Africana Studies Major, B.A.

Author Dorothy West wrote, “To know how much there is to know is the beginning of learning to live.”

As an MSU Denver Africana Studies major, you will come to learn “how much there is to know” about the global African experience — and in the process, come to understand more about the world and how you want to contribute to it.

By combining the study of history, literature and the social sciences with a focus on Black communities worldwide, MSU Denver’s Africana Studies program will illuminate the profound influences people of African descent have had on civilization. As part of your in-depth exploration of Africana Studies, you will complete a capstone research course/seminar, receive opportunities for internships, travel study and relevant campus leadership experiences.

The MSU Denver Africana Studies program is one of only two in Colorado. Designed to prepare you to be a citizen of a multicultural, connected world, your Africana Studies major will help equip you with the intellectual skills and professional foundation to pursue graduate studies or start a career. You can also incorporate your Africana Studies major into Elementary Education or Secondary Teacher Licensure.

MSU Denver offers one of only two Africana Studies degree programs in Colorado.

An MSU Denver education emphasizes experiential learning as well as academics. As an Africana Studies major you can take advantage of the following:

The Gullah Experience: This travel-study course offers you the opportunity to experience the Gullah culture in South Carolina’s Sea Islands.

Internships: Complete an internship in the Denver community. Africana Studies students have interned at SCOPE International and local community organizations such as the African Community Centre in Denver.

Annual Black World Conference: Hosted by the Africana Studies Department, the conference brings scholars, authors, luminaries and community members together to shed light on issues of concern to Black communities worldwide.

Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professorship: The Noel Professorship brings noted artists and scholars to MSU Denver to teach, perform and/or lecture on campus and in the Denver community. Past Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professors include author Iyanla Vanzant, pianist Billy Taylor and Harvard Professor Cornel West.

Student activities: Participate in student organizations like the African Student Union, Black Student Alliance, the Ngaathaje Development Project and Support Africa Empowerment Foundation International (SAFI).

MSU Denver offers a diverse and engaged community of faculty, staff and students and is located minutes from Denver’s central business district and not far from the Colorado Capitol, the Black American West Museum, the Stiles African American Heritage Center and the city’s traditionally African-American neighborhood, Five Points.

MSU Denver Africana Studies program graduates can pursue a range of careers such as:

• Artist
• Attorney
• Community organizer
• Education administrator
• Health services administrator
• Human rights worker
• Journalist
• K-12 teacher
• Librarian
• Museum curator
• Nurse
• Nutritionist
• Peace Corps worker
• Physician
• Politician
• Social worker
• Business owner

Graduates from MSU Denver’s Africana Studies program have gone on to work at places such as:

• Denver Public Schools
• Union Institute and University
• Teach for America
• Community College of Denver
• Impact Hub Oakland
• Baker & Hostetler
• State of Colorado Department of Public Safety
• Grocery Getter Organic
• Comcast
• AARP

Africana Studies alumni have been accepted for graduate study at the following schools:

• Syracuse University
• North Carolina Central University
• University of Denver
• Clark University
• Portland State University
• Union Institute and University