Higher Learning Commission

Navajo Technical University (NTU) is working to save the Diné language by becoming the first Tribal College or University to offer a Ph.D. program. In February, HLC approved the institution’s request to add a Ph.D. in Diné Culture and Language Sustainability to its portfolio of 40 degree programs. Five students will join the first cohort in Fall 2023. 

Development of the Ph.D. began several years ago in part to respond to a pressing need among the Navajo Nation to slow the disappearance of the Navajo language, Diné Bizaad. Spoken largely by elder tribal members, there is an urgency to train younger speakers and conduct meaningful research in this area before it is lost. 

NTU hopes that by encouraging scholarship in Diné linguistics, work can be done to preserve Diné Bizaad as well as provide gainful employment opportunities to students. This effort aligns with NTU’s mission, which “honors Diné culture and language, while educating for the future.” 

“Launching a Ph.D. program in Diné Culture and Language Sustainability will have a positive impact in Diné Studies research for students, especially in language preservation,” NTU’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, Casmir Agbaraji said. Agbaraji has been the ALO at NTU since 2017 and is also a peer reviewer and member of the Institutional Actions Council (IAC).  

“Potential students are excited about the program and have started applying for the first cohort,” he said. The program, which comprises 66 credit hours, will include courses such as Decolonization Research Methodology and Language Endangerment and Revitalization.  

In 2018, the university established the Diné Bizaad Research Institute, which allows students from NTU and other universities to conduct research on Navajo language and culture. NTU also offers Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Diné Culture, Language and Leadership. It is currently the only academic institution to offer this set of degrees.  

When an institution is seeking to add a program on a new degree level, it submits a substantive change request to HLC, and HLC sends a team of peer reviewers for a campus visit. The team makes their recommendation on whether the program should be approved, and the final decision then goes to the IAC. 

Benjamin Franklin Young, an HLC peer reviewer since 1995, served as the team chair during the visit to NTU. “As chair, it was delightful to work with the institution to craft a master schedule for the visit... allowing the team to verify the assertions provided in the faculty-driven and Navajo Nation critical change request,” he said, “[The request] was well-reasoned and a logical progression of the institution's degree offerings which is in direct alignment with its mission.” 

Agbaraji believes other tribal colleges and universities will follow NTU’s example in developing higher degree programs. Learn more about NTU’s Ph.D. in Diné Culture and Language Sustainability.