African Studies

Types of Degrees African Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many african studies graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	110
Master’s Degree	30
Basic Certificate	26
Graduate Certificate	23
Doctor’s Degree	4

What African Studies Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to african studies were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for African Studies Majors

African Studies majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Skills for African Studies Majors

When studying african studies, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for African Studies Majors

As you progress with your african studies degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a African Studies Major?

People with a african studies degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in African Studies?

The major attracts more women than men. About 75% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of african studies majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	64
Hispanic or Latino	14
White	17
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	11

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in African Studies. About 2.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to African Studies

Some degrees associated with african studies may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for african studies careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.2%
Master’s Degree	31.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	3.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.1%
Doctoral Degree	61.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	4.0%

Online African Studies Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	11	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	12	0
Post-Master’s	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to African Studies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to african studies.

Major	Number of Grads
American U.S. Studies	1,225
Regional Studies (U.S., Canadian, Foreign)	744
Asian Studies	730
Area Studies, Other	640
East Asian Studies	593
Latin American Studies	537
Near & Middle Eastern Studies	336
French Studies	136
European Studies	135
Russian Studies	115
Latin American & Caribbean Studies	102
German Studies	101
Central & Eastern European Studies	89
Italian Studies	85
Chinese Studies	71
Western European Studies	69
Japanese Studies	63
Spanish & Iberian Studies	49
South Asian Studies	43
Pacific Area/Pacific Rim Studies	36
Scandinavian Studies	24
Southeast Asian Studies	14
Ural-Altaic & Central Asian Studies	11
Appalachian Studies	8
Korean Studies	6
Irish Studies	6
Slavic Studies	4
Commonwealth Studies	3
Canadian Studies	1
Caribbean Studies	1

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Karl Udo Gerth under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.