American Indian tribal colleges: Mission statements, degrees and certificates, and American Indian courses

This study examined the mission statements of the tribal colleges in the United States to determine how the tribal college degrees and curricular programs offered by these unique institutions meet these mission statements. There is almost no research on tribal college mission statements, degrees and certificates, and American Indian courses. This study is important because it provides information about tribal colleges not available anywhere else, not even through the American Indian Higher Education Consortium or through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.;Tribal colleges have different mission statements than do mainstream public and private colleges and institutions. The mission of tribal colleges is to advance American Indian students and tribal communities by providing quality education programs, promoting culture, traditions, and language, supporting individual learning, supporting community needs, and promoting leadership for students.;Degrees, certificates, and other educational programs help students become more employable and allow them to transfer to other higher education institutions so they can continue this, too. There were 543 associate degrees, 233 certificates, 135 other educational programs, 64 bachelor's degrees, and 8 master's degrees offered by tribal colleges in the United States.;The main categories of courses specific to American Indians offered at tribal colleges are American Indian studies, tribal language and teaching, tribal traditional arts, tribal history, tribal government and economics, and tribal contemporary American Indian issues. These courses preserve culture by teaching American Indian students their language, traditions, treaties, Indian laws, and tribal sovereignty, to name a few topics.;Tribal colleges have accomplished much over the last 40 years and serve as important role models for American Indians. They have encouraged students to get a higher education and have provided a place of belonging to many students who may not have attended higher education.