A number of the faculty have been honored through the receipt of special awards and honors, among them the Turing Award, the highest award in computer science nationally and internationally, two NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowships, and a Pulitzer Prize. The College enhances the quality of its academic program by providing graduate students with collaborative learning experiences and world class research opportunities. Africana Studies, M.A. Areas of concentration are African Studies and Afro-American Studies. Specializations within African Studies include culture, history, economics, politics of Eastern Africa, Western Africa, and Southern Africa, or functional subjects such as international relations and the economics and politics of the continent as a whole. Several graduates teach abroad and others have faculty positions at U.S. Colleges.
Many graduates go on to pursue doctoral degrees at other prestigious institutions.
M.A. Comprehensive training in the four traditional subflelds of anthropology is offered, with a particular emphasis on prehistoric, colonial and contemporary New World Studies. The Department has extensive research and teaching links with the New York State Museum, Albany Medical Center and with the University's School of Public Health, all of which contribute to the many opportunities for students in the areas of applied biological anthropology, museology and historical archaeology. The 30 credit M.A. and 60-credit M.F.A. degrees are offered in Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking and Drawing. A faculty of professional artists, art historians, and critics utilizes theoretical and practical approaches to assist candidates to conceptualize, form, and reinforce attitudes and ideas in the exploration of both experimental and traditional media in a studio environment which encourages creative growth and experimentation. Internationally recognized faculty are distributed across these areas, yet members' interests generally span several fields, and interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged.