African American studies, often a subset of an Africana Studies program, is the study of the African diaspora with a focus on the Americas, especially the United States. As a major, it is interdisciplinary by nature, pulling from history, contemporary studies, cultural studies, political studies, and more. Students interested in majoring in African American Studies should look for programs led by contemporary thought leaders and with research centers connected to the department.
It's equally important to look through the recent course offerings in the department to make sure that what you’re most interested in is covered, such as the intersection of the African diaspora and popular music, or the African diaspora and professional sports, or the African diaspora and criminal justice. There is so much that can fall under the “African American Studies” umbrella that verifying before committing is crucial.
If you are interested in majoring in African American Studies, send us an email. We help students chart a course to a successful future.
Harvard University — Cambridge, Massachusetts
Students in the African and African American Studies major at Harvard select one of two tracks, either the African track or the African American track. Students study the “histories, societies, and cultures of African and African-descended people.” The major is interdisciplinary, comparative, and cross-cultural. Students in the African American Studies track also have opportunities for social engagement classes.
Columbia University — New York, New York
The Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia is affiliated with the Institute for Research in African-American Studies which was founded as an academic research center in 1993 and is directed by Mabel O. Wilson, who is also a professor in the African American Studies major. Courses include “Blackness and Frenchness: A Radical Gene,” and “Popular Music/Protest Movements.”
Howard University — Washington, D.C.
Howard University is seen by many as the place to study African American studies in the United States. As a Historically Black University, their B.A. in Afro-American Studies is globally renowned. Students in the program examine African communities locally, nationally, and globally, and the course of study is “grounded in the need to advance the interests of the African World.”
Rutgers University — Piscataway, New Jersey
The Africana Studies degree program at Rutgers was created, like many others, in 1970 stemming from student reactions to the death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Today, students build upon that foundation through a program that explores “the structure, organization, problems, and perspectives of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora,” including politics and social change in African American communities, Caribbean nations, and other areas of the diaspora.
University of California - Berkeley — Berkeley, California
The African American Studies program at Berkeley is led by Nikki Jones, Professor and Department Chair, is the author of The Chosen Ones: Black Men and the Politics of Redemption and an expert in race and criminal justice in the United States. The program is primarily focused on the United States, but takes a broader “conceptual framework” that “places African Americans within a broader global, diasporic dialogue.”
Yale University — New Haven, Connecticut
African American Studies majors at Yale choose an area of concentration, which is a cluster of five thematically connected courses, such as political science, art history, or literature. The program at one of the best universities in the world examines “questions of race, culture, and modern struggles for equality.”
Brown University — Providence, Rhode Island
At Brown, the Africana Studies program focuses on the diaspora as a whole, not solely in the Americas. It’s ideal for students who want to take a global approach, and especially those interested in study abroad. Students in the program are urged to study abroad and to study a language spoken in Africa and/or by the diaspora. It is a diverse and demanding program that challenges you to push beyond the theory and the books and into practice.
Duke University — Durham, North Carolina
The African & African American Studies major at Duke brings together anthropologists, humanists, political scientists, historians, geneticists, and more to pose challenging questions about race, culture, place, and belonging. Students select from two concentration options: The Americas Focus or The Africa Focus. Courses include “Old Worlds/New Histories, 500-1500 CE” and “Motown and American Soul Music.”
Tulane University — New Orleans, Louisiana
Studying Africana Studies at Tulane is an experience shaped and molded by the university’s location in New Orleans, Louisiana, a hub of culture, food, music, and faith for members of the African diaspora. Building on this, it is an interdisciplinary program that covers “many different contexts of the African Diaspora around the world.” Students are trained to make intellectual connections between issues, places, people, and contexts.
Northwestern University — Evanston, Illinois
The major in African American Studies at Northwestern is relatively small but extremely mighty. It is an interdisciplinary program that is global and comparative. As they say it, “we study Black folks wherever they are, and that’s a lot of places.” Due to the small size of the program, they are able to emphasize opportunities for students to engage with faculty and graduate students outside of the classroom
Degrees in African American or Africana Studies can be applied to many career paths from journalism to law, consulting to education, empowering the students who receive them to go out into the world and make an impact.
If you want to pursue a humanities major at one of the best colleges in the US, send us an email. We help students like you find, and get into, their perfect fit.