Interdisciplinary and international

The Master's in American Studies at the UvA is a one-year programme, taught entirely in English. We are based in the history department, but our students come from many disciplines. You will study alongside students from a wide range of backgrounds, such as literature, media studies, cultural studies, sociology and art history. Interdisciplinary pollination means our field of inquiry is broad: Moby-Dick and Mickey Mouse, the sentimental novel and the war on terror. We study American politics, but also the power of culture.

Why study American Studies at the UvA?

• International approach
  Our approach is international. ‘America’, as dream or nightmare, is an outsider’s myth as well as a concrete reality; international perspectives have always informed American Studies as a field. Our students gain a deeper understanding of America’s hidden histories, from colonisation to global empire.
• Excellent career prospects
  You will learn to conduct research with archival and cultural sources, and to write with eloquence and force in English. As a graduate you are qualified to move on to a PhD, and to work in a range of professional fields.
• Ideal study environment
  Amsterdam was itself a model for progressive American intellectuals a century ago. It became a key entrepôt for American culture and commerce: from the Marshall Plan to the American music that still blasts from every bar. Today this major European cultural centre is an ideal vantage point from which to study the United States, closely or from a critical distance. American Studies is a lively community in a bustling city.
• Interdisciplinary
  You will work with students from many intellectual backgrounds
• Individual
  You craft an original thesis on a subject of your own choosing

After graduation

After graduating you have learned to conduct research with archival and cultural sources, and to write with eloquence and force in English. You have also learned to relate academic knowledge to the contemporary world. You will be equipped to work in a range of professional fields.