The American Indian Studies program provides students with a thorough understanding of the Native American tribal nations in North America and their influence and impact in today's culture and society.

Our program embraces everyone interested in understanding the treaties, history, cultures, and politics that shaped the formation of North America and continue to have relevance today. While UWM does attract a number of students with Native American ancestry to the program, our classes are full of people from all types of backgrounds. They all share a common interest in understanding the past in order to impact the present. There are 565 tribal nations in the U.S., and 12 are located in the state of Wisconsin. UWM is a national driving force in this academic area because of our location; we have the most Native American faculty of any other UW school in Wisconsin.

Certificates are similar to minors in terms of credit requirements but draw on coursework from multiple fields of study rather than from a single department.

Eligibility

The American Indian Studies Certificate is intended to enhance a bachelor’s degree. The certificate is available to all students seeking a bachelor’s degree from UWM and to students who previously have received a bachelor’s degree from UWM or any other accredited college or university.

Requirements

To obtain the certificate, the student must complete, with a minimum grade point average of 2.0, at least 18 credits in approved American Indian Studies courses, of which 12 must be earned in residence at UWM. Of these 12 residence credits, nine must be taken at the 300 level or above. Twelve of the 18 required credits must be in the College of Letters and Science, with at least 6 of these at the 300 level or above. No more than 9 credits from any one department may count toward the certificate. A maximum of 6 credits of independent study may count toward program requirements. Courses for the certificate may not be taken on a credit/no credit basis.

Independent study courses focusing on the American Indian experience may be accepted with the approval of the Certificate Program Coordinator. If the core course is not offered in the years an undergraduate student is pursuing the certificate, the student can petition the Certificate Program Coordinator to accept another course in its stead. Other courses not on this list but relevant to the study of American Indians may be accepted with the approval of the Certificate Program Coordinator.

Credits earned at other institutions equivalent to courses in the certificate program may be accepted in partial fulfillment of the program requirements, subject to review by the Certificate Program Coordinator. Students currently enrolled at UWM who have fulfilled some of the program’s requirements prior to the program’s approval may have their credits applied retroactively to the certificate program.

The following are required:

¹

Students may petition the AIS Coordinator for approval of appropriate courses not on the approved list.

Approved Courses