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African Studies

Types of Degrees African Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in African Studies can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	122
Master’s Degree	81
Doctor’s Degree	5

What African Studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for African Studies build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that African Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in African Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a African Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to African Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, African Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by African Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for African Studies graduates include:

• Women’s Studies Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• College Professor
• American Studies Professor
• Latin American Studies Professor
• Black Studies Professor
• Associate Professor
• African Studies Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Gender Studies Lecturer
• Lecturer
• Hawaiian Studies Lecturer
• Ethnology Professor
• Asian Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to African Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in African Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.6% of African Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	137	65.6%
Men	72	34.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of African Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	39	18.7%
Asian	8	3.8%
Hispanic or Latino	23	11.0%
Black or African American	102	48.8%
Two or More Races	16	7.7%
Race Unknown	2	1.0%
International Students	19	9.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do African Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of African Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,815
4 years	$54,317
5 years	$64,382

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,382 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in African Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, African Studies graduates earn a median of $54,317 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Area Studies	05.01
American/United States Studies/Civilization	05.0102
Appalachian Studies	05.0135
Arctic Studies	05.0136
Area Studies, Other	05.0199
Asian Studies/Civilization	05.0103
Balkans Studies	05.0116
Baltic Studies	05.0117
Canadian Studies	05.0115
Caribbean Studies	05.0119
Chinese Studies	05.0123
Commonwealth Studies	05.0121

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.