The African American and African Studies (AAST) program offers the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. The program is designed to give students an essential core of basic knowledge and analytical skills, while providing an opportunity to specialize in one of two emphasis areas: African American Studies or African Studies.The program introduces students to the interdisciplinary study of people of African descent in the United States and the African Diaspora.The interdisciplinary approach, a key aspect of the program, helps to overcome limitations inherent as a result of investigating a people or group from a single disciplinary perspective.The discipline develops students' critical thinking and analytical skills and produces well-rounded individuals prepared to enter the workforce or pursue study in a wide variety of fields at the graduate level and in professional schools (e.g., law, medicine, social work)The program produces individuals who can function effectively in the new millennium with special knowledge of the multifaceted and complex historical and contemporary issues that have shaped the racial parameters of the nation and the worldUpon completion of the degree, students will have a well-rounded background in the liberal arts, strong communications skills (written and oral), and analytic and methodological skills that have prepared them for graduate study and make them an asset to a range of enterprises in the public and private, for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.