How to Get a PhD in Ethnic Studies

Ethnic studies emerged about forty years ago as part of an effort to broaden the scope of cultural studies in the academy. Before the ethnic studies movement, social science and humanities disciplines reflected primarily the United States' European heritage. Ethnic studies introduced research into African, Asian, Latino, and Native American experiences in the U.S. As one account puts it, "Ethnic Studies was created to teach the stories, histories, struggles, and triumphs of people of color on their own terms." Today, ethnic studies encompasses a range of ethnic specialties, as well as theoretical inquiry into racial identity formation.

A PhD in ethnic studies qualifies you to contribute your voice to a vibrant body of cultural scholarship. You may apply your degree to guide undergraduates to a deeper understanding of the United States' diverse culture, or use your perspective to impact social policy and research.

A Guide to the PhD in Ethnic Studies

An overview of the ethnic studies discipline and doctoral program can help you focus your academic interests and objectives.

History of Ethnic Studies as an Academic Discipline

Ethnic studies is a relatively recent phenomenon in academic study, born of the civil rights movement of the late-1960s and 1970s. The first ethnic studies departments were created in response to student protests at San Francisco State University and UC Berkeley in 1968 and 1969. The protests were intended to shake up an academic curriculum dominated by European perspectives, and to encourage scholarship in African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian American cultures. With the establishment of The National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES) in 1972, ethnic studies gained nationwide recognition as a distinct academic discipline within the academy.

Ethnic studies departments typically focus on comparative race studies, with an emphasis on exposing and analyzing the "social, political, and economic conditions that shape and create 'race'." They often involve interdisciplinary study, drawing on a range of social science and humanities disciplines. Literature, anthropology, sociology, and history are some of the fields that offer specializations in ethnic or cultural studies. In addition, ethnic studies draws on disciplines that focus on a specific racial identity--African American studies, Asian American studies, Chicano studies, Latino studies, Middle Eastern studies, and Native American studies.

Doctoral Degrees in Ethnic Studies

There are approximately thirty ethnic studies programs nationwide, but only a handful offer PhD degrees in ethnic studies. To extend your options, consider PhD degrees in related fields with a concentration in ethnic studies. Consider humanities and social science disciplines such as:

  • Sociology
  • Anthropology
  • American Studies
  • Cultural Studies
  • Social Psychology

Specializations

Ethnic studies PhD programs encourage students to develop their own interdisciplinary approach to studying ethnic identity and racial formation. Some of the ethnicities included under the ethnic studies umbrella include:

  • African American Studies
  • Asian American Studies
  • Filipino Studies
  • Chicano and Latino Studies
  • Native American Studies
  • Southeast Asian Studies

Ethnic studies specializations may focus on an issue or feature of cultural expression, such as:

  • Ethnology
  • Ethnomusicology
  • Folklore
  • Migration
  • Immigration and Citizenship
  • Indigenous Transnationalism
  • Race, Gender, and Class Intersections
  • Theory of Race and Power
  • Cultural Politics

Some ethnic studies specializations focus on a particular geographical context, such as:

  • Pacific Islands
  • Canada
  • Mexico and U.S. Borderland

Given the interdisciplinary and comparative nature of ethnic studies, you can expect to take an active role in designing your own area of specialization.

Career Track

A PhD in ethnic studies can lead to a range of academic or professional careers involving research and scholarship, teaching, or policy analysis.

Academic Careers. Most ethnic studies PhD graduates go on to academic careers, taking jobs as tenure-track or assistant university professors. An academic faculty position combines original research and scholarship with undergraduate teaching.

Professional Careers. Other graduates pursue professional careers outside of academia, in areas such as public policy, nonprofit administration, applied research, and museum administration. Sample professional job titles include:

  • Civil rights attorney
  • Writer and cultural critic
  • Media researcher
  • Senior research associate at a private 'think tank' or government agency
  • Education administrator
  • Political consultant
  • Director of a nonprofit or government program
  • Public policy advocate

    Plan for a PhD in Ethnic Studies

    A clear vision of your academic goals will help you find and apply to programs that meet your requirements. The following steps will take you from program research to the acceptance letter.

    Step One: Find the Right Graduate Ethnic Studies Program

    Program research is a critical element in preparing for a graduate ethnic studies degree. The challenge is to find PhD programs that accommodate your practical needs and support advanced scholarship in your chosen specialty area.

    1. Find Accredited PhD Programs

    Start by developing a list of accredited PhD programs in ethnic studies. To broaden your degree options, consider doctoral programs in related social science and humanities fields with a concentration in ethnic studies.

    When researching, pay attention to doctorates accredited by an independent accrediting agency. Accreditation is an important baseline measure of quality--in addition to affirming the value of your PhD, accreditation factors into your eligibility for federal financial aid. The U.S. Department of Education maintains a database of approved accreditation agencies.

    Resources

    The National Association for Ethnic Studies maintains a comprehensive list of universities with ethnic studies programs. Browse these links to identify doctoral programs in the field.

    WorldWideLearn.com represents a selection of accredited online and campus doctoral programs in ethnic studies and related fields such as sociology, cultural history, Asian studies, etc. Search Degrees by Subject or browse a list of university partners.

    Peterson's publishes Graduate Programs in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, an annually updated guide to graduate degrees in the U.S.

    2. Consider Your Program Access Requirements

    Though online PhD programs in ethnic studies are rare, more and more campus doctorates are incorporating online technology into the curriculum. This is an important development for mid-career adults who lack the flexibility to attend a full-time campus degree program. Universities will become increasingly open to students pursuing their education, research, and even undergraduate teaching through online media.

