The M.A. program in African American and African Diaspora Studies (AAADS) provides a theoretical base of knowledge and a context for analyzing African American and diaspora experiences. This experience can be invaluable in further graduate studies or within a wide array of careers.
AAADS M.A.
- Is this program a good fit for you?
The AAADS M.A. program attracts students from a variety of backgrounds and interests. They typically have some of the following qualities:
- Interest in both academic and nonacademic communities’ scholarship of the highest quality dealing with the broad range of the African American and African Diaspora experiences.
- Interest in the study and understanding of the historical and contemporary connections among Africans, African Americans, and other New World black communities.
- Interest in the democratic tradition of equal opportunity for all by combating all forms of discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, class, and religious differences and orientation.
- Interest in research that aids in the development and shaping of African American and African Diaspora Studies as an interdisciplinary discipline.
- Undergraduate degrees that best prepare you for our program
- Any Humanities or Social Science degree
- Music, Dance, or Theater
- Media Studies
- Public Affairs/Public Policy
- Program overview + highlights
Our AAADS M.A. program focuses on the following goals:
- To offer students an intense program in the analysis of African American issues as they relate to historical and contemporary problems
- To expose students to both historical and current methodological approaches useful in developing frameworks for evaluating and re-articulating experiences of African descended peoples throughout the world
- To expose students to social, political, cultural, religious, educational, economic, and public policy issues throughout the African Diaspora
- To refine critical and problem-solving skills in both the humanities and social sciences, while understanding how the performing, visual, material, and literary arts help to illuminate different paths to diverse and inclusive analysis
- To provide solid backgrounds in Africana theory, methods, interpretative analysis, and other modes of research as well as writing essential to being admitted to and performing well in doctoral programs
- Funding sources
Our department offers fellowships for M.A. students. AAADS M.A. students may also serve as assistant instructors.
- Career opportunities
Some possible career paths include:
K-12 education
D. in various disciplines
Non-profit agency
State and federal government
Research and cultural centers
Community organizing
Political and cultural analyst/critic
Entertainment Industry
Director/Researcher at national and regional archives, libraries, and museums
Other fields that rely on research and writing skills- Application requirements
- A. degree from an accredited college or university
- Transcript(s); minimum grade point average (G.P.A.) of 3.0
- Letters of recommendation
- A brief personal essay
- A high-quality writing sample
GRE NOTE: Our program does not require the GRE.
More information about these requirements can be found on our website: https://aaads.indiana.edu/graduate/how-to-apply.html.
Coursework or skills recommended for admission
- Completed at least three African American or African Diaspora courses
- Recommended: courses on Black literature or music
- If possible, an internship involving African American and African descended communities in the United States