New Black Studies Doctoral Program a First for Texas, Region | News: Texas — The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved a new doctoral program in Black Studies at The University of Texas at Austin, marking a first for the university, the state of Texas, and the American South and Southwest.
The Department of African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) in the College of Liberal Arts will administer the new degree program, which was approved by the board at their regular meeting Oct. 25.
“This is a historic moment for The University of Texas at Austin and for the state of Texas,” said department Chair Edmund T. Gordon.
“In 1952 the university awarded its first degree of any kind to an African American student. We are overjoyed that today, 60 years later, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved the creation of a new doctoral degree in Black Studies. We have come a long way and will continue to press forward.”
Through the new program, the university will credential scholars with expertise in the discipline created by and about people of African descent.
