Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Studies, which is administered by the College of Arts and Letters, provides students with course work and a scholarly community that places intellectual value on Indigenous knowledges, methodologies, and collaborative research. The certificate underscores the importance of American Indian and Indigenous knowledge, while students critically engage the place of Indigenous peoples and knowledge historically and contemporarily. It draws on interdisciplinary research, teaching, and community engagement to examine these complex concepts and to respond to them thoughtfully. From a wide range of intellectual perspectives, students will work with, for, and on issues directly affecting Indigenous communities. While committed to comparative and global histories, knowledge, and sovereignties of Indigenous peoples, the certificate focuses primarily on Indigenous issues in the cross-border Great Lakes region, commonly known as Anishinaabewaki or Three Fires (Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi) territory.

The certificate is available to students who are enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program at Michigan State University.

The student’s program of study must be approved by the Graduate Director in Indigenous Studies in the College of Arts and Letters.

Requirements for the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Studies

Students must complete a minimum of 9 credits from the following:

1.	The following course (3 credits):
	AIIS	801	Indigenous Theories and Methodologies						3
2.	At least two of the following courses (minimum of 6 credits):
	AIIS	890	Independent Study in American Indian and Indigenous Studies						1 to 6
	AIIS	891	Special Topics in American Indian and Indigenous Studies						3
	ANP	811	Knowledge, Memory, and Archives						3
	LWG	835B	Federal Law and Indian Tribes						3
	LWG	835D	American Indian Children and the Law						2
	LWG	835E	Tribal Law						2
	LWG	835G	Global Perspectives on Indigenous Peoples						2
	Other courses may also satisfy this requirement with approval of the Graduate Director of Indigenous Studies.
3.	Complete the following capstone requirement in consultation with and approved by the Director of Indigenous Studies.
	a.	Participation in eight American Indian and Indigenous Studies co-curricular individual activities and events, including, but not limited to, the Indigenous Studies Writing Group, Voices on Campus, Traditional Arts Gatherings, Sugar Bush, or other activities upon approval of the Graduate Director of Indigenous Studies.
	b.	Presentation in at least one Indigenous Studies Graduate Colloquium, which is held annually every spring semester.
Upon completion of the capstone requirement a. and b., students will submit a portfolio that illustrates the learning outcomes and educational objectives of the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Studies no later than the last day of instruction of the semester the student intends to graduate. The portfolio must include (1) a narrative statement; (2) documentation that demonstrates how the student has met requirements a. and b.; (3) samples of work such as papers or creative work; and (4) a curriculum vitae.