Program Overview

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Indigenous Studies Ph.D. Degree Program

The Indigenous Studies Ph.D. offers a unique opportunity to participate in rich cultural research as you develop a dissertation on issues relevant to Alaska, the Arctic, and its Indigenous communities. You'll choose from six key concentrations:

• Indigenous Sustainability
• Indigenous Studies & Research
• Indigenous Leadership
• Indigenous Languages
• Indigenous Knowledge Systems
• Indigenous Education/Pedagogy

This program empowers you to provide technical support and information to Arctic school districts, Alaska Native corporations, tribal governments, community organizations, and state and federal agencies serving Indigenous communities.

The Program

The program is 5 years long and features 5 faculty members. Course delivery is available in-person, online, and hybrid.

Research and Faculty

You'll have the opportunity to collaborate with your graduate committee to develop a program of coursework and research that produces a unique intellectual contribution to the applied fields of Indigenous studies. You'll draw from one (or more) of the program's six concentrations and work directly with professors specializing in those areas.

Career Pathways

Graduates will contribute to the improvement of educational and professional development opportunities for Indigenous peoples. Our students go on to provide technical support and information to school districts, Alaska Native corporations, tribal governments, community organizations, and state and federal agencies serving Indigenous communities.

Student Focus Areas

Cross-Cultural Communication

You will develop an understanding of the nuance required to communicate with other cultures.

Sustainable Community Development

You will participate in effective, community-based development.

Community-based Research

You'll learn how to lead community-based research in effective and respectful ways.

Unique Opportunities

Indigenous Setting

The unique setting of the program immerses you with hands-on research in Alaska Native and Indigenous communities.

Indigenous Elders' Knowledge

You'll have the opportunity to work directly with and learn from Indigenous Elders.

Indigenous Knowledge

You will develop and conduct research within the bounds of Indigenous knowledge.

Department Competitions and Awards

Indigenous Studies graduate students have access to limited funding through the Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley Award, the Rebecca Kaliss Award, and the Mellon Foundation Award.

Alumni Spotlight

Dr. Yvette Running Horse Collin, a former Indigenous Studies Doctorate Student, received her doctorate in Indigenous Studies from UAF in May 2017. She is of Lakota, Nakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Mayan descent on her mother's side, and Cherokee, Choctaw, and Scottish descent on her father's side. Dr. Collin acknowledges the Native Elders, equine preservationists, and the ancient-line horses she care-takes as having helped to provide the "Indigenous education" she received during her decade of pre-research. Dr. Running Horse Collin is an award-winning journalist and has held various executive positions at non-profit institutions around the United States. She has advised state, federal, and Fortune 100 organizations on Native American policy. She lectures extensively throughout the United States and internationally on her people's traditions and the history surrounding the horse.

Related Majors

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The One Health master's degree provides training and practice at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. It's a unique interdisciplinary degree that requires an understanding and integration of science, culture, history, communication, and more.