Students should also regularly utilize the resources available through the Student Experience and Talent site at UWM. The center is about more than resume preparation. The career professionals there can help you identify your professional goals and teach you techniques (like informational interviewing and shadowing) to learn more about professional careers. They can also help you develop your job search strategy, help you locate an internship, or connect you with UWM alumni who may be able to provide you with information or advice in a particular industry or career.

The Value of a Major in African and African Diaspora Studies

African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) is relevant to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexuality, or gender. Students learn to view complex situations from multiple perspectives; synthesize known information and hypothesize about the unknown; apply lessons from the past to problems of the present, and critique current and past practices.

In doing so, the African and African Diaspora Studies major and minor prepare students for a wide range of careers and equips them with skills desired in many professional arenas: critical thinking, oral and written communication, problem-solving, research, and leadership.

The major also provides students with a foundation for graduate studies in African & African Diaspora/Africana/Black/African American Studies, as well as disciplines like economics, political science, sociology, history, English, anthropology, and communication.*

Alumni Videos Reflect on Their Careers

Alumni reflect on the AADS experiences that were influential in their career paths and provide useful advice for current students.

Elijah Nicks, Science Teacher at Believers in Christ Christian Academy
Geraud Blanks, Chief Innovation Officer at Milwaukee Film
Rachael Harris, Account Executive at DSplus
Teonna Cooksey, Graduate Student at Columbia University and Racial Equity & Climate Resilience Planning Fellow at The City of Racine

Sample Career Outcomes

  • Business, Management, Industry, and Labor
    Entrepreneur, Cultural Resources Management, Human Resources, Union Arbitration, and Leadership
  • Communication & Media
    Journalist, Media Relations Specialist, Linguist Interpreter
  • Education
    High School Teacher, Administrator, Professor, Student Affairs, Intercultural Relations Director, Chief Diversity Officer
  • Non-Profit/Advocacy
    Peace Corps, Americorp, Program Administration, Policy Analysis, Human Rights Commissioner, Family/Child Advocate Work, Case Management, Therapeutic Behavioral Specialist, and Community Outreach
  • Government, Law, and Politics
    Foreign Service Specialist, Political Analyst, Public Administration, State and Local Government, Civil Service Work, Community Urban Planning, Public Affairs and Policy,  Civil Services, Immigration Law, Civil Rights Law, Deputy District Attorney, Mediator, Legal Analysis.
  • Medicine & Health
    Physician, Surgeon, Veterinarian, Dentist, Public Health Administrator, Health and Disease Researcher, Health Equity Coordinator
  • Graduate School
    *AADS offers graduate degrees at the MA & PhD levels.

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.