Overview

About American Studies at The University of Iowa

The requirements for the M.A. degree include four required American Studies courses, five elective courses and an M.A. portfolio. The portfolio includes a research paper (usually a redrafted seminar or course paper); faculty evaluations; and a statement of self-evaluation and reflection, or purpose. For M.A. students who wish to go on for a Ph.D. in the American Studies Department, the M.A. portfolio serves as their application to the Ph.D. program. Student admitted to Iowa’s Ph.D. program with the M.A. are funded for an additional three years, graduating with a total of five years of funded graduate work (i.e. four semesters in the M.A. and six semesters in the Ph.D. program).

M.A. students work closely with a graduate advisor to design their plan of study, and in the second year, to design and complete the portfolio. The opportunities available to students in the Ph.D. program are also available to M.A. students, including optional certificates in the Digital Humanities; African American Studies; or Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies; and individual development plans directed towards social justice, public engagement or public service careers; as well as certificates in College teaching. Like the Ph.D. students, American Studies M.A. students engage in interdisciplinary inquiry and practice the art of analyzing cultural materials in light of historical change, social justice and socio-cultural identities, communications media, and the operations of power across transnational, domestic/national and community contexts.

Careers

American studies students’ career goals are as varied as the topics they study. Even though the M.A. and Ph.D. programs do not assume specific vocational goals, graduates receive career advising throughout their program of study. Students have most often, but not always, graduated into careers in University or college teaching, Museum and public history positions, archive administration, public media, and more recently, digital humanities work. Students frequently find that they move into career positions that allow them to combine scholarship and teaching with ongoing environmental, social and/or racial justice concerns.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Understanding American Cultures

African American Culture

American Indian and Native Studies

Sex and Popular Culture in America

Inequality in American Sport

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-19 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-01-01 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

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IELTS

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Credits

36 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Iowa City, United States

Disciplines

American and Australasian studies View 132 other Masters in American and Australasian studies in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Preparing the Application: This can be a rather tedious and modestly expensive business, the latter not only including the admission fee but also ordering transcripts and the cost of the GRE exam.

The GRE Exam: Our Graduate College requires only the GRE aptitude exam; the subject area exams are irrelevant for us.

Transcripts: You will need a transcript from each post-secondary school where you have studied. Have the originals sent to the Admissions Office; upload unofficial transcripts as part of your application.

Recommendations: Choose your three referees thoughtfully.

The Writing Sample.

The Statement of Purpose.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

32776 USD / year

≈ 32776 USD / year
Out-of-State

32776 USD / year

≈ 32776 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

13829 USD / year

≈ 13829 USD / year

Living costs

Iowa City

United States

1187 - 1841 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Financing

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Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for American Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

About American Studies at The University of Iowa

Careers

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Iowa City

Financing

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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