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Dec 05, 2025
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2025-2026 Graduate Catalog
Indigenous Studies MA
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Indigenous Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that centers the knowledges, priorities, aspirations and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples locally, nationally and internationally. The Indigenous Studies program provides students with a set of interdisciplinary tools to think rigorously about important issues confronting Indigenous communities in the present while examining the historic political, social and cultural elements of Indigenous Nations. The curriculum is designed to provide critical skills for addressing research with Indigenous Nations, gaining an understanding of the impact of colonization, addressing imperialism, and conducting research using the parameters of Indigenous research methodologies. An MA in Indigenous studies at University of Buffalo will promote grounded methodologies of approach while promoting international engagement.
Masters students are required to complete 32 credit hours of substantive coursework for the M.A. degree, most of which are satisfied through graduate seminars, including up to 6 hours of thesis guidance. Students will be allowed to take methodology classes in traditional disciplines as well to prepare for the research that will be undertaken. Indigenous Studies will offer its own methodology class open to the campus and concentrating on working with tribal organizations and nations as well as experiential learning opportunities. Students conduct a master’s proposal and thesis before advancing to candidacy. This will enable us to provide a strong methods approach in various disciplines. Students will be expected to achieve proficiency in Indigenous methods, and appropriate qualitative or quantitative methods, and any relevant professional skill(s) before advancing to candidacy.
Our Master’s students will be prepped to enter the profession or will be prepped to take on alternative professional careers, particularly as it pertains to research labs or Indian Nation governance and leadership or non-profit organizational work. The advanced Masters degree will enable a pipeline of much needed expertise in Federal Indian issues, inter-cultural knowledge and global learning. Through rigorous coursework, they will examine the interdisciplinary approaches to addressing past, present and future issues that arise in society and learn to use Indigenous methods in relation to their area studies.
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Required Core (12 credits)
Graduate Courses offered by IDS (20 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 32
3.0 Degree GPA required Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of the history of contact and its relationship to current political organizing of Indigenous Nations.
- Identify and evaluate appropriate approaches to tackling the social, cultural, and political issues faced by Indigenous communities at the local, national, and international level.
- Use and evaluate Indigenous research methods to examine, analyze, and present on current and past issues.
- Incorporate empirical evidence, theoretical social science, legal understanding of federal Indian law and key components of Indigenous representations into their written and oral arguments.
- Synthesize information from multiple disciplines into their written work.
- Apply a multidisciplinary Indigenous-centered research and teaching that is accountable and beneficial to Indigenous nations, communities, and organizations in local, national and global contexts.
SED Statement
This program is officially registered with the New York State Education Department (SED). |
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