Program Overview

School of Interdisciplinary Studies

The School of Interdisciplinary Studies offers a range of undergraduate programs, including the Bachelor of Arts in American Studies.

American Studies (B.A.)

The program in American Studies has as its focus the institutions, arts, structure, and social processes of the United States. It emphasizes interdisciplinary work which integrates disciplinary perspectives. Students choose two broad areas within which to work.

American Studies graduates work in business, non-profit organizations, and media and culture industries. The B.A. in American Studies is also an excellent preparation for law school or graduate school. Each student designs his or her own program within specific guidelines and in consultation with a faculty advisor. The courses a student takes as part of the American Studies program may be given in any school within the university but will include American Studies courses and appropriate Interdisciplinary Studies courses.

Bachelor of Arts in American Studies

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

• I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 hours
  • Communication (6 hours)
    • 3 hours Communication (RHET 1302)
    • 3 hours Communication Elective (BIS 3320)
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
    • 6 hours Government (GOVT 2301 and 2302)
    • 6 hours History (HIST 1301 and 2301)
    • 3 hours Social and Behavior Sciences Elective
  • Humanities and Fine Arts (6 hours)
    • 3 hours Fine Arts (ARTS 1301)
    • 3 hours Humanities (AMS 2341)
  • Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (6 hours)
    • 3 hours College Algebra (MATH 1306 or MATH 1314)
    • 3 hours Statistics (STAT 1342 or PSY 2317)
  • Science (9 hours including at least one course with a substantial laboratory component)
• II. Major Requirements: 54 hours (42 hours beyond the Core Curriculum)
  • Major Preparatory Courses (6 hours)
    • One of the following:
      • MATH 1306 College Algebra for the Non-Scientist
      • MATH 1314 College Algebra
      • MATH 1325 Applied Calculus I
      • MATH 2417 Calculus I
    • One of the following:
      • PSY 2317 Statistics for Psychology
      • or STAT 1342 Statistical Decision Making
  • Major Core Courses (12 hours)
    • AMS 3302 American Cultures
    • or AMS 2341 American Studies for the Twenty-First Century (at the lower division)
    • BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry
    • Two of the following courses:
      • HIST 3369 United States Foreign Relations
      • PSCI 3325 American Public Policy
      • PSCI 3327 American Foreign Policy
  • Major Related Courses (36 hours)
    • In addition to the core requirements, students will take 18 semester credit hours of course work in each of two of the following disciplinary options, for a total of 36 hours:
      • The American Body Politic
      • Americans Past and Present
      • America and the World Community
      • American Business and Technology
      • American Literature and the Arts
      • Popular Culture
• III. Elective Requirements: 36 hours
  • Advanced Electives (6 hours)
  • Guided Elective (1 hour)
    • BIS 1100
  • Free Electives (29 hours)
  • Students must complete 51 hours of upper-division course work to graduate of which 21 upper level hours have to be taken at UTD.

Honors in American Studies

• GPA: 3.900 cumulative GPA, 3.900 GPA in courses described below, and a total of 27 or 30 upper level UTD hours as described below.
• Required courses:
  • AMS 3302 American Cultures
  • or AMS 2341 American Studies for Twenty-First Century (3 hours)
  • BIS 3320 The Nature of Intellectual Inquiry (3 hours)
  • Two of HIST 3369, PSCI 3325 or PSCI 3327 (6 hours)
  • Core Course of first chosen option area (3 hours)
  • Core Course of second chosen option area (3 hours)
  • One approved AMS course from option area 1 (3 hours)
  • One approved course from option area 2 (3 hours)
• Options: (6 hours)
  • 6 hours of Internship
  • 3 hours of Internship and one approved three hour course from option area 1 or 2
• Notation on Transcript: Honors in Major