American Indian & Indigenous Studies Major, Minor, and Graduate Studies

The American Indian & Indigenous Studies major and minor focus on the histories, contemporary experiences, languages, expressive cultures, and political statuses of Indigenous people within and beyond the United States. Our courses cultivate exceptional interdisciplinary research and writing skills and an acute understanding of issues involving Indigeneity, colonialism, cross-cultural interaction, diversity, globalization, art, politics, and social justice. Our students establish a foundation rooted in the liberal arts that is the hallmark of any major or minor in the Humanities and valued by employers. Majors and minors in AIIS have secured internships with the federal government, the National Congress of American Indians, and Indigenous-centered non-profit organizations, pursued graduate training in law, education, public health, nursing, psychology, and history, and have secured jobs in a wide range of fields, from multicultural student affairs in higher education to global health.

As an AIIS student at UNC you will be taught by faculty leading the field of American Indian & Indigenous Studies, have access to robust libraries, and be a part of one of the nation’s leading public universities. What’s more, we’ve streamlined the curriculum and are engaged in planning a new Curriculum in Global Indigeneity & American Indian Studies. Please see our American Indian & Indigenous Studies Major Concentration Requirements and American Indian & Indigenous Studies Minor Requirements for more information on the existing curriculum. To learn more about applying to UNC, check out the Undergraduate Admissions page.

Graduate Studies

Graduate study in American Indian & Indigenous Studies trains students to become contributing members of intellectual and tribal communities. An AIIS graduate student can expect to encounter a rigorous and interdisciplinary course of study of the sovereignty, philosophies, practices, histories, and contemporary presences of tribal nations and Indigenous peoples. Students can pursue AIIS-centered Ph.D.’s in the departments of American Studies, Anthropology, English and Comparative Literature, Geography, History, Religious Studies, and Romance Studies, among others.