XClose

UCL Institute of the Americas

Home
Menu

United States Studies: History and Politics MA

This multidisciplinary MA comprises a broad range of specialist modules in the humanities and social sciences, bringing together the academic expertise of the institute with United States specialists from other UCL departments and University of London colleges. The programme's graduates have established careers in research, journalism, teaching and policy formulation and implementation in both government agencies and NGOs.

Key information

Programme starts

September 2021

Modes and duration

Full time: 1 year
Part time: 2 years

Application dates

All applicants
Open: 9 November 2020
Close: 31 May 2021
Notification
Applications may close earlier if all places on the programme are filled.

Tuition fees (2021/22)

UK:
£12,500 (FT)
£6,250 (PT)
Overseas:
£25,800 (FT)
£12,900 (PT)


Note on fees: The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Location: London, Bloomsbury

Entry requirements

Normally an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

International students

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below.

Select your country:

About this degree

Students will develop analytical and critical perspectives on multidisciplinary aspects of US history, politics, cultural studies and international relations, depending on their chosen areas of specialisation. They will gain key research skills, enhance their capacity for oral and written presentation, and develop their knowledge of up-to-date scholarship and theoretical/conceptual debates in United States studies.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), five optional modules (75 credits), and the research dissertation (90 credits).

Please note: all optional modules are subject to availability.

Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded a MA in United States Studies: History and Politics.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Compulsory module

  • Researching the Americas

Optional modules

Students choose five optional modules from a selection that includes the following:

  • Confronting the Colossus: Power, Protest, and United States Foreign Relations, 1945-present
  • From Slavery to Freedom: Race, Class, Gender and Union in the Nineteenth Century United States
  • From the New South to the Modern South: The (Re)Making of an American Region
  • Politics of US Foreign Policy
  • Post-Cold War US Foreign Policy
  • The Making of the Modern US Presidency
  • American Political Development: Politics and Institutions, 1900-present
  • States of Exception: US State-building through its Exceptional Geographies
  • Challenging the Straight State: Regulation, Repression, and Resistance in US Sexual Politics
  • From Skid Row to Obamacare: The Politics of Social Welfare in the United States Since 1900

Of the 75 optional module credits, students can choose a maximum of 30 credits from other departments or from other University of London colleges, subject to the Programme Director's approval.

Dissertation/report

All students write a dissertation of 15,000 words (90 credits) on a research topic of their choice linked to the subject area of one of their taught modules.

Fieldwork

Many of our Master's students undertake fieldwork in order to carry out research for their dissertation projects.


Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of seminars, lectures, presentations, research skills training, independent reading and research. Assessment is through written assignments (which may include essays, term papers and analytical exercises, depending on selected options), group and seminar presentations, and the dissertation.

Additional costs

There may be travel costs associated with fieldwork. The institute has limited funds available to students to help towards the costs of fieldwork. These funds are awarded on a competitive basis on the criteria of academic performance to date, the quality of the research proposal and the importance of fieldwork for completing the research.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Funding

Funding opportunities at the Institute of the Americas can be found here.

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

Miller Bursary

Note:
Deadline: 30 July 2021
Value:
£5,000 (1 year)
Eligibility:
UK
Criteria:
Based on both academic merit and financial need

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Careers

Graduates of this programme will be well placed to use their skills and knowledge to find employment in government, business, journalism, finance and international NGOs, and teaching, or to engage in doctoral research in this field.

Employability

Our graduates enter a wide range of occupations, the most subject-specific becoming university lecturers in the UK and US. Students have drawn on broader skills of communication, research, and presentation developed through the programme to obtain posts in the civil service (mainly Foreign & Commonwealth Office), other public services, think tanks (such as the Henry Jackson Society), university administration, secondary school teaching, and management positions in the private sector. Those interested in careers in national government and think tanks have particular opportunities to interact and develop valuable networks through our rich US events programme.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The Institute of the Americas occupies a unique position at the core of academic study of the region in the UK, promoting, co-ordinating and providing a focus for research and postgraduate teaching on the Americas, including Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.

The institute actively maintains and builds ties with cultural, diplomatic and business organisations with interests in the Americas, and provides resources to the wider academic community, serving and strengthening national networks of North Americanist, Latin Americanist and Caribbeanist scholars.

Students benefit from tuition by world-leading scholars in an academic environment at the cutting edge of research in the humanities and social sciences.

Department: Institute of the Americas

What our students and staff say

Staff view

"It's both a pleasure and a privilege for me to be at UCL. It's the pinnacle of my career and I'm not going anywhere else. What's not to like about great colleagues, great students, and a great research environment – all in a leafy spot in the heart of London!"

Professor Iwan Morgan

United States Studies: History and Politics MA, International Relations of the Americas MSc
Professor of US Studies and Commonwalth Fund Professor of American History
Staff view

"London has so many rich resources. The British Library, with its Eccles Centre for American Studies, is a short walk from UCL, and the LSE has a number of archival collections related to queer history in the United States. I co-convene a research seminar in American history at the Institute for Historical Research that brings together US specialists from all over London. And my own department hosts an impressive programme of research and public events that are always very well attended. "

Professor Jonathan Bell

United Studies: History and Politics MA
UCL Institute of the Americas

Application and next steps

Applications

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found in our How to apply section.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications and £115 for paper applications. Further information can be found at: ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/taught/application.

Who can apply?

This degree is suitable for qualified candidates who wish to gain the subject-specific and transferable skills necessary to prepare for careers in research, teaching, and private/public sector organisations in the multidisciplinary field of United States studies.

Application deadlines

All applicants
31 May 2021

Please note that some funding schemes have an earlier application deadline; please view the funding section for further details.


For more information see our Applications page.

Apply now

What are we looking for?

When we assess your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study United States Studies: History and Politics at graduate level
  • why you want to study United States Studies: History and Politics at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to elaborate on your reasons for applying to this programme and how your interests match what the programme will deliver.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.

Page last modified on 28 August 2021