Students will take a total of twelve courses of at least four credit hours each. No thesis is required.
Students have two chances to pass oral and written preliminary exams.
A dissertation is also required. Students can choose among two major courses of study and a minor. The composite major requires 51 credits, the standard major requires 33 and the minor 18. Although the BS in American Studies requires no foreign language, the BA requires a two-years competency in a foreign language. With the help of faculty advisors, graduate students in American Studies have considerable flexibility to design their own program of study.