UMass Boston welcomes applications from prospective students around the globe.
In addition to UMass Boston’s general and program-specific graduate application requirements, please review these requirements specifically relevant to international applicants:
Bachelor's Degree Equivalency
International applicants must submit evidence that they have completed the equivalent of a regionally accredited, U.S. university-level bachelor’s degree program. Acceptable documents can include official copies of diplomas, certified final degree certificates, and notation on final transcript of degree and date awarded. Most international 4-year degrees are recognized as being equivalent. Most international 3-year degrees, including the Indian Bachelor of Arts, Sciences and Commerce degrees, are not considered to be equivalent.
If we are unable to determine equivalence, we may require applicants to submit an external evaluation from the Center for Educational Documentation (www.cedevaluations.com). Credential evaluations from other agencies may not be accepted. Credential Evaluation Reports will not be accepted in place of official transcripts.
Transcripts
Most transcripts can be requested electronically through the Centralized Application System (CAS). Original hardcopy transcripts must be sealed in an envelope from the issuing institution. We cannot accept scanned or emailed transcripts. All materials submitted to the University become the property of the University and cannot be returned to the applicant or forwarded to any third party.
If your transcript is in a language other than English, each page must be accompanied by an English translation, validated by an official public translator.
TOEFL PBT 550
TOEFL IBT 79
IELTS Academic 6.0
PTE Academic 53
What is American Studies?
American Studies is an interdisciplinary field that centers on historically-rich and socially-engaged scholarship and teaching. The American Studies graduate program at UMass Boston has earned a national reputation as one of the top master’s programs in the field. With tools adapted from cultural and social history, film and popular music studies, critical race and ethnic studies, and queer theory, this academic MA encourages students to immerse in one year of core courses and one year of guided study and research. Our vision of American Studies is expansive. Our longstanding commitment to the study of power dynamics in the culture of the United States has been energized by emerging formations in the field — ranging from transnational and postcolonial frames to sound studies and critical tourism studies. Graduates of the program have gone on to PhD programs in American Studies, gender and women's studies, economics, and other related fields; museum and library work; municipal and state government; and more.
About the Students
American Studies students are a remarkably varied and vibrant group. They come to UMass Boston with varying degrees of training in American Studies — virtually all arrive with some sense that this interdisciplinary approach will help prepare them for the work they want to do in the future, academic and otherwise. The American Studies master's program is highly customizable and students have focused their research on a wide variety of topics - from an audience study of The Rocky Horror Picture Show to a community study of Washington DC's "Little Ethiopia". Alumni have presented their research at a number of conferences, including the Popular Culture Association and the American Studies Association, as well as spoken to general audiences at Comic-Con. Some go on to PhD programs at schools including Yale University, New York University, University of North Carolina, Boston University, and University of Minnesota. Others use their American Studies MA to pursue careers in public history, museum work, high school and community college teaching, journalism, and more.
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Curriculum
Students complete 30 credits of graduate coursework, including a final project based on original research. All students enrolled in the graduate program in American Studies are required to take six core courses (AMST 601-606). These courses introduce the methods, subject matter, and core literature of American Studies historically and as it is practiced today. Students may alternately choose to produce a curriculum unit for their final project, an option that has proven particularly attractive to teachers who enroll in the program. High-school teachers interested in the MA program are encouraged to contact Graduate Program Director Aaron Lecklider to discuss their options.
AMST 601: Introduction to American Studies
AMST 602L: Historical Sequence I: American Society and Political Culture: 1600-1865
AMST 603: Historical Sequence II: Modern Political, Social, and Cultural History
AMST 604: Gender and Sexuality in US History and Culture
AMST 605: Ethnicity, Race, and Nationality
AMST 606: Studies in Popular Culture and Technology
AMST 688: Final Project
AMST 696: Independent Study
AMST 691: Topics in American Study
InsuranceFee: 1,999 USD
