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2025 Best African American Studies Schools in California

13 Colleges in California
202 African American Studies Degrees Awarded
African American Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #389 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best African American Studies Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 202 degrees in african american studies to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great African American Studies School

Best African American Studies Schools in California The african american studies program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for African American Studies rankings. We derive our Best Overall African American Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

African American Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in African American Studies
Master's Degrees in African American Studies
Doctor's Degrees in African American Studies

The african american studies school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best African American Studies Schools in California. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for African American Studies in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the african american studies degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in African American Studies

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
34 African American Studies Degrees Awarded

University of California - Los Angeles is a great option for students pursuing a degree in african american studies. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in african american studies from University of California - Los Angeles

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
28.6% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you want to pursue a degree in african american studies. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in african american studies from University of California - Berkeley

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA

University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in african american studies. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 10 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in african american studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA

University of California - Davis is a good option for students interested in a degree in african american studies. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 13 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in african american studies from University of California - Davis

5
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
39.3% Growth in Graduates

SFSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Francisco. This university ranks 30th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 28 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in african american studies from San Francisco State University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In CA
50.0% Growth in Graduates

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 2 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in african american studies from University of Southern California

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
50.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 48th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 22 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in african american studies from California State University - Northridge

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 7 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in african american studies from University of California - Riverside

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA

SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. This university ranks 25th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 7 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in african american studies from San Diego State University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
11.1% Growth in Graduates

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 9 african american studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in african american studies from California State University - Long Beach

Best African American Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best African American Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 831 8
Oregon 587 3
Nevada 354 0

View All Rankings >

One of 11 majors within the Ethnic Studies area of study, African American Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Women’s Studies 606
Latino Studies 580
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, & Group Studies, Other 535
Ethnic Studies 395
Deaf Studies 194
Asian-American Studies 118
Native American Studies 50
Comparative Group Studies 15
Gay/Lesbian Studies 10
Folklore Studies 3

View All African American Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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