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African American Studies

Types of Degrees African American Studies Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	4
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	751
Master’s Degree	129
Doctor’s Degree	37

What African American Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in African American 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

The skill set built by a African American 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.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to African American Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

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

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, African American 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 American Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
YouTube	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Social media software	Web page creation and editing software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for African American Studies graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• Humanities Professor
• Faculty Lecturer
• Gender Studies Professor
• College Professor
• American Studies Professor
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• Women’s Studies Professor
• Ethnology Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• Ethnic Studies Professor
• Associate Professor
• Lecturer
• Black Studies Professor
• Latin American Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to African American 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 American Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.4% of African American Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	640	69.4%
Men	282	30.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	64	6.9%
Asian	14	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	84	9.1%
Black or African American	614	66.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	106	11.5%
Race Unknown	18	2.0%
International Students	21	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do African American Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of African American 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	$32,619
4 years	$46,128
5 years	$53,144

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $53,144 — roughly 63% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online African American Studies Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for African American Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	4	3
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in African American Studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, African American Studies graduates earn a median of $46,128 four years after completion — roughly 21% 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
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	05.02
American Indian/Native American Studies	05.0202
Asian-American Studies	05.0206
Comparative Group Studies	05.0212
Deaf Studies	05.0211
Disability Studies	05.0210
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other	05.0299
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies	05.0200
Folklore Studies	05.0209
Gay/Lesbian Studies	05.0208
Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies	05.0203
Women’s Studies	05.0207

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.