A Review of Black Psychology Courses across United States’ Colleges and Universities: An Update of Hicks and Ridley (1979)

More than 40 years ago, Hicks and Ridley (1979) asserted the need for Black Studies in psychology across American colleges and universities. Their study is one of few, if not the only, that has examined the frequency and types of course offerings in Black Psychology. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the current state of Black Psychology course offerings and course types in United States’ colleges and universities. Participants were recruited from 121 United States’ four-year colleges and universities, which included 63 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and 58 U.S. News 2023 Best Psychology schools. Participants included 52 undergraduate teachers of record (i.e., instructors or professors) or their direct university supervisors (including department heads or chairs) who reported on course offerings in Black Psychology for the fall 2022 semester or the past two academic years. Overall, 15 respondents (28% of respondents, from 12% of the departments recruited) reported that their institution offers a course in Black Psychology. A total of 14 respondents (93%) held faculty positions at HBCUs, whereas only 1 respondent (6%) held a faculty position at a predominantly white Institution. Findings suggest that Black Psychology courses are more likely to be offered at HBCUs than other institution types, and much work continues to be necessary for research to help transcend the message of the importance of Black Psychology courses across higher education institution types