American Studies Graduate Program

M.A./M.U.P. Degree Requirements

M.U.P. Requirements (24 hours)

1. M.U.P. Core Courses (21 hours)

• UBPL 705: Economic Analysis for Planners
• UBPL 736: Planning Institutions
• UBPL 741: Quantitative Methods I
• UBPL 742: Quantitative Methods II
• UBPL 763: Professional Practice
• UBPL 815: History and Theory of Planning
• UBPL 850: Urban and Regional Theory

2. Elective in Urban Planning (3 hours): A list of approved UBPL elective courses can be found on the Urban Planning website.

American Studies M.A. Requirements (24 hours)

1. AMS Core Courses (12 hours)

• AMS 801: Introduction to American Studies
• AMS 802: Theorizing America
• AMS 803: Research Methods in American Studies
• AMS 804: Research Seminar

2. Electives in American Studies (9 hours): These courses will serve as the student's area of concentration preparing them for their thesis or publishable article. Electives must have an AMS course number and must be taken at the 700-level or above. 

3. Thesis/Article Hours (3 hours): Students completing the joint degree program are required to defend either a thesis or publishable article in their final semester. After completing the AMS required coursework, the student enrolls in AMS 899 until their thesis or publishable article is accepted by their committee. An oral defense of the thesis or article will serve as the M.A. examination.

Joint Requirements (12 hours)

1. Specialization Courses in Urban Planning (12 hours): The curriculum requires each student to declare a specialization in housing and development, sustainable land use planning, or transportation planning. In each specialization, the student must complete one course each in theory and policy, methods, and implementation. The student must also complete a supplemental course in the area of specialization. A list of approved specialization courses can be found on the Urban Planning website.

Please review the AMS Graduate Student Handbook and the UBPL Prospectus for additional information.