Undergraduate

Tangible, transferable skills

In addition to conveying significant subject matter information, our undergraduate degrees offer you a chance to develop a strong set of transferable skills. In the process of obtaining either the AAADS B.A. degree or one of the four AAADS interdepartmental degrees, you gain expertise that is sought after within education, business, the arts, government, and in social service organizations. You gain critical thinking skills that work across many domains and communities.

Our graduates go into politics, community organizing, law, research, management, or into a wide variety of jobs that address the need for more understanding of diversity within the workplace. You learn how to learn, how to communicate with authority and empathy, and how to show up—even when the circumstances are challenging.

Start early and finish strong

From your first day on campus until the moment you receive your diploma—and beyond—we help you think ahead to make use of your education in the world of work and your future career.

You learn how to hone those abilities employees are seeking: Effective communication. Problem solving. Empathy and enthusiasm. Information analysis. Persuasive reasoning.

Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and Eduventures shows that the skills employers want to see in new hires are among the top skills students develop at IU.

Job fairs, we are there

Preparing for your career journey begins the first day you set foot on campus. Think of it as a way to imagine the many possible channels that open up as you pursue your education. We have a nine-step career exploration process at IU designed to make the future less overwhelming. From the assistance you get from academic and career advisors to the potential employers you’ll meet at job fairs, we are there with real world advice and counsel.

Begin thinking early about how your degree can help you move into a career. A good exploration starting point is an appointment with the African American and African Diaspora career advisor.

The Walter Center for Career Achievement offers job search resources, career courses, job fairs, information about internships and full-time jobs, and help with social media networking through professional organizations. Get advice about how to write your resume, ask for letters of recommendation from faculty and workplace supervisors, and prepare for job interviews.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers career information about hundreds of occupations. Your career advisor can direct you to this and other resources.

Network within Career Communities

Explore and enroll in Career Communities at the Walter Center to learn more about industries relevant to your interests. These offer unique information about each field, including alumni spotlights, opportunities and resources, and in-person events. Career Communities give you a chance to meet people and explore widely, while thinking about the kind of workplace environment you find most rewarding.

You can even take a career course to help you maximize your time at IU. College of Arts and Sciences students should consider taking ASCS-Q 299 – College to Career III: Market Yourself for the Job and Internship Search. This course provides strategies and tools necessary to successfully market the qualifications you gain from an Arts and Sciences education. It gives you time to reflect on how you’ll achieve your career-related goals, while showing you how to plan for lifelong career development.

Entering the job market

A major in African American and African Diaspora Studies prepares you for work in a wide variety of industries and work environments. Students can take their broad set of knowledge and skills into many different fields and career paths.

An AAADS B.A. degree prepares you for work in education, research, academia, health care, government, nonprofit organizations, performing arts, and business. Our graduates have become educators, attorneys, social workers, doctors, musicians, artists, librarians, lobbyists, filmmakers, nonprofit directors, human resources specialists, consultants, entrepreneurs, and much more.

Talk with AAADS faculty, our academic advisor and other students to gain insights into the variety of career paths taken by graduates of the African American and African Diaspora Department and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Post-graduate short-term experiences

After graduation, a short-term experience or internship can help you make connections, gain life skills, and assess your interest in future careers. Talk with your career advisor and use these and other resources to find opportunities that are a good fit with your educational experience and career goals:

Fellowships for post-graduate study

Fellowships are temporary post-graduate opportunities to conduct research, work in a field, or fund graduate school. Most opportunities can be found through universities, nonprofit, and government organizations.

Fellowships worth investigating include:

Graduate and professional study

When applying to graduate or professional schools, you’ll need letters of recommendation from faculty members who are familiar with your work. Make a practice of attending office hours early in your academic career to get to know your professors and discuss your options for advanced study in the field.

A B.A. degree in African American and African Diaspora Studies can prepare you for entry into graduate programs in a wide variety of fields, such as politics, education, consulting, research, nonprofit management, and business.

With careful planning, and in consultation with the Health Professions and Prelaw Center, you can also prepare to enter law school, medical school, or other programs in the health professions.

Students who pursue graduate studies after earning the AAADS B.A. degree have gone into careers with top academic and research institutions, education, local, state, and federal government, nonprofit organizations, business and entrepreneurship.

You might consider these Indiana University graduate opportunities:

Learn more in the AAADS major guides

African American and African Diaspora Studies B.A.
Interdepartmental Major in AAAD and REL B.A.
Interdepartmental Major in History and AAADS B.A.
Interdepartmental Major in Sociology and AAADS B.A.