    If full-time campus residency is a burden for you, stay alert to the availability of online alternatives as you explore programs. You're likely to find more online delivery options in broader social science and humanities disciplines such as sociology and public policy.

    Resources

    Explore program format options at WorldWideLearn.com. The Online Degree Programs and Campus Education sections can help you identify social science and humanities degrees that support online or hybrid campus-online program delivery. You can also search campus degrees by location to determine whether there are any ethnic studies PhD programs in your local area.

    3. Explore Academic Programs

    The critical stage in your program research takes you into the details of academic program resources and requirements. Pay attention to the following factors to get a sense of each PhD program's unique orientation:

    • Program structure (Is the ethnic studies degree part of a department, an interdisciplinary program drawing on resources in other departments, or a concentration within another discipline?)
    • Specializations and interdisciplinary programs
    • Faculty research areas
    • Research facilities: library and museum collections, etc.
    • Curriculum and course requirements
    • Special programs: foundations, conferences, publications, research centers, etc.
    Resources

    WorldWideLearn.com helps you save time and cover more ground in your program research by automatically matching you with schools that fit your requirements. Fill out an online form indicating your academic program criteria, and a school representative will contact you to answer your questions about the program.

    School Web Sites cover most of the information listed above. Look for downloadable PhD program guides and links to materials such as faculty CVs and publications, student dissertation topics, course reading lists, and more.

    Academic Journals direct you to the programs and faculty producing influential scholarship in your field. The primary publications in the field are:

    • Ethnic Studies Review (a NAES journal)
    • Journal of Ethnic Studies
    • Ethnic and Racial Studies
    • Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
    • Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal

    Also consider journals in other ethnic studies disciplines such as African American studies. Examples include Journal of African American Studies, the Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies (JOLLAS), and the Journal of Asian American Studies.

    4. Evaluate Program Quality

    Finally, rank the programs on your list according to quality and selectivity. Assess a program's relative merits by taking into account:

    • Reputation
    • Selectivity
    • Graduation Rate
    • Job Placement Statistics
    • Career Support Resources
    • Graduate Student Demographics
    Resources

    Rankings offer an easy way to compare the reputation and selectivity of different PhD programs in ethnic studies or a related discipline. The major rankings include:

    School Data Sheets offer information on recent placement history of PhD graduates, including tenure information, non-academic and academic career ratio, and in some cases, average salary information. The admissions department will also publish detailed information on entering students' average GPA and test scores, to help you gauge your prospects of admission.

    Campus Visits let you experience campus resources for yourself. Meet with potential faculty mentors, visit a class, and tour library and department facilities.

    Step Two: Apply to PhD Programs in Ethnic Studies

    Each PhD program stipulates its own admissions requirements, but most adhere to the following standards. Plan to follow these steps:

    1. Complete Prerequisites

    To be eligible for a PhD program in ethnic studies, you must have:

    • A bachelor's or master's degree, preferably in a related social sciences or humanities field.
    • Prerequisite courses, if your degree is in another field, such as the sciences.
    • Standardized tests, including the GRE and, for international students, the TOEFL.

    The Education Resources Guide can help you take care of missing prerequisites, with resources such as online courses, test preparation materials, and application advice.

    2. Prepare and Submit Application Materials

    Fill out an information form and prepare the following materials to support your application:

    • Faculty or professional letters of recommendation
    • Academic transcripts
    • Test scores
    • Personal statement of research interests
    • Resume, CV, or publications, as applicable

    Since some of these documents are submitted by others, it's important to begin this process well before the due date to ensure that all materials arrive on time.

    3. Secure Financial Aid

    Finally, apply for financial aid from university, public, and private sources. Doctoral students generally fund their education with multiple types of aid, including:

    • Academic or private scholarships
    • Federal or private student loans
    • Research and teaching assistantships
    • Research grants
    • Tuition waivers

    For more information, visit the WorldWideLearn.com resource page on graduate education funding.

    Step Three: Join the Academic Community

    Once you submit your PhD applications (often, in December or January), you enter a limbo period of eight or nine months until the Fall Term of the following year begins. Take advantage of this time to orient yourself to your new community and start building relationships with your future academic peers.

    Resources for joining the ethnic studies community include:

    1. Subscribing to journals in your area of interest

    Get a sense of the issues and trends shaping the academic discourse in ethnic studies today. You'll also learn who the thought leaders are in your field--good preparation for when you meet them at a future networking event or conference.

    2. Attend conferences, lectures, and networking events

    Many departmental events are open to the broader community. Take advantage of the opportunity to meet your future peers and mentors. If you live near a university campus, you may even apply for research assistant jobs for the spring or summer term.

    3. Join ethnic studies associations

    The National Association for Ethnic Studies (NAES) is the primary academic association, but you'll also find more intimate groups dedicated to a particular area of scholarship.

    Participating in a community of like-minded intellectuals is one of the distinct joys and privileges of a doctoral education. By giving yourself an early program orientation, you'll launch your PhD journey with a support network and a graduate student's 'insider' perspective already in place. This foundation ensures that you can take advantage of all the opportunities that come your way, establishing yourself as a leading light in ethnic studies.

     

    Sources

    • Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs, National Research Council.
    • Best Education Schools, U.S. News & World Report (2009).
    • Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs, U.S. Department of Education.
    • Graduate Program in Ethnic Studies. Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California at Berkeley.
    • Graduate Study in English: the PhD Program, UC Berkeley.
    • National Association for Ethnic Studies.
    • Peterson's Graduate Programs in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. Peterson's: A Nelnet Company (2009).
    • The Chronicle of Higher Education.
    • The Top American Research Universities, 2008 Annual Report. The Center for Measuring University Performance.
    • "UCR to Offer Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies." University of California, Riverside. (Aug 13, 2008).