Temple University in Philadelphia has paused admissions to its Ph.D. program in Africology and African American studies for the 2027–2028 academic year, according to a report from the university’s student-run newspaper, The Temple News. Established in 1988, the program is the oldest African American doctoral studies degree in the United States.
“Temple University takes great pride in the fact that the Africology and African American Studies Ph.D. is the oldest African American Studies doctoral program in the U.S.,” a university spokesperson told The Temple News. “It is a hallmark program of the university and we look forward to the program continuing to grow and thrive in the years to come.”
The doctoral program is one of nine Ph.D. programs in Temple’s College of Liberal Arts (CLA) that will not accept students for the next academic year. In addition to Africology and African American studies, admission to Temple’s doctoral programs in Spanish, sociology, religion, political science, philosophy, history, English, and criminal justice have also been paused. Combined, the nine affected programs enroll 228 students; they are not impacted by the pause and will continue their studies.
The decision to pause these nine Ph.D. programs follows a committee review of doctoral programs in the CLA, which found these degrees often take seven to 10 years to complete. The university’s doctoral policy mandates a maximum of seven years to complete a doctorate, but nearly a quarter of Ph.D. students needed an extension this fall.
“We really want the program’s structure in a way where it is feasible to actually finish in five or six years,” Richard Deeg, dean of the CLA, told The Temple News. “The program needs to be set up in a way that makes it possible for students to actually do that.”
Departments that oversee the nine paused programs have been tasked with investigating how to improve their doctoral degrees and help students stay on track to completion. The pause is expected to be in effective for one year, with admissions resuming for the Fall 2028 semester.
