MA in African American & Black Diaspora Studies at Boston University

Programme overview

The Master of Arts degree is focused on building conceptual and research skills that allow students to become critical investigators of cross-cultural interaction and the historical contexts of race, power, and the formation of knowledge. It is also meant to empower students with an advanced understanding and study of diversity, which will enable them to pursue both higher academic and other professional endeavors.

Faculty: Graduate School of Arts & Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Boston, MA, United States

What you will study

Candidates for the MA in African American & Black Diaspora Studies must complete eight courses (32 units). The course requirements are as follows: CAS AA 591 Black Thought: Literary and Cultural Criticism in the African Diaspora

Official programme page

Application information

USD 73,024 a year (2026-27). Full-time tuition (12-18 credits per semester, $36,512 per semester) for Graduate School of Arts & Sciences master's students for 2026-27, as stated on the CAS cost of attendance page. Tuition only: excludes student services and health & wellness fees, he Source

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences master's programmes admit for Fall 2027; Spring 2027 entry is offered for selected programmes (Economics MS programmes, History of Art & Architecture MA, Preservation Studies MA, Online MS in Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence).

Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Fall 2027 master's deadlines are mostly priority January 15 and final March 15 (African American & Black Diaspora Studies priority February 15, final March 15; Preservation Studies February 15; Sociology and History of Art & Architecture January 15). Spring 2027 deadlines for selected programmes are priority October 15 and final November 15. Applications are submitted through the online application; the GRE is required only for the Economics MS/MA programmes and the MS in Psychological & Brain Sciences.

Explore more study programmes

Arts & Humanities