Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
The Department of African American Studies at Princeton University offers an undergraduate major/minor and graduate certificate in African American Studies, serving Princeton students across three subfields and community members through a paid auditing program.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersPrinceton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Department of African American Studies, Princeton University does
The Department of African American Studies at Princeton University is an academic unit established as a Program in 1969 and elevated to full departmental status in 2015. It offers a Bachelor of Arts major, a minor, and a graduate certificate organized around three subfields: African American Culture and Life, Race and Public Policy, and Global Race and Ethnicity. The department serves Princeton undergraduate students, doctoral candidates from affiliated Humanities and Social Sciences departments pursuing the graduate certificate, and community members participating in the Community Auditing Program (CAP). Its product portfolio includes the undergraduate major/minor curriculum, graduate certificate requirements, a bi-weekly Faculty-Graduate Seminar, signature lecture series (Toni Morrison Lectures, James Baldwin Lectures), an AAS Podcast, and the Africa World Initiative. The only direct revenue stream is CAP, which charges $200 per audited course; all academic program costs and revenues flow through Princeton University's institutional budget and tuition structure. The department operates from Morrison Hall on the Princeton campus and is staffed by 16 core faculty (6 fully appointed, 8 jointly appointed) plus 6 administrative staff, supported by an advisory council and committees covering curriculum, graduate affairs, and programming.
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
- Legal name
- The Trustees of Princeton University
- Website
- https://aas.princeton.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Department of African American Studies at Princeton University offers an undergraduate major/minor and graduate certificate in African American Studies, serving Princeton students across three subfields and community members through a paid auditing program.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Department of African American Studies, Princeton University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Princeton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Community Auditing Program: The Community Auditing Program (CAP) enables community members to audit university lectures for $200 per course. This generates modest revenue while extending educational access to the local community. No academic credit or certification is provided.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Per course | Community Auditing Program (CAP) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Department of African American Studies at Princeton University delivers an integrated portfolio of academic credentials — an Undergraduate Major (Bachelor of Arts), an Undergraduate Minor, and a Graduate Certificate — alongside the fee-based Community Auditing Program ($200 per audited course), the AAS Podcast, a Faculty-Graduate Seminar, a Graduate Affairs Workshop, and signature lecture series including the Toni Morrison Lectures and James Baldwin Lectures. Teaching and research are structured around three interdisciplinary subfields: African American Culture and Life, Race and Public Policy, and Global Race and Ethnicity.
Product overview
The Department of African American Studies at Princeton University offers an integrated portfolio of academic programs including an Undergraduate Major (Bachelor of Arts), Undergraduate Minor, Graduate Certificate, Faculty-Graduate Seminar, Graduate Affairs Workshop, and Community Auditing Program. The department also produces digital content through its AAS Podcast and hosts Signature Lecture Series including the Toni Morrison Lectures and James Baldwin Lectures. The curriculum is organized around three subfields: African American Culture and Life (AACL), Race and Public Policy (RPP), and Global Race and Ethnicity (GRE).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Undergraduate Major in African American Studies Bachelor of Arts degree program that expands and deepens students' understanding of race in the United States and globally. The curriculum is organized around three subfields: African American Culture and Life (AACL), Race and Public Policy (RPP), and Global Race and Ethnicity (GRE), and includes a senior thesis (AAS 498 / Senior Colloquium). Open to Princeton undergraduates who gain admission to the University through Princeton's central undergraduate admissions process.
- Undergraduate Minor in African American Studies Academic Minor available to Princeton undergraduates that prepares them to think about race and power in sophisticated ways, expanding and deepening understanding of race in the United States and globally through coursework across the three AAS subfields.
- Graduate Certificate in African American Studies Certificate program providing coordinated interdisciplinary training for doctoral students in any Princeton humanities or social science department. Requirements include the AAS 500 course, two additional courses, participation in the Faculty-Graduate Seminar, and a dissertation on a topic significant to African American Studies. Students are not admitted through AAS alone — all admissions are handled by their affiliated home department.
- Community Auditing Program (CAP) Program enabling community members aged 18 and above, plus certified New Jersey teachers and Au Pairs, to audit Princeton University lectures on a non-credit basis for $200 per course. Approximately 200 classes are available each semester, providing personal intellectual enrichment without academic credit or formal certification.
