.
AAST 100S may not be used to satisfy the Human Behavior requirement.
The Interpreting the Past requirement is met in the major by AAST 105H/HIST 105H.
The requirements for African American and African Studies majors are outlined below. With the permission of the program director, courses not listed below may be approved as substitutions to fulfill program requirements.
Upper-Division General Education
-
Option A. Approved Minor, 12-24 hours; also second degree or second major
-
Option B. Interdisciplinary Minor; 12 hours specified by the department, three of which can be in the major
-
Option C. An approved certification program such as teaching licensure
-
Option D. Two Upper-Division Courses from outside the College of Arts and Letters or from the Arts and Humanities Component within the College of Arts and Letters that are not required by the major (6 hours). AAST courses and any course listed as an elective choice for the major cannot be used to meet this option.
Requirements for Graduation
Requirements for graduation include the following:
- Minimum of 120 credit hours.
- Minimum of 30 credit hours overall and 12 credit hours of upper-level courses in the major program from Old Dominion University.
- Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken.
- Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward the major.
- Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward a minor.
- Completion of ENGL 110C, ENGL 211C or ENGL 231C, and the writing intensive (W) course in the major with a grade of C or better. The W course must be taken at Old Dominion University.
- Completion of Senior Assessment.
African American and African Studies Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Complete lower-division requirements | 35-44 | |
| Complete upper-division requirements (minimum of 6 credits) | 6 | |
| Complete foreign language coursework through the 202 level | 0-6 | |
| African American and African Studies Core | ||
| AAST 100S | Introduction to African American Studies | 3 |
| AAST/HIST 105H | Interpreting the African Past | 3 |
| AAST 410 | Africana Intellectual Thought and Economic Development | 3 |
| AAST 420W | African American Political and Social Thought * | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Research Design | ||
| Introduction to Research Methods | ||
| Social Research Methods | ||
| AAST 490 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| SOC 320 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| Upper-Division African Studies Coursework | 6 | |
| Upper-Division Humanities Coursework | 6 | |
| Upper-Division Social Sciences Coursework | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 80-95 | |
- *
Grade of C or better required
Upper-Division Electives (BA and BS, 12 credit hours, 300 and 400 level courses)
Students majoring in African American and African Studies must earn a minimum of 12 credit hours in upper-division humanities and social science courses related to African American studies. Six credit hours of 300/400 level courses must be from the social sciences and six credit hours from the humanities. Courses may be selected from among those listed by category below. With the permission of the program director, courses not listed below may be approved as substitutions to fulfill program requirements.
Upper-Division Social Science Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAST 310 | Human Rights and Social Change in Africa | 3 |
| AAST/POLS 316 | Politics of Africa | 3 |
| AAST/SOC 323 | Sociology of Minority Families | 3 |
| AAST 368 | Internship | 3 |
| AAST 395 | Topics in African American Studies | 3 |
| AAST 396 | Topics in African American Studies | 3 |
| AAST/POLS 412 | Politics of the Civil Rights Movement | 3 |
| AAST/SOC 426 | Minority Group Relations | 3 |
| AAST/CRJS/SOC 452 | Diversity in Criminal Justice Organizations | 3 |
| AAST/PSYC 460 | Psychology of African Americans | 3 |
| CRJS 450 | Blacks, Crime and Justice | 3 |
| GEOG 452 | Africa | 3 |
| POLS 309 | Race, Culture and Public Policy | 3 |
| POLS 410 | African American Politics | 3 |
| POLS 439 | International Relations of African States | 3 |
| POLS 470 | African Americans and Foreign Affairs | 3 |
| SOC/CRJS 444 | Community Justice | 3 |
Upper-Division Humanities Courses
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAST/HIST 361 | African-American History to 1865 | 3 |
| AAST 368 | Internship | 3 |
| AAST 395 | Topics in African American Studies | 3 |
| AAST 396 | Topics in African American Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 465W | African American Literature | 3 |
| HIST 362 | African-American History Since 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 370 | Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade | 3 |
| HIST 455 | African-American Historiography | 3 |
| HIST 475 | Global Africa | 3 |
| MUSC 460 | History of Jazz | 3 |
| WGS 302W | Dimensions of Diversity: Intersectionality Among Women | 3 |
African Studies (BA and BS, 6 credit hours, 300 and 400 level electives)
In addition, students majoring in African American and African Studies must earn six credit hours in African Studies courses. Students may select courses from the following list (or topics courses as approved by the director):
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| AAST 310 | Human Rights and Social Change in Africa | 3 |
| AAST/POLS 316 | Politics of Africa | 3 |
| AAST/HIST 381 | Africa in the 20th Century | 3 |
| GEOG 452 | Africa | 3 |
| HIST 370 | Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade | 3 |
| HIST 382 | African Civilizations | 3 |
| HIST 475 | Global Africa | 3 |
| POLS 439 | International Relations of African States | 3 |
Courses taken in this category cannot duplicate upper-division social sciences and humanities courses taken to fulfill program requirements. At the discretion of the program director, substitutions may be approved to satisfy this requirement. The course options in this category will be expanded and/or modified as they become available.
