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What is Ethnic and Cultural Minority Studies?

Ethnic and Cultural Minority Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study focused on the culture, politics, psychology, sociology, and history of a variety ethnicities and minorities.

This broad field of study can be applied in every corner of the globe and is vital to understand small and large groups both near and far.  Examples of fields of study or classes that may be included in ethnic and cultural minority studies include dozens of ethnic cultures from around the world and cultures associated with differing groups.

Career Summary

MEDIAN SALARY

$73,750

PERCENT ABOVE NATIONAL
INCOME AVERAGE

49.74%

TOTAL SECTOR EMPLOYMENT

28,720

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Ethnic and Cultural Minority Studies Degree

Harvard University is an elite university dedicated to providing outstanding research, teaching and learning, and training students to become global leaders. It offers more than 3,700 courses and offers various programs such as online classes, internships, study abroad, degrees, and many more. The top rated ethnic degree at Harvard has curated an intensive course where students can study the history of racial formations throughout history.  The school highly encourages students to take a variety of diverse classes on race and ethnicity to customize the student experience at the university through the lens of colonialism, diaspora, and migration.  

Acceptance Rate

4.64

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

Across all continents around the world, you meet people of different ethnicities. Ethnicities can range from Caucasians, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, American Indians, and so on. At Yale University, students study the history, impact, and socioeconomic differences among ethnic and cultural minority studies from various viewpoints.  As a specialized field of study, Yale has provided a comprehensive and thought-provoking set of courses in this exciting degree program.   Graduates may study cultures from afar or find value in visiting various locations around the world to perform a deep-dive into a specific culture to better understand things.   

Acceptance Rate

6.08

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

The top ranked Culture and History of Ethnic Groups degree program at Stanford University leads the way in our current year study.  The school offers a robust curricular design and unique insights into various cultural, ethnic, and global sociological idiosyncrasies many take for granted.  Stanford has designed a program that is curated to challenge your thinking and delve deep into awareness and knowledge of our origins.  Learning more about how we are interconnected via customs and traditions, will allow better insights into thinking design, communication, and various world-views.  History and culture studies are updated with regularity to take into account updated information and advances studying by professionals around the globe.  

Acceptance Rate

4.34

Student to Faculty Ratio

5:1

While at school at the University of Chicago, you can meet students of different nationalities, ethnicities, and backgrounds. This immersive experience allows students to ask powerful questions and dive deep into the various aspects within the ethnic and cultural minority studies program at the University of Chicago.  Students are exposed to the course program and learn substantive aspects about culture, psychology, politics, and history of various ethnic groups across the globe. The design and organization of this course is intended to provide students a unique perspective to better understand and appreciate cultures and ethnicities across the globe.   

Acceptance Rate

6.17

Student to Faculty Ratio

5:1

Located in Brunswick, Maine, the Bowdoin College is a private institution that was established in 1794 with the aim to provide liberal arts education. It has diverse areas of study such as visual arts, Africana studies, Arabic, integrative biology, Japanese, geochemical chemistry, literature, journalism, and many more. With the help of the university’s programs, a minor in urban development is now available in addition to the various cultural degree programs at Bowdoin.  The curriculum offered by the department includes academic pathways for cultural studies in Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Francoine studies. 

Acceptance Rate

9.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Swarthmore College offers qualified students an exciting, unique degree program in ethnic and cultural minority studies.  The curricular design is focused on providing students a better understanding of the why, how, when, where, and what surrounding cultures of all sizes and configurations.  During your time at Swarthmore, you will likely find a diversity of students that will help expand and challenge your current way of thinking to provide a more worldly perspective on others.  Swarthmore aims to provide a top-tier education to students on the thinking and communication of others.  Students will learn remotely or in person while plying leading-edge theories and systems thinking to better understand cultures and minorities around the world.  

Acceptance Rate

8.93

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

As a top rated national higher education institution, Northwestern University offers a vibrant degree in ethnic and cultural minority studies. This is a global field of study, where students have the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and unique aspects within the history of ethnic groups. The university specializes in this degree program allowing professors to provide exceptional learning opportunities for students.  Students are challenged to think differently about the world around them via unique insights and case studies offered by the university. 

Acceptance Rate

9.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

6:1

At the University of Notre Dame, you’re certain to find a diverse group of ethnicities and races studying for the common good. Some students may be interested in ethnic and cultural minority studies, which expose them to a bevy of information about culture, psychology, traditions, and history.  By blending psychology with history, students meld thinking with theories to help better understand the world around them.  UND is a top ranked school in the field of ethnic and cultural minority studies given the professors, department design, and limited number of students allowed to enroll each year.    

Acceptance Rate

15.83

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

Washington University of St. Louis has included a variety of degree programs for qualified students to pursue that meld sociology with history and psychology.  The university has created a rigorous academic program to touch on virtually every aspect of cultural studies to provide students with the most robust perspective on how others think, live, and communicate with the world around them.  The school’s ultimate goal is to provide a better equipped set of thinking skills for all students across all degree programs.  The knowledge, training, and practical skills offered at Washington University are as diverse as the thinking in this department.  

