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Dec 06, 2025
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2025-2026 University Catalog
American Studies, PHD
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About the Program
Founded in the 1960s, the American Studies program in the College of Liberal Arts is invested in studying the ways American culture shapes and influences the ways people live. The program provides students with opportunities to explore American culture through a diversity of ideas, texts, objects, institutions, practices, and histories, as well as the complex social and political relationships that continue to shape the evolving configurations of Americanness. The interdisciplinary program promotes the crossing of disciplinary boundaries and the exploration of questions that generate new understandings of colonization, disability, diversity, environmentalism, ethnicity, gender, incarceration, inequality, media, migration, protest, race, sexuality, technology, transnationalism, and violence. Program Website Program Requirements
90 Credits Required (30 credits from a Master’s may be applied.) Required Courses (xx credits)*
*If not completed by coursework from a Master’s degree. Seminar Courses (9-xx credits)*
*AMST 601 and 602 are not required if taken for the MA degree. AMST 603 and 605 or 606 are still required. AMST 650 may be repeated for additional credit. Major Field (xx credits)
With interdisciplinarity as a guiding principle, all graduate students will select an interdisciplinary major field, listed below. Students should consult with their major advisor to determine which courses fulfill the major field coursework. The program recognizes that the seven major fields will not necessarily encompass the breadth and depth of the questions students may want to address in their graduate studies. With this in mind, the American Studies program allows students to construct their own major field. The student’s major advisor and the Director of the American Studies Program must approve a constructed major field. Current major fields are: - Activism, Resistance, and Social Movement Studies
- Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies
- Design and Material Cultural Studies
- Gender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies
- New Media and Popular Cultural Studies
- Science, Technology, and Environment Studies
- Transnational American Studies
Dissertation Research (xx credits)
Concentrations
Optional departmental concentrations: - Anthropology
- Communication
- Educational Studies
- English
- History
- Political Science
- Sociology
Optional interdisciplinary concentrations: GPA Requirements
Students are expected to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4 point scale) in their coursework. The program may terminate graduate study for students who fail to maintain the minimum cumulative average for two consecutive semesters. Graduate Programs Disclaimer
- The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
- Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary.
- Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
- Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
- Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
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