Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies

Our students become empowered by critical thinking, analytic and communication skills, and a keen understanding of social justice issues, and they enjoy careers in public health, law, social work, private industry or for local, state and federal government.

The ethnic studies major fosters community empowerment through critical thinking, comparative analysis, oral and written expression, and keen understanding of social justice issues. Courses reflect our faculty members' training and expertise in a wide range of interdisciplinary fields, including critical ethnic studies, women and gender studies, criminology, and border studies.

  • Gain an interdisciplinary education taught by experts in intersectionality
  • Examine how ethnicity, gender, class, indigeneity and sexuality affect people’s lives
  • Pursue individual research interests of specific ethnicities

#7 in the nation for ethnic studies

(universities.com, 2019)

Learn from award-winning, diverse and interdisciplinary faculty, including faculty recognized by the American Society of Criminology and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

One of only four departments nationally that offer a PhD in ethnic studies

Be successful.

Be prepared to meet the needs of our 21st-century society by applying your knowledge of ethnic studies and attendant skills in a wide variety of careers.

 
$60,000

Median salary of CU Boulder ethnic studies students 6–10 years after graduation

 

Community coordinator, health services administrator, human resources manager and educator are common job titles of our graduates

 

Work in public health, law, social work, private industry or for local, state and federal agencies

Academic Plan & Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, students must complete at least 33 credit hours of ethnic studies requirements, consisting of 12 credit hours of core classes and 21 credit hours of electives.

The department offers courses in five areas of concentration:

  • Africana studies
  • American Indian studies
  • Asian American studies
  • Chicana and Chicano studies
  • Comparative ethnic studies

Additional options of study for ethinic studies students include:

  • Critical sports studies courses: We offer courses that examine sports and their social, cultural, historical and economic contexts. Our courses aim to understand how sport and play function in everyday interactions, and how they can be harnessed to support social and cultural change.
  • Bachelor’s-accelerated master’s: A combined bachelor's (BA) and master's (MA) degree is offered for highly motivated undergraduate students. The Department of Ethnic Studies and the School of Education have partnered to offer a combined BAM (accelerated bachelor’s with master’s) degree program that reflects each unit’s commitment to educational opportunity, diversity and engaged scholarship. This highly structured degree program results in students’ earning a BA in ethnic studies and an MA in education in five years.

Community & Involvement

We offer students many opportunities to network with peers and faculty, further their studies, and get the most out of their undergraduate experience.

Be inspired.

The Department of Ethnic Studies has an extensive alumni network working in a variety of fields across the globe.

Some alumni of the program include:

Cara McKinley

(BA'05)
Vice president for advocacy and strategic initiative at the National Urban League. 

Jeremy Ehrlich

(BA'07) 
Works for the New York City Department of Education as a high school English and English-as-a-second-language teacher in the Bronx.

Jacqueline Manzo Mora

(BA'16)
A youth violence prevention educator at Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, a human-rights organization committed to ending violence against adults, youth and children.

Paula Abitia

(BA'13)
An admissions counselor at CU Boulder.

Laura Malaver

(BA'15) A bilingual outreach coordinator at the Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center. Laura also received an MA in education and is a candidate in the PhD program in ethnic studies at CU Boulder.

News & Stories

College of Arts & Sciences magazine cover