Acceptance Rate

13.85

Student to Faculty Ratio

7:1

UCLA is embedded in the expansive city of Los Angeles where you find a vast array of people with different ethnicities or races. They have come this far to bring better lives for themselves and their families. That’s why a few students want to learn and understand why and how they came to these ways. Fortunately, the University of California-Los Angeles is offering an advanced degree ethnic and cultural minority studies. Students are provided the knowledge, training, and practical skills about the course. This can be a career that allows students to understand and respect others on a level outside the norm. 

Acceptance Rate

11.42

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

UCLA is embedded in the expansive city of Los Angeles where you find a vast array of people with different ethnicities or races. They have come this far to bring better lives for themselves and their families. That’s why a few students want to learn and understand why and how they came to these ways. Fortunately, the University of California-Los Angeles is offering an advanced degree ethnic and cultural minority studies. Students are provided the knowledge, training, and practical skills about the course. This can be a career that allows students to understand and respect others on a level outside the norm. 

Acceptance Rate

12.32

Student to Faculty Ratio

18:1

Ethnic and cultural minority studies is the study of different ethnicities existing in this world. The degree program aims to improve the lives of the different ethnic groups across a broad array of people across the globe.  Wesleyan University offers a top rated course in cultural studies to reach all corners of the world and allow students unique insights into various cultures, history, and geopolitical variances. The need to understand and interpret these ethnic and cultural differences is growing at a rapid rate across the business and political landscape.   

Acceptance Rate

16.48

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

A growing cadre of higher education institutions are providing the means for students to specialize in unique, important domains as never before.  CMU offers just such a program to better understand the world around us.  Carnegie Mellon University has created a top ranked ethnic studies degree program that melds psychology with history and sociology for qualified students interested in becoming the leaders of tomorrow.  The university is known for science and technology degree pathways but has an exceptional department that helps students better understand the variances within culture and ethnicities across the global economy.    

Acceptance Rate

15.44

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

The global economy seems to continue to leverage technology to shrink geographic boundaries to bring us together.  Given that fact, it is important to know schools like Carleton College now offer a degree in ethnic and cultural minority studies for interested students to be at the leading edge of changes.  The school’s department is operated by competent and experienced professors, which will teach students more about the crux of the world around us.  Interested students can visit the Carleton College website to learn more about this exciting degree program and delve deep into the world that awaits a prospective student.   

Acceptance Rate

19.13

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Technology has indeed advanced to the point where almost everything we need to know is in the palm of our hands. Davidson College offers a course in ethnic and cultural minority studies to cater to the diversity of people in this world. This course is the study of culture, history, psychology, and politics of minorities around the globe. Case studies in conjunction with direct interaction with various individuals around the world help to shape a unique, valuable worldview for qualified students.    

Acceptance Rate

18.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Boston University is a famous school here and abroad. BU is a renowned university where the best and brightest learn about the world around us.  In addition to their top ranked science and engineering programs, Boston University also offers a top rated ethnic and cultural minority studies program.  Students learn about the key aspects that make us different while maintaining the understanding we are all quite similar on many levels.  Our ability to better understand and support each other is kept top-of-mind as the curriculum at BU is geared to engage and challenge students of all ages and backgrounds.   

Acceptance Rate

18.94

Student to Faculty Ratio

10:1

New York is a bustling and hustling city where you find different races and ethnic groups. A few millennials want to study and learn about the life, origin, and traditions of these people. Thankfully, Skidmore College offers a leading degree program in cultural minority and ethnic studies.  In a world where technology links us like no previous generation, we rely on specialists to make sense of change and inform us about those differences.  Graduates of such an in-demand degree program are equipped to provide key insights to help others connect and learn on a deeper level. 

Acceptance Rate

30.05

Student to Faculty Ratio

8:1

NYU is a top rated higher education institution and a world leader in many programs.  This year, we have added their ethnic and cultural minority degree program to that list of accolades.  The growing need to understand, support, and communicate with one another has never been more in-demand.  The interconnected nature of the world today mandates a different level of thinking and awareness.  Fortunately, we have specialists to guide and shape those conversations in productive ways.  NYU graduates find themselves working in sectors like economics, finance, politics, and marketing to better connect people of all ages and backgrounds.  

Acceptance Rate

16.2

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

UC San Diego is an amazing school with an exceptional campus.  The school is investing heavily in various academic programs across its suite of degree pathways including those that connect us all.  The cultural and minority studies degree program at UC San Diego is one such degree program.  The interconnected nature of our global economy allows students to tease out important truths across various cultural and ethnic variables.  Graduates find themselves working in public and private sector companies to enhance understanding and connect on a deeper level.  

Acceptance Rate

31.48

Student to Faculty Ratio

19:1

University of California-Irvine offers an online degree in diversity, found in the course catalog under the ethnic and cultural minority studies.  The growing need to connect people around the world has never been easier nor rife with pitfalls.  Graduates of this program from UC Irvine have the unique ability to understand and connect people from all corners of the globe in an effort to support their evolving needs.  Our global economy requires a better, deeper understanding of counterparties and graduates of the UC Irvine cultural degree program are uniquely equipped to perform that task at a high level.   

