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African Studies Schools and Programs in The United States

42 schools in The United States teach African Studies.

  • Stetson University

    University DeLand, The United States In an official register

    Stetson University is an independent institution of higher learning, established in 1883, operating four colleges and schools across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. The Center for International…

African Studies Studies in The United States

African studies is the interdisciplinary study of Africa: its history, cultures, arts, languages, politics and development. In the United States it is taught in programmes and centres that bring together faculty from anthropology, history, political science, literature, art history and other fields, usually with a strong emphasis on African languages. It is related to, but not the same as, African American or Africana studies, which also cover the African diaspora; some universities, such as Duke University with its Department of African & African American Studies, combine both.

How the programmes are organised

In US universities African studies appears in several forms. Undergraduates normally declare their major at the end of the second year, so it can be combined with other subjects from the start:

  • Major within a four-year bachelor's degree, often a Bachelor of Arts
  • Minor or adjunct major alongside another major
  • Master's degree (M.A.) in African studies at a few universities
  • Graduate certificate taken together with a master's degree or PhD in another discipline

The Yale College catalogue gives a typical example of a major: twelve term courses, including two years of an African language such as Kiswahili, Twi, Wolof, Yorùbá, isiZulu or Arabic, a research methods course, four courses in an area of focus such as history, political science or anthropology, and a senior essay. Yale encourages students to spend a summer or a term in Africa during their language study.

At graduate level, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a Master of Arts in African Studies of 34 credit hours, with or without a thesis, and requires proficiency in a language indigenous to Africa at advanced (third-year) level. Northwestern University's Program of African Studies, organised in 1948 by Melville J. Herskovits, does not grant degrees itself: it awards an adjunct major and minor for undergraduates and a graduate certificate for PhD students who complete six courses with African content and show competence in an African language.

Admission, English and visa

For a bachelor's degree you need to have finished secondary school and generally be at least 17. US universities require an English language proficiency test before admission. For a master's degree you need a bachelor's degree; the Illinois M.A., for example, accepts degrees from recognised institutions abroad, asks for a grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and a TOEFL iBT score of at least 79, and admits students in the fall term only. EducationUSA advises starting your search 12 to 18 months before the academic year in which you want to enrol.

To get a student visa you must first be accepted by an institution certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which issues the Form I-20 (or DS-2019 for exchange programmes). Degree students normally use the F visa.

Where to study African studies in the United States

The 43 schools on this page include many large research universities. Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Miami each have two. Examples include Harvard University, Yale University, Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), The Ohio State University, The University of Texas at Austin, Duke University and Johns Hopkins University, as well as liberal arts colleges such as Wellesley College, Bryn Mawr College and Dartmouth College.

Some universities have long-established Africa centres with large research resources. UCLA's James S. Coleman African Studies Center was founded in 1959 as a US National Resource Center and publishes the journals African Arts and Ufahamu. The Center for African Studies at Illinois dates from 1970. Northwestern's Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, founded in 1954, holds more than 400,000 volumes and over 20,000 books in more than 300 African languages. When comparing programmes, check which African languages are taught, whether study abroad in Africa is supported and whether the subject is a full degree, a major or a certificate.

Costs

Tuition is set by each institution. State universities are generally larger and less expensive than private universities. Graduate centres often offer their own fellowships and travel grants; check the eligibility rules for international students on each centre's site.

Careers

African studies is a liberal arts subject rather than a professional qualification. Yale describes the major as useful for graduate or professional school and for careers in education, journalism, law, management, medicine, politics, international relations and social work. Duke lists education, business, law, politics, media and publishing, international relations, development or humanitarian aid, and global health. A doctorate is the degree for a career as a research scholar or professor; students who choose this route usually take a PhD in a discipline such as history, anthropology or political science, often with a graduate certificate in African studies.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to speak an African language to study African studies in the US?

No, but you will usually study one. Majors such as Yale's require two years of an African language, and the Illinois M.A. requires advanced (third-year) proficiency in a language indigenous to Africa.

Is there a master's degree in African studies in the United States?

Yes, at some universities. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for example, offers a 34-credit-hour Master of Arts in African Studies. Elsewhere, graduate students often earn a certificate in African studies alongside a degree in another discipline.

What is the difference between African studies and African American studies?

African studies focuses on the African continent. African American and Africana studies also cover people of African descent in the United States and the wider diaspora; some departments, such as Duke's, combine both.