American Studies, B.A.

Offered by American Studies .

University Requirements

Completion of Minimum University Requirements for an Undergraduate Baccalaureate Degree .

Minimum 120 credits and minimum GPA of 2.0
Completion of 45 upper-level credits, the residence requirement, the Writing Intensive requirement, and the General Education requirement

Major Requirements

Minimum 36 credits
Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the major, except where otherwise indicated
Maximum of 6 credits of independent study

Course Requirements

American Studies Foundational Core (15 credits)

The American Studies Core provides a foundation in the key research and writing practices of the discipline. Two lower-level courses introduce students to fundamental American Studies concepts. Students build knowledge and engage in professional writing and research practices in an upper-level gateway course, two advanced seminars, and a capstone research seminar.

Electives (18 credits)

Complete six upper-level courses.

Applied Experience (3 credits)

Includes internships, service learning, undergraduate research, student teacher praxis, and AMST courses designed as applied research. Students in dual programs may fulfill this requirement by taking an approved applied experience course in the second department. AMST 205 may be counted toward the applied experience requirement. Coursework applied to this requirement may use pass/fail or regular grading.

American Studies Major/Education Certification

There is a dual major/certificate program for students seeking teaching certification in early childhood, elementary, or secondary. Students pursuing the Education Certification whose certification requirements include supplementary courses in social sciences or history may substitute 9 credits of those courses for 9 credits of the core themes. Students making this substitution select one course exploring each theme from the lists above for the remaining 9 credits in the core themes. Students seeking education certification may count student teaching as their applied experience.

Four-Year Academic Pathways

The Four-Year Academic Pathways webpage offers helpful sample pathways for students eager to explore their academic options and stay on track for a four-year graduation. These pathways provide a starting point for students to plan how to complete their degree in four years. However, it’s important to remember that these are just samples. In consultation with their academic advisor, each student will create an individualized degree plan that reflects their unique academic background, interests, and career goals.

Students must develop their personalized degree plan by the time they’ve earned 45 credits and regularly update it with their advisor as their goals and academic journey evolve. This approach ensures that students make thoughtful, strategic choices that set them up for success throughout their time at UMBC.

Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Programs

Qualified students may apply to an accelerated program, which allows them to take graduate courses as undergraduate students and later apply those courses to master’s degrees. A student may apply to participate in an accelerated program even if the desired graduate program is in a department other than the one in which they are majoring. More information is available from the Accelerated Program page of the Graduate School website.