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Studies & Degrees in African Studies

African Studies is an interdisciplinary field that looks at the African continent from several angles at once: history, politics, economics, languages, literature, religion, music and the arts. Leiden University describes its master's programme as a way to learn about Africa from historical, literary, cultural, socio-economic and political perspectives. In North America the field often sits next to, or inside, departments that also study the African diaspora. Wellesley College, for example, calls its department Africana Studies and covers the Africana world in Africa, the United States, the Caribbean and South America.

As an organised academic field it dates from the middle of the twentieth century. The African Studies Centre Leiden was founded in 1947 as the Afrika-Instituut. Melville J. Herskovits organised the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University in 1948. The African Studies Association, the main membership organisation in the field, was established in 1957 and has almost 2,000 members. The James S. Coleman African Studies Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was founded in 1959.

Qualifications and levels

  • Minor, certificate or adjunct major. Many universities do not offer a stand-alone bachelor's degree. Students take African Studies next to a main discipline such as history, anthropology or political science. Northwestern grants an adjunct major and a minor at undergraduate level and a certificate at graduate level.
  • Bachelor's degree. Some universities offer a full major. UCLA lists an African and Middle Eastern Studies major, and Wellesley College has an Africana major and minor.
  • Master's degree. The MA in African Studies at Leiden University is taught in English, lasts one year and includes a ten-week research project with an organisation in Africa or in an Africa-related setting. UCLA lists an African Studies MA. In Spain, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) offers the official Máster en Relaciones Internacionales y Estudios Africanos: one year, 60 ECTS credits, taught in Spanish on campus, with 30 places. The UAM gives an approximate first-enrolment price of €2,736, or €5,079 for non-resident students from outside the EU (page checked in October 2026).
  • Doctorate. Research degrees are usually taken in a discipline with an African focus, or in area studies schools such as the Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies at Kyoto University, which has a Division of African Area Studies.

Language training is part of many programmes; Northwestern mentions language training and study abroad among the activities of its programme. On the continent itself, the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana runs undergraduate and graduate programmes, with sections for history and politics; language, literature and drama; media and visual arts; and music and dance.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 57 active schools for African Studies. Forty-three are in the United States, three in Ghana and two in Canada. Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Morocco, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, India and Japan have one each. English is the main language of instruction in most of these countries; the UAM master's is taught in Spanish.

US schools on the list include Northwestern University, UCLA, Yale University, The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Duke University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pittsburgh, The Ohio State University and Wellesley College. At Yale the Council on African Studies coordinates the study of Africa across the university, and the department at Texas offers graduate degrees in African and African Diaspora Studies. Outside the United States the list includes the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Kyoto University and the International People's College in Helsingør, Denmark. The last one is a folk high school: a non-formal residential school where no grades are given, so it does not award a degree.

When comparing programmes, check whether the course is a full degree or a minor, which African languages are taught, whether fieldwork or study abroad in Africa is included, and what library and research centre the university has.

Careers

African Studies does not lead to one regulated profession. Leiden University reports that its graduates work in cultural organisations, education, policy-making, development, publishing, public relations and journalism. Wellesley College mentions graduate school and careers in education, health care, finance, journalism, law and city planning.

There are no official employment statistics for area studies graduates as a group. For those who go on to research, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that anthropologists and archaeologists typically need at least a master's degree and projects employment in that occupation to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take a full bachelor's degree in African Studies?

At some universities, yes, but often it is offered as a minor, a certificate or an adjunct major next to another discipline. Northwestern University, for example, grants an adjunct major and a minor.

How long does a master's degree in African Studies take?

The MA at Leiden University lasts one year. The official master's in international relations and African studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid also lasts one year and has 60 ECTS credits.

Is African Studies the same as Africana or African American Studies?

Not exactly. African Studies focuses on the continent. Africana and African diaspora studies also cover people of African descent elsewhere, such as the United States, the Caribbean and South America.

Where is African Studies taught?

Mostly in the United States, with 43 of the 57 schools in the SpainExchange directory. Ghana has three and Canada two, and nine other countries, including Spain, have one each.