Acceptance Rate

26.54

Student to Faculty Ratio

18:1

Ethnic and cultural minority studies is one of the latest degree programs offered by the University of California-Davis. The top-rated degree program has quickly gained national accolades for their curricular design and focus on real-world case studies.  Online ethnic studies at UC Davis offers a suite of challenging and thought-provoking courses to challenge students of all backgrounds.  Graduates from this program will find themselves in various sectors from manufacturing to economics in an effort to help support and connect groups from all corners of the globe.  By melding technology with our need to connect, the ability to better communicate with one another is bound to yield superlative results.  

Acceptance Rate

38.87

Student to Faculty Ratio

20:1

Ethnic and cultural minority studies is an exciting field of study offered by top-flight programs like California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. The degree program teaches qualified students how to be better connected with a different level of understanding and empathy towards different races and ethnicities. Thanks to the competent and experienced professors, students have exposure to challenging curriculum and leading professors.  Graduates find themselves spread across a variety of employment in public companies, private institutions, and non-profit corporations alike. 

Acceptance Rate

28.42

Student to Faculty Ratio

21:1

Mount Holyoke College is an exclusive institution for women located in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was established in the year 1837 with the aim to provide equal opportunities and access to employment for its students. Individuals who wish to serve and understand public health can enroll in the doctorate and master's degree programs offered by the college. It involves basic topics such as Africana Studies, Latin American, and Asian Studies to name a few.  In either case, among which students will be trained by professional professors and lecturers who have accumulated many years of experience in this field. 

Acceptance Rate

38.15

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Modern society and technology have introduced a new line of courses not available in previous generations.  Technology, medicine, and engineering advances tend to get the lion’s share of the headlines; however, the need for individuals with deep knowledge of others is just as important.  Whitman College recognized this evolution and is leading the way in higher education.  Cultural and ethnic studies allow groups, companies, and societies to connect on deeper levels and support one another like never before.  Whitman’s top flight faculty is no exception to the evolution, they are now offering a degree program in race and cultural studies to focus on people of different races, ethnicities, and nationalities. 

Acceptance Rate

55.92

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Ohio State University landed on our top ranked colleges for its degree in behavior, culture and context exploration.  As we leverage technology as never before to connect with diverse groups of people, we see a growing need for professionals with specialized knowledge and skills.  OSU graduates from this degree program are no different – they find themselves equipped with key knowledge to impact the world and specific groups using tools and technology of today.  Interested students can reach out to Ohio State University directly to learn more about this exciting degree program in cultural and ethnic studies.  

Acceptance Rate

53.74

Student to Faculty Ratio

19:1

Top Ethnic Studies Degree

As a multidisciplinary degree, students seeking a degree in this field will be faced with a wide variety of options. First, students can choose a learning modality that works best for them. The options for modes of learning include online degree programs, classroom-based programs, or hybrid models. Next, students can elect a field of study or area of concentration. The following areas of study may be a good fit for you depending on your goals and career focus:

  • African American Studies
  • Eastern European Studies
  • Minority Studies
  • United States Studies
  • Central European Studies
  • Middle European Studies
  • Womens Studies
  • LGBTQ Studies
  • Chicano Studies
  • Asian Civilizations Studies
  • European Civilizations Studies
  • Cultural Studies
  • East Asian Studies
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Gender Studies

Finally, students can select between degree levels. Depending on the school, degree programs may include a combination of certificate programs, associate degrees, bachelor degrees, and graduate programs.

Each degree program comes with a different set of guidelines and expectations so researching the best path for you will take time and energy up-front. To learn more about degree programs from accredited schools, simply connect with any number of accredited schools below.

Educational Requirements in Cultural Studies

In terms of educational requirements, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Studies degree holders will have typically studied the following courses while in college:

Skills & Abilities Required in Ethnic Studies

  1. Speaking
  2. Oral Comprehension
  3. Speech Recognition
  4. Written Comprehension
  5. Instructing
  6. Reading Comprehension
  7. Active Listening
  8. Writing
  9. Speech Clarity
  10. Oral Expression

Employment in Ethnic & Cultural Specializations

For students that earn a college degree in Ethnic and Cultural Minority Studies, there are several fields of specialization that one can pursue. The options range from middle school teachers, high school teachers, postsecondary teachers, researcher, curriculum designer, historian, artist, and author to name a few possible career tracks.

Job Growth in Cultural Studies

The job growth cultural and ethnic studies appear to be steady according to the BLS.  Similar career paths are also seeing an above average bump in jobs.  College professors and high school teachers, for example, expect a 13% and 7% bump accordingly.  The broad nature of this degree allows students to select a wide variety of career paths after graduation.  Many students opt to continue on to graduate school to earn master's degrees in various academic disciplines.

Top Ethnic & Cultural Association

The Cultural Studies Association (CSA) is a well-known, highly respected association that may be worth investigating. In addition to hosting conferences and providing training to its members, the CSA helps link professionals in the field and assists with job placements.  The research articles alone may be worth joining as it provides key insights and historical value to various area of study.

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