Graduate Program

Our Master of Arts Program is designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in the literature and research of African-American Studies, and enable them to produce critical analysis and research about the complex and historically specific experiences of Africans in the Americas. However, students will also be expected to demonstrate how those experiences have contributed to, and been shaped by, political, cultural and economic forces both nationally and globally.

For social service and health professionals who deliver services to African-American populations, the degree of Master of Arts in African-American Studies will enhance their understanding of the complex social, cultural and historical experiences of these communities, which will lead to more effective delivery of service.

For teachers or education administrators at the secondary or community college level, the degree of Master of Arts in African-American Studies will enhance their understanding of race relations between all actors in the school environment. It will also enable them to develop curricula and courses that address specific ethnic/racial groups who have been integral to the American experience and have contributed significantly to American culture.

For professionals engaged in producing cultural representations (encompassing everything from museum curators to advertising executives), the degree of Master of Arts in African-American Studies will enhance their understanding of the shared and unique social indices, historical experiences and the patterns and processes of culture of the people of African descent.

For students who plan to go on to complete a doctorate, the M.A. program can provide them with a solid foundation from which they can effectively pursue a Ph.D. program; and provide them with an area of expertise in African-American Studies that will serve as a basis for teaching and further research once they complete the doctorate.

Our graduate program builds on the unique synergy created between the Institute’s programs and the Harlem community. The graduate students matriculating into the M.A. program are expected to participate in the ongoing lecture series and contribute to the proceedings of the conferences sponsored by the Institute. This promotes a critical exchange between our graduate students and our undergraduate majors, as well as the intellectuals, community leaders and social service providers who regularly attend the activities of the Institute. The faculty encourages and facilitates building relationships between our students and members of the Harlem community, so that students can develop community-based research projects

• Admission & Program Requirements