- Faculty-Graduate Seminar Bi-weekly year-long seminar open to all Princeton graduate students that brings faculty and graduate students together to discuss work in progress around a common theme across disciplines, forming an intimate interdisciplinary intellectual community across the university.
- Graduate Affairs Workshop Programming for Princeton University graduate students related to mentoring, advising, and academic professionalization, including discussions of success in academia and fellowship application processes.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,121 students graduated with AAS certificates (1972-2020)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Africa World InitiativecoreLed by Robert Schirmer Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu, the Africa World Initiative is a Princeton-based program that extends the department's reach into global African studies. The initiative connects African American Studies with broader continental African scholarship and diaspora studies.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Harvard Department of African and African American Studies: Harvard's equivalent African American Studies department at a peer Ivy League, private R1 university. Most direct comparator given overlapping scope, target students (undergraduate concentrators + graduate students), interdisciplinary model, and named-chair faculty.
- Yale Department of African American Studies: Yale's African American Studies department at a peer Ivy League institution. Closely comparable in structure (undergraduate major, graduate certificate/fellowship program, distinguished lecture series, three-subfield curriculum).
- Cornell Department of Africana Studies: Cornell's Africana Studies department at a peer Ivy League institution. Comparable in focus on African diaspora, undergraduate concentration, and graduate minor offerings.
- Stanford Department of African and African American Studies: Stanford's African American Studies department at a peer private R1 university. Comparable in mission, subfield structure, and emphasis on race, policy, and diaspora studies.
- Columbia Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race: Columbia's unit covering African American, Asian American, and Latino studies. Peer in scale and mission at an Ivy League, private R1 with similar interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate certificate programs.
- Brown Department of Ethnic Studies: Brown's Ethnic Studies department covers African American, Asian American, Latino, and Native American studies. Peer in mission at an Ivy League research institution with a shared undergraduate concentration model.
- University of Michigan Department of Afroamerican and African Studies: U-M's DAAS is one of the largest and oldest African American Studies departments in the U.S. Direct peer in academic scope, with a much larger faculty and student population, providing a 'scaled-up' benchmark for what Princeton's program could grow into.
- Northwestern Department of African American Studies: Northwestern's African American Studies department at a peer private R1 university. Comparable in undergraduate major/minor structure, named lecture series, and faculty/research profile.
- UC Berkeley Department of African American Studies: Berkeley's African American Studies department at a top public R1. Peer in academic depth, with a longer-established program and broader subfield coverage — useful as a benchmark for content/scale.
Broad incumbents
- Howard University Department of Afro-American Studies: Howard's Afro-American Studies department at the nation's leading HBCU. Comparable in academic mission and field, but with a much larger and longer-established program and a far broader student base drawn from the HBCU ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University social profiles
Digital presenceDepartment of African American Studies, Princeton University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Department of African American Studies, Princeton University
What does Department of African American Studies, Princeton University do?
The Department of African American Studies at Princeton University delivers an integrated portfolio of academic credentials — an Undergraduate Major (Bachelor of Arts), an Undergraduate Minor, and a Graduate Certificate — alongside the fee-based Community Auditing Program ($200 per audited course), the AAS Podcast, a Faculty-Graduate Seminar, a Graduate Affairs Workshop, and signature lecture series including the Toni Morrison Lectures and James Baldwin Lectures. Teaching and research are structured around three interdisciplinary subfields: African American Culture and Life, Race and Public Policy, and Global Race and Ethnicity.
Is Department of African American Studies, Princeton University a public or private company?
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Department of African American Studies, Princeton University founded?
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University was founded in 1969. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Department of African American Studies, Princeton University based?
Department of African American Studies, Princeton University is headquartered in Princeton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Department of African American Studies, Princeton University make money?
One revenue line is on record: community Auditing Program.
Who are Department of African American Studies, Princeton University's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Harvard Department of African and African American Studies, Yale Department of African American Studies, Cornell Department of Africana Studies, Stanford Department of African and African American Studies, Columbia Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, Brown Department of Ethnic Studies, University of Michigan Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, Northwestern Department of African American Studies and UC Berkeley Department of African American Studies. Howard University Department of Afro-American Studies is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Department of African American Studies, Princeton University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Department of African American Studies, Princeton University.