Department of Ethnic Studies

Department of Ethnic Studies

What is Ethnic Studies? 

Ethnic Studies is the comparative, critical, and intersectional study of race, ethnicity, and Indigeneity. The breadth and focus of Ethnic Studies courses provide students with a strong basis in Liberal Arts education preparing them for a wide range of professional and civic roles as local, national, and global citizens, leaders, and change-agents. We strive to highlight the histories and contributions of all Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color as key agents in local, national, and transnational contexts. Therefore students and faculty engage a variety of topics including race and racism, immigration, policing, colonialism, empire, war, religion and spirituality, art, diaspora, literature and storytelling, history, gender and sexuality, and feminism, among others. The department offers a major, minor, and certificate programs (undergraduate and graduate students).

Ethnic Studies Major, Minor, and Certificates

The Major in Ethnic Studies (major requirements) or minor at the University of Colorado Denver will give you a strong basis in creative and critical thinking, complex reasoning, and effective communication. You develop cultural competency skills that are highly valued in a variety of career paths including careers in healthcare, education, law, journalism, business, community and union organizing, social work and counseling, publishing, tech, film and television, politics and policy, non-profits and government agencies, and libraries and museums, among others.

We also offer Certificates in African American Studies CertificateAmerican Indian Studies Certificate, Asian American Pacific Islander Studies CertificateCultural Diversity Studies, and Latinx Studies Certificate. There is also a Graduate Certificate in Ethinic studies.