This Program is one of the five area studies operating in conjunction with the School of International Affairs at Columbia. It consists entirely of graduate work, and offers a Certificate in African Studies, which must be taken together with a post-graduate degree; this normally requires two years' residence at the University. The aim is to educate a limited number of highly qualified graduate students concerning the peoples and problems of tropical Africa especially, and to give them knowledge in depth of a particular area of the continent. Through this training, students will be prepared for careers dealing with African political, social, and economic affairs. The program also hopes to perform a national service by increasing American understanding of our relations with the new states of Africa.