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THE DEPARTMENT
Penn State is one of the nation’s leading research institutions of higher education, as well as a land-grant institution. Penn State is a member of the Big Ten Conference and its related academic consortium of twelve major universities – the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC). Located at the University Park campus, The Department of African and African American Studies offers both B.A. and B.S degrees. The number of students in the bachelors degree program in African and African American Studies is
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
“After graduation, I went to Morocco with the Peace Corps, where I taught ESL (English as a Second Language) to high school students; it was a great experience. After the Peace Corps I moved to Washington, DC, and worked for a number of non-profits, switching back and forth between international education and international health; I worked at the Egyptian Embassy, and most of my jobs were funded by USAID, the international aid program of the State Department; I got a MS in Development Management from American University; then I got a job with the American College of Nurse-Midwives, in their international programs division; with ACNM I went to Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, not to mention Indonesia! ” Lori Kurtz-Larken ’83
A bachelor degree in African and African American Studies (AAA S) prepares students for a career in many different fields. The Department offers three different majors at the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science level: African and African American studies, African Studies, and in Law and Social Justice. The department also offers three minors in African American Studies, African Studies, and in Black Diaspora Studies.
Students interested in an African and African American Studies major will learn to think critically, speak and write articulately and gain a broader cultural appreciation that will better prepare them for their future endeavors. Increasingly, more of our undergraduate majors participate in the University Scholars Program, internship opportunities and education abroad. Graduates of the Penn State undergraduate degree program in African and African American Studies will find that a variety of opportunities await them, whether they seek employment or post-graduate education. Depending on a student’s particular interest, employment opportunities exist with private employers, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Alumni who have graduated with a Liberal Arts degree in African and African American Studies have found careers in law, policy analysis, business management, health care and many other diverse occupations.
FOR INFORMATION
To learn more about the African and Afncan American Studies major or minor, please contact Maureen Mulenga at mmulenga@la.psu.edu or 814-863-8435.