Degree candidates take a major concentration in either African or African American studies and a minor concentration in the area not selected for the major or in another graduate field. After the first semester the studentforms a Special Committee to supervise his or her program. A thesis proposal must be submitted at the end of the first year of graduate study. The African Studies and Research Center encourages each student to develop a thesis selected from a range of topics and based on library research, creative work, field study, or internship.