Elective courses may be taken for the remainder of the minimum 120 credits required for the degree.
Degree Program Guide
The Degree Program Guide is a suggested curriculum to complete this degree program in four years. It is just one of several plans that will work and is presented only as broad guidance to students. Each student is strongly encouraged to develop a customized plan in consultation with their academic advisor. Additional information can also be found in Degree Works.
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 110C | English Composition (Grade of C or better required) | 3 |
| Human Creativity | 3 | |
| Elective or Language & Culture I (May be waived; See requirement details) | 3 | |
| Oral Communication | 3 | |
| AAST 100S | Introduction to African American Studies | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Literature | 3 | |
| STAT 130M | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
| Elective or Language & Culture II (May be waived; See requirement details) | 3 | |
| Human Behavior (AAST 100S may not be used) | 3 | |
| AAST/HIST 105H | Interpreting the African Past (Satisfies Interpreting the Past) | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENGL 211C or ENGL 231C |
Writing, Rhetoric, and Research (Grade of C or better required) or Writing, Rhetoric, and Research: Special Topics |
3 |
| Nature of Science I | 4 | |
| Language & Culture III | 3 | |
| Elective course | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Research Design | ||
| Introduction to Research Methods | ||
| Social Research Methods | ||
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Information Literacy & Research (May be met in major by AAST 308 or POLS 308) | 3 | |
| Nature of Science II | 4 | |
| Language & Culture IV | 3 | |
| Philosophy & Ethics | 3 | |
| Impact of Technology | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Junior | ||
| Fall | ||
| SOC 320 | Social Inequality | 3 |
| AAST 420W | African American Political and Social Thought (Grade of C or better required) | 3 |
| Approved 300-/400-level Social Science | 3 | |
| Approved 300-/400-level Humanities | 3 | |
| Upper-Division General Education Course or Minor | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAST 410 | Africana Intellectual Thought and Economic Development | 3 |
| Approved 300-/400-level Social Science | 3 | |
| Approved 300-/400-level Humanities | 3 | |
| Elective course | 3 | |
| Upper-Division General Education Course or Minor | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Senior | ||
| Fall | ||
| Approved 300-/400-level African Studies | 3 | |
| Elective course | 3 | |
| Elective course | 3 | |
| Elective course | 3 | |
| Minor or Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| AAST 490 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Approved 300-/400-level African Studies | 3 | |
| Elective course | 3 | |
| Elective course | 1 | |
| Minor or Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
BA or BS to MBA (Master of Business Administration) Dual Dominion Program
The Dual Dominion BA/MBA or BS/MBA program is an early entry to the MBA program of study. The early-entry program is designed for well qualified non-business undergraduate ODU students to start their MBA program prior to completing their undergraduate degree. Well qualified non-business undergraduate students may take MBA-level courses as early as three semesters prior to graduation and count up to 12 graduate credits toward their undergraduate degree. Students participating in the early-entry program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree). Early-entry program students should carefully consider their undergraduate degree program requirements when planning their course of study. Students in the early-entry program work in close consultation with the MBA Program Office and should refer to information in the Strome College of Business section in the graduate catalog to develop an individualized plan of study based on the required coursework.
BA or BS to MPA (Master of Public Administration) Dual Dominion Program
The Dual Dominion BA/MPA or BS/MPA program provides qualified Old Dominion University undergraduate students with the opportunity to earn a master's degree in public administration while taking credits in the MPA program as an undergraduate student. The program is designed for highly motivated students with the desire to immediately continue their education after the bachelor's degree. The program is especially relevant to individuals seeking to work (or currently working) in the public or non-profit sectors, but is suitable for students from any undergraduate major. Graduate courses may be taken during the fall and spring semester of the student's senior undergraduate year. Up to 12 graduate credits can count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree and can meet upper-level General Education requirements. After receiving the undergraduate degree, a student will continue with the MPA program, taking MPA courses until completing the required 39 credit hours. Students in the Dual Dominion program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).
Requirements for admission to the graduate program can be found in the School of Public Service section of the Graduate Catalog. For additional information, please contact the School of Public Service in the Strome College of Business.