What Can I Do With a Major in... African American Studies

African American Studies focuses on the study of people of the African descent in the United States and the African diaspora.  This field is open to all Liberal Arts students and can be taken as a major or minor.  Core courses in this field encompass a wide range of issues, allowing students to tailor their study to an area of interest to them.  Faculty appointed to this department also teach in other disciplines, facilitating cross-curricular learning and deepening the academic benefit to students.  A senior seminar is required for all and focuses on creating and conducting research projects in this emerging area of study.  With these tools in hand, a degree in African American Studies allows students to work in research fields and a wide-range of degree seeking industries.  Also, many graduate programs look upon African American Studies majors as students with passions for learning and cultural exploration.

General Career Information
 
Sample Job Titles
  • Advocate
  • Business Manager
  • Civil Services Worker
  • Field Organizer
  • Historian
  • Public Service Worker
  • Social Worker
  • Museum Curator
  • Non-profit Foundation Manager
  • Professor

Show All Job Titles

These job titles are not an exhaustive list, but rather, represent the types of positions most widely recruited for.

  • Advocate
  • Assistant Director of Education
  • Attorney
  • Case Worker
  • Children's Film Festival Organizer
  • Citizen Outreach Director
  • Communications Department Associate
  • Community Organizer
  • Cultural Affairs Officer
  • Customer Service Associate
  • Editorial Assistant
  • Field Organizer
  • Foreign Aid Worker
  • Foreign Service Officer
  • Historical Preservationist
  • Museum Curator
  • News Analyst
  • Non-Profit Foundation Manager
  • Police Officer
  • Political Analyst/Strategist
  • Professor
  • Public Service Worker
  • Social Worker
  • State Government Worker
  • Teacher
  • United Nations Representative
  • Writer
 
Employment Areas
  • Academia
  • Government
  • Private Corporations
  • Non-profit Organizations
  • Publicly Traded Corporations
 
Job and Internship Listings
Professional Organizations

 

 
Organizations That Have Hired UI Students and Alumni
  • The University of Iowa
  • Shelter House
  • University of Iowa Orientation Services

    This is only a partial list - to view a complete list of organizations that recruit UI students and alumni, please visit:
    www.careers.uiowa.edu/students/uirecruit.html

 
Additional Resources
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