Master of Arts in American Studies

Trinity's master of arts in American studies fosters a broad foundation in archival, spatial, public humanities, and transnational approaches to exploring the American experience at home and abroad.

About the Program

Trinity’s master of arts in American studies trains students to become engaged scholars and public humanists who can synthesize these approaches into theoretically and empirically rigorous analyses of the often contradictory and conflicting meanings of America. To that end, the program provides exposure to America’s social, political, material, and cultural histories through diverse, pluralistic, and transnational perspectives.

Our graduates pursue advanced studies in the humanities and social sciences and in professional programs and law schools. They are employed in nonprofits, publishing, teaching, academic administration, government service, curatorial work, and library and archive work. In the spirit of collaborative interdisciplinarity, our faculty and students maintain ties with departments across the College, including anthropology, English, history, human rights, international studies, film studies, political science, sociology, and women, gender, and sexuality.

Our location offers invaluable opportunities for research at archives and institutions such as the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, The Mark Twain House & Museum, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, the Connecticut State Library, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Real Art Ways, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center, and our own Watkinson Library.

For students interested specifically in museums, the American studies graduate program offers a graduate certificate in museums and communities.

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