Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor
Varies, contact department office.

Application Deadlines
Annual: January 15.
NOTE: Early application is recommended. No new applications are accepted after January 15.

Degrees Offered

Master of Arts in American Studies (M.A.)
Doctor of Philosophy in American Studies (Ph.D.)

The Department of American Studies is committed to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and society as a whole. Besides general courses in American life and thought, six areas of study are offered: Cultural Studies (including folklore and material culture); Southwest Studies; Environment, Science and Technology; Popular Culture; Gender Studies; Race, Class and Ethnicity. Students consult with department faculty to develop individual, inter-departmental programs of study in the humanities and social sciences that focus on these or other significant aspects of American society and thought.

Admission

The program is offered at the master’s and doctoral levels. The doctorate usually requires a Master of Arts degree in such majors as American Studies, Art History, History, English, Philosophy, Economics, Education, Political Science, Sociology or Anthropology. In making application, candidates are expected to submit a substantive letter of intent with a clear statement of their American Studies research interests and their goals in pursuing such investigations on a graduate level. Only candidates who show purpose and promise, and whose research needs can be appropriately met are admitted by a committee of the department faculty.

Course Requirements

At least 30 credit hours in residence beyond the M.A. are required for the doctorate; this requirement sometimes extends to 36 credit hours or more, depending upon the breadth of the candidate’s background.

Taking into consideration the experience and purposes of each student, individualized programs are planned to emphasize two major areas of interest with supplementary work in other areas.

The master’s is offered under Plan I (thesis) and Plan II (non-thesis) as described in this Catalog. The master’s program in either case requires an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental grouping of courses for the study of American culture. Under Plan II, the student must successfully complete a minimum of 33 credit hours of graduate work. Plan I (thesis) calls for 27 credit hours of course work in addition to thesis credit hours.

All graduate students must take the pro-seminar, AMST 500 - American Culture Study Seminar in the first fall semester of their graduate career and at least four other American Studies seminars.

Foreign Language

In addition to the course requirements for the doctorate, the American Studies Department language requirement may be fulfilled either through the various options approved by the Office of Graduate Studies or through satisfactory completion of an alternative methodology option to be determined by the student in consultation with the student’s committee on studies and the chairperson of the department.

Examinations

Students are expected to form a committee on studies after completing 12 credit hours of graduate credit. Decisions about course work and its distribution, the foreign language to be presented and any special problems related to the proposed area of concentration are reached in consultation between the candidate and the committee on studies. All graduate students are required to take two exams. The first is the American Culture Study (ACS) exam, taken one year after entry into the program and based on the required pro-seminar and the ACS reading list. The second is taken after completion of course work. It is a written comprehensive examination, the primary purpose of which is to ascertain the candidate’s ability at synthesizing the subject matter and various methodologies covered during his or her time in the program. Detailed guidelines for the comprehensive examination are available through the department.

Dissertation

The dissertation concerns itself with at least two disciplines in a specific area of American life and usually with more than two.

Requirements for Graduate Minor in American Studies

The “declared minor” in American Studies is only available for Master’s level students at present. To complete the minor, students must complete 9 credit hours of 500-level courses (seminars) under Plan I. Under Plan II students need 12 credit hours of 500-level courses. Under either plan, 1–3 credit hours of Independent Study with a faculty member in American Studies can count toward the minor. AMST 500 is a restricted course and does not count toward the minor.

American Studies graduate students who wish to do a minor in another department should do so in consultation with their academic advisor and should contact the other department for specific guidelines for the minor. Faculty members in American Studies may opt to waive their right to serve on a committee of studies outside American Studies. Plan I students may take no more than 9 credit hours of graduate course work in any other single department, and Plan II students may do no more than 15 credit hours of graduate course work in any other single department.

Courses in American Studies (AMST) are categorized in areas of interest. The category for each course appears in parenthesis at the end of the course description according to the following legend:

General (G); Cultural Studies (C); Environment, Science, Technology (EST); Gender Studies (GS); Popular Culture (PC); Race, Class and Ethnicity (RCE); and Southwest Studies (SS).

Keys and Symbols Reference