List of All U.S. Colleges with a Black Studies Major
Black Studies is a relatively new major on college campuses—the nation’s first Black Studies department was established in 1968 at San Francisco State State University, and was born out of faculty and student activism. More than a half-century later, Black Studies programs are a fixture at schools across the country and have helped pave the way for the creation of other ethnic and gender studies programs. Black Studies is a field that goes by many different names depending on the college offering it. You might also hear it called: Students interested in pursuing a degree in Black Studies are often faced with the question of its practicality. Although the applicability of a Black Studies degree is not as clear-cut a major when compared to a degree such as accounting, those pursuing Black Studies (similar to those graduating from other liberal arts fields) develop interdisciplinary knowledge that spans multiple areas, including the humanities and social sciences. The question isn’t what can you do as a Black Studies major, rather, it’s what can’t you do as a Black Studies major? As the National Council for Black Studies points out, degree holders’ professions range from A (Astronaut) to Z (Zoo administrator). Black Studies is an interdisciplinary major for students interested in learning about the experience of the Black diaspora through the study of their life, culture, and history. The course requirements of a Black Studies degree program vary from school to school. In general, however, students should anticipate taking a diverse courseload covering fields like African Diaspora History, African American Literature, Black Media, and Black Politics and Theory. Students will also have an opportunity to follow their intellectual interests with electives like: Beyond an interest in the experiences of Black Americans and the African diaspora, students enrolling in a Black Studies program need a broad skill set, as the core coursework covers a wide range of information from humanities to the social sciences. The most successful Black Studies majors are critical thinkers who are able to approach problems from multiple perspectives. They’re also excellent oral and written communicators, exceptional researchers, and have a deep understanding of cross-cultural issues. Other valuable skills include the ability to: Famous Black Studies degree holders include: Graduate school is a popular destination for Black Studies majors, as the core skills built and knowledge gained while earning an undergraduate degree provides an excellent foundation for the pursuit of graduate degrees in fields such as law, politics, business, and the arts. Like other graduates with liberal art degrees, students graduating from Black Studies programs are well-suited to a variety of career paths, thanks to a deep and transferable skill set. Common fields for Black Studies majors include: There are differences between every institution’s Black Studies program, but there are some unifying characteristics among the best programs. Several colleges have residential houses for Black students and their allies. For example, at Amherst College, Drew House is a space “where members of the Amherst community can engage in intellectual debate, social activities, artistic expression, and all other endeavors which highlight the accomplishments of Blacks throughout the years and around the world.” These living-learning communities can allow students to feel more confident in their identities, and be a place for like-minded students to participate in enriching activities and activism. Speaking of activism, one important component of Black Studies is advocating for Black rights. If you want to be involved in calling for change, evaluate the availability of student activist groups and events on-campus. You may also consider the location of the college and whether that’s conducive to a safe learning environment, or local activist movements. For example, students in Washington, D.C. have access to many political institutions, resources, and grassroots movements. Studying in predominantly-Black countries provides students with a different perspective on their field, and allows them to explore a wide range of historical and current issues, including: Although not always a requirement for a degree, some Black Studies programs offer classes in relevant languages. Speaking a foreign language can provide an undergraduate additional insight into students’ reading and research, make for a more immersive study abroad experience, and further connect them to the subject matter they are studying. It’s common to see languages like Arabic (commonly spoken in Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Tunisia) and Swahili (common in Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Rwanda Tanzania, South Sudan, and Uganda). Other languages relevant to Black Studies include: Keep in mind that languages like Spanish, French, and Haitian Creole can connect you to Black communities, especially in the Caribbean. The Black experience is fluid and continues to reshape itself within culture and society—look no further than the killing of George Floyd and the massive Black Lives Matter protests it spurred in 2020. The best Black Studies programs have regular lectures and seminars scheduled to keep undergraduates informed of the latest in events, thought, perspectives, and news about the Black experience, and how it impacts the field. School Location Ramapo College of New Jersey | RCNJ Mahwah, New Jersey Seton Hall University South Orange, New Jersey Rutgers University, Newark Newark, New Jersey University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside Riverside, California University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine Irvine, California Drew University Madison, New Jersey North Carolina State University | NC State Raleigh, North Carolina Pomona College Claremont, California Pitzer College Claremont, California Youngstown State University Youngstown, Ohio Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina University of Connecticut | UConn Storrs, Connecticut Berea College Berea, Kentucky Rhodes College Memphis, Tennessee Rutgers University‚ Camden Camden, New Jersey Arizona State University | ASU Tempe, Arizona Florida State University | FSU Tallahassee, Florida Florida A&M University | FAMU Tallahassee, Florida Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois Scripps College Claremont, California Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois Saint Mary’s College of California | St. Mary’s Moraga, California College of Charleston Charleston, South Carolina California State University, Northridge | CSUN Northridge, California University of Memphis Memphis, Tennessee Pennsylvania State University | PSU University Park, Pennsylvania Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana Bloomington, Indiana Indiana State University | ISU Terre Haute, Indiana University of California, Santa Barbara | UCSB Santa Barbara, California Claflin University Orangeburg, South Carolina Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts Wellesley College Wellesley, Massachusetts Loyola University Chicago Chicago, Illinois Earlham College Richmond, Indiana DePauw University Greencastle, Indiana Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana Old Dominion University | ODU Norfolk, Virginia Ohio University Athens, Ohio Denison University Granville, Ohio Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan Eastern Michigan University | EMU Ypsilanti, Michigan Rutgers University‚ New Brunswick | Rutgers New Brunswick, New Jersey Brooklyn College Brooklyn, New York Fordham