19 PhD programmes in African Studies

Join the African Studies programme at the University of Birmingham and develop your own independent research project on Africa or its diasporas.

On the African Languages and Cultures programme offered at SOAS University of London supervision is provided for research leading to MPhil and PhD degrees within the broad general area of African studies. 

Join an internationally renowned department of African Studies and Anthropology and conduct anthropological research with a focus on communities in Africa or the African diaspora. Learn more at the African Studies and Anthropology programme from University of Birmingham.

As an interdisciplinary graduate program, the African American Studies (AAS) Ph.D. Program at Emory University—the first program of its kind in the U.S. Southeast—is a highly selective course of study combining the expertise of an esteemed group of more than 50 core and affiliated graduate faculty.

At the Catholic University of America, students on the Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literatures Ph.D. level may specialize in Ancient Northwest Semitic languages (ANWSL) or Near Eastern Christian languages and literatures (NECLL). Students generally continue from an M.A. degree in the department.

The idea of the Orient has changed and been deconstructed by Columbia’s own faculty, but Columbia’s eminence has never wavered. The Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies program is offered by Columbia University.

New York University’s Department of History features a Ph.D. field in the study of the African Diaspora.

The Black Studies program at Northwestern University provides students with the historical background in the experiences of people of African descent, the analytic preparation to carry out rigorous empirical and theoretical research, and the professional development to pursue careers in academia or beyond.

The African Languages specialization areas at Stellenbosch University available for  PhD  study are  similar, and/ or related to those   described  for the Master's degree  Programme above.

The Africana Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania offers three tracks of concentration in African Studies, African American Studies, or Diaspora Studies will allow students to select both a topical and an area studies sub-field

Students in the combined degree Music and African American Studies program at Yale University will complete fourteen term courses 

New York University's Department of History offers a premier site for training in the Ph.D. in African History.  

The School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies from The University of Arizona offering the Middle Eastern and North African Studies PhD is a multi-disciplinary unit focusing on the region extending from Morocco to Afghanistan which includes the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey, providing a full range of language courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish.

The Department of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University offers graduate courses leading to the Master of Arts, and a PhD degrees in African American and African Studies.

The Africana Studies Ph.D. program at Cornell University is a small and high quality program designed to expand knowledge production about peoples of African descent and to train future generations of scholars who will deepen and refine the field.

African American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley focuses on the life, culture, and social organization (broadly defined) of persons of African descent. 

African American Studies at Yale University offers a combined Ph.D. in conjunction with several other departments and programs. 

The African Languages programme offered by University of Gothenburg develops advanced research expertise in African languages and sociolinguistic analysis.

The African American and African Diaspora Studies (AAADS) Ph.D. is an interdisciplinary doctoral program at Indiana University Bloomington focusing on the experiences of people of African descent in the United States, in the African diaspora, and in the world.