African-American Studies

Program Category: MA Programs
Chair: Mabel Wilson
Director of Graduate Studies: Brandi Summers
Website: https://afamstudies.columbia.edu/
Email Address: [email protected]
Degree Programs: Full-Time/Part-Time: Free-Standing MA

To view this program's application requirements, please click here.

The African-American Studies MA program is designed to provide graduate-level training in African-American studies to scholars, teachers, and professionals whose career or professional needs may be furthered or served by intensive scholarly engagement. The program provides students with a thorough grounding in the literature and research of African-American studies, and enables them to produce critical analysis and research about the complex and historically specific experiences of Africans in the Americas. Students also learn how those experiences have contributed to and been shaped by political, cultural, and economic forces both nationally and globally.

To fulfill the MA degree requirements, students must take two residence Units (30 points of graduate credit) and complete an MA thesis. It is possible to complete the degree in two semesters.

The master's program in African-American Studies is affiliated with Columbia's Institute for Research in African-American Studies.

Special Admissions Requirements

In addition to the requirements listed below, all students must submit one transcript showing courses and grades per school, a statement of academic purpose, a writing sample (a course paper, term paper, etc.), a personal statement, and three letters of evaluation from academic sources.

All applicants whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English must submit English proficiency exam scores. The English proficiency requirement can be fulfilled through the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

For more information, refer to our Admissions Information and Frequently Asked Questions pages.

*To be eligible for admission in GSAS, at least TWO letters must be submitted by academic recommenders. You may include up to four letters in your application, regardless of the number required by your program of interest.