University Bronx, New York Gettysburg College Gettysburg, Pennsylvania The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo Buffalo, New York Sonoma State University | SSU Rohnert Park, California University of Georgia Athens, Georgia University of North Carolina at Charlotte | UNC Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV Las Vegas, Nevada University of Mississippi | Ole Miss University, Mississippi Stanford University Stanford, California The State University of New York at Stony Brook | SUNY Stony Brook Stony Brook, New York San Diego State University | SDSU San Diego, California Southern Illinois University Carbondale | SIU Carbondale, Illinois Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Boston | UMass Boston Boston, Massachusetts Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee Ohio State University | OSU Columbus, Ohio University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Swarthmore College Swarthmore, Pennsylvania The College of New Jersey | TCNJ Ewing, New Jersey Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Cornell University Ithaca, New York Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire University of Rochester Rochester, New York The State University of New York at Geneseo | SUNY Geneseo Geneseo, New York University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana Luther College Decorah, Iowa California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach State Long Beach, California California State University, Fresno | CSU Fresno Fresno, California University of California, Davis | UC Davis Davis, California University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona The State University of New York at Albany | SUNY Albany Albany, New York University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Miami University Oxford, Ohio University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin Austin, Texas University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley Berkeley, California College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross Worcester, Massachusetts Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Norton, Massachusetts University of New Mexico | UNM Albuquerque, New Mexico Portland State University | PSU Portland, Oregon University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Muhlenberg College Allentown, Pennsylvania Mercer University Macon, Georgia Morehouse College Atlanta, Georgia Morgan State University Baltimore, Maryland Oberlin College Oberlin, Ohio University of Virginia | UVA Charlottesville, Virginia San Francisco State University | SF State San Francisco, California Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | UWM Milwaukee, Wisconsin Smith College Northampton University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst College Amherst, Massachusetts Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, Massachusetts University of Pittsburgh | Pitt Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania University of Maryland Eastern Shore | UMES Princess Anne, Maryland Johns Hopkins University | JHU Baltimore, Maryland University of Maryland, Baltimore County | UMBC Baltimore, Maryland San Jose State University | SJSU San Jose, California University of Montana Missoula, Montana University of Oklahoma Norman, Oklahoma Emory University Atlanta, Georgia Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO Omaha, Nebraska University of Rhode Island | URI Kingston, Rhode Island Rhode Island College | RIC Providence, Rhode Island University of Florida Gainesville, Florida University of North Carolina at Greensboro | UNC Greensboro Greensboro, North Carolina Kent State University Kent, Ohio College of Wooster Wooster, Ohio California State University, Los Angeles | Cal State LA Los Angeles, California Coe College Cedar Rapids, Iowa University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Hamilton College Clinton, New York Syracuse University Syracuse, New York Saint Louis University | SLU Saint Louis, Missouri Washington University in St. Louis | WashU Saint Louis, Missouri Wayne State University | WSU Detroit, Michigan University of Illinois at Chicago | UIC Chicago, Illinois DePaul University Chicago, Illinois Roosevelt University Chicago, Illinois University of California, Los Angeles | UCLA Los Angeles, California Loyola Marymount University | LMU Los Angeles, California Knox College Galesburg, Illinois University of Wyoming Laramie, Wyoming University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida University of Delaware Newark, Delaware University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland College Park, Maryland Western Michigan University | WMU Kalamazoo, Michigan University of Puget Sound Tacoma, Washington East Carolina University | ECU Greenville, North Carolina Indiana University Northwest | IU Northwest Gary, Indiana University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | UIUC Champaign, Illinois Cleveland State University | CSU Cleveland, Ohio University of South Carolina | USC Columbia, South Carolina University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton Vestal, New York University of Northern Colorado | UNC Greeley, Colorado University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut University of South Florida | USF Tampa, Florida Virginia Commonwealth University | VCU Richmond, Virginia University of Pennsylvania | UPenn Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Southern Methodist University | SMU Dallas, Texas University of Southern California | USC Los Angeles, California New York University | NYU New York, New York Columbia University New York, New York Trinity University San Antonio, Texas Colby College Waterville, Maine Bates College Lewiston, Maine University of Washington Seattle, Washington University of Alabama at Birmingham | UAB Birmingham, Alabama University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama Yale University New Haven, Connecticut Howard University Washington DC Georgetown University Washington DC Notice a school with a Black Studies major that’s missing? Email us and let us know! A good predictor of your chances of acceptance at a particular college is how you stack up academically against previously accepted students. Many selective schools use the Academic Index—a calculation of a student’s overall academic performance—to filter out weaker applicants. The better your grades and test scores compared to previous admits, the higher your chances of acceptance. In addition to academic excellence, how a student will fit in and contribute to the college plays a large role in admission decisions. Extracurricular activities like participating or organizing Black Lives Matter protests, volunteering with the NAACP, or working to drive voter turnout in largely Black communities help show colleges that you’re serious about the subject you hope to study, and an active and contributing member of the community. CollegeVine can also help you discover your odds of acceptance. Our free Chancing Engine takes into account factors like GPA, SAT/ACT test score, and extracurricular activities to predict your odds of getting accepted into over 500 colleges and universities.
Overview of a Black Studies Major
What are the course requirements most majors will need to take?
What sort of student would succeed in this major?
Do most students go on to grad school?
What are the popular career paths for this major?
What to Look for in a College as a Black Studies Major
Living-Learning Communities
Student Activism
Study Abroad
Language
Extracurricular Lectures
List of All U.S. Colleges With a Black Studies Major
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
