The AAAS Office of Undergraduate Studies and Advising offers a broad range of academic support and services to undergraduate students. Our mission is to empower students through self-advocacy while guiding them through the successful completion of their degree or certificate in African American Studies, or minor program in Black Women’s Studies and African Studies.
In AAAS, the student-advisor relationship centers around a partnership that involves care, communication, support, development, and community building within and outside of the Department of African American and Africana Studies.
While our primary role is to advise current AAAS students on strategies for successful completion of their program requirements, we also assist students on a number of related issues including university policies and resources, professional development, student and faculty research, navigating university life, and scholarship, internship, and study abroad opportunities.
AAAS majors will have to satisfy 2 mandatory advising appointments during the academic year. AAAS certificate and minor students are welcome and encouraged to meet with their program advisor periodically to review progress in their respective programs.
General Advising | 30 minutes
Current students can schedule a general advising appointment to get information about program requirements, courses and policies, departmental events, student opportunities, and guidance on university resources and resolving department-level registration issues. General advising is the default appointment type. Students can also schedule an “Inquiry or Follow-up” appointment for a brief meeting with the advisor.
Mandatory Advising | 30 minutes
All AAAS majors are required to satisfy a mandatory advising appointment prior to registering for the following academic term (fall and spring semesters). During mandatory advising, the advisor will review progress in the major with an audit, assist with course planning, give permissions for major-only courses, and remove department-level registration blocks.
Prospective Students
Current undergraduate students interested in learning more about the Department of African American and Africana Studies and our academic programs have a few options for scheduling an appointment to get general information or to declare a major, certificate, or minor program:
- Inquiry or Follow-up | 15 minutes
- For general information about AAAS academic programs and courses
- General Advising | 30 minutes
- For students ready to declare a certificate or minor program in AAAS; this appointment will involve a degree audit and consent to add program(s) to students’ official record
- Orientation | 45 minutes
- For students ready to declare a major program in AAAS ; this appointment will involve documents to change/add major and a degree audit for graduation planning
Schedule an Advising Appointment
AAAS advising appointments are for University of Maryland undergraduate students only; for all other inquiries or general information, please contact the department’s main office.
Please schedule through TerpEngage for my availability and types of appointments. (Please note that I am transitioning away from the Calendly app for appointment scheduling.)
BSOS Feller Center for Advising & Career Planning
BSOS College has a dual advising model where students have access to academic advisors in the College as well as in their individual departments and programs, so students are able to access integrated advising services in many places in the College. BSOS College will provide guidance for GenEd requirements, major benchmarks, and additional academic support for primary AAAS majors.
In order to declare African American Studies as your major you must:
- Review AAAS major requirements: See the Major Requirements here to select which curriculum track (non-concentration or Public Policy Concentration) you will pursue. Make sure to pay special attention to the requirements for each track to determine which best fits your goals.
- Students must meet with the department’s Academic Advisor: Schedule an appointment for a brief overview of the department and program requirements, and obtain the change/addition of major form with appropriate signatures and stamps.
- AAAS Academic Advisor: Marshal F. Washington, lahsram9 [at] umd.edu
- Students then attend the Academic Planning Workshop online at bsosworkshops.umd.edu
- Submit completed forms: Students will submit the change/addition of major form with a completed academic-plan online to bsosmajorchange [at] umd.edu
For more details or to declare a certificate and/or minor program in African American Studies see below:
- Major change or addition of second major may take approximately 15 - 20 business days to process
- Students on academic probation/dismissal and certain designated student populations (i.e. student-athletes, AAP, Freshmen Connection, etc.) will be required to schedule an appointment with an advisor in the BSOS Feller Center for Advising & Career Planning to process their major change
- For students wishing to add AASD as a second major, university policy requires that a student have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to declare a double major or double degree in African American Studies. If you have any questions regarding this policy please contact the AASD advisor
- Students may be contacted directly from the BSOS Feller Center when their major has been updated in the Student Information System (SIS) or if there is a problem with their academic plan (also referred to as a 4-year graduation plan)
- Students wishing to avoid a delay in registration should initiate a change/addition of major well in advance of their registration date for the next semester
- Please note, that the BSOS Feller Center nor the Department of African American Studies can lift registration blocks imposed by a student's current major
- Some permissions will not be granted for courses restricted to AASD majors until after an academic plan has been approved by BSOS Feller Center
In considering declaring African American and Africana Studies as your double major:
The Department of African American and Africana Studies will admit students as double majors on a case by case basis. First semester freshmen are exempt from the 3.0 grade point average requirement through the last day of classes of their first semester at the University of Maryland.
The university encourages students to complete their degrees in four years or 130 credits. Students wishing to declare a second major or degree will need to complete a graduation plan that demonstrates their ability to successfully complete the major requirements in eight (8) semesters (four years).
Any student who will go over eight (8) semesters in completing their degree must appeal through their department and College for permission to add the second major/degree.
While a double major or double degree is not ideal for every student, most double majors in African American Studies (either track) find that their interests in the Black experience complement or overlap with their interest in another discipline or program, and typically have successful completion of both programs. It is also worth noting that students in pre-health and pre-law advising programs also have a successful completion rate as a single or double major in AASD.
Major in African American Studies - Major Requirements
Major in AASP with Concentration in Public Policy - Major Requirements
