"In terms of the field, we're now recognized to be a very strong department," Appiah said. "There are more than 200 African-American studies departments across the country that need people to teach in them, and we hope to help fill that need."

If the Faculty votes to give the program the go-ahead, the Visual and Environmental Sciences department will become the only department in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences not to offer a Ph.D program.

The Faculty Council declined to endorse a similar proposal over a year ago, asking that the department spend more time in discussions with other departments about Afro-American Studies Department's interdisciplinary nature.

Under the current proposal for the degree program, professors from the Economics, Sociology and Music departments would have official joint oversight for the program with members of the Afro-American Studies department.

According to the proposal reviewed by the Faculty Council, the Afro-American Studies department will be expanding over the next several years. The department has offered a number of new tenured positions in recent months, and its faculty seeks to maintain that growth.

The department will also be looking for outside donors to fund a financial aid program for degree candidates. Gates has already been in contact with foundations in search of donations.

"Any new programs draw on the same pool of available resources unless new money has arrived," Appiah said. "Unless you increase the size of the pot, you have a situation. We very much want to raise our own funds to support students."