April 15, 2013
Student, Nadia Sasso, Named
Next Generation Female Leaders
by Katie Couric
...
"As a student coming from abroad, the American Studies Program at Lehigh helped me orient myself in the American academic world and led me on the path to an academic career. The combination of small classes and talented faculty the American Studies Program at Lehigh is able to offer its students is exceptional. The faculty at Lehigh are committed to seeing their graduate students succeed, and are invested in maintaining an open and intellectual environment."
Sarah Van Beurden
Assistant Professor of History
Ohio State University
(Lehigh MA ’02,
University of Pennsylvania PhD ’08)
American Studies at Lehigh
The Master's degree program in American Studies at Lehigh has a strong tradition of recruiting and training students who later go on to earn a PhD in fields such as English, History, Sociology, and American Studies. The program is also attractive to students who view the MA in American Studies as a terminal degree that can open up further opportunities for careers in secondary education, law, media and communications, writing and editing, museum and archival work, and the nonprofit sector.
The strengths of the American Studies Master's degree at Lehigh lie in the flexibility of the program of study and in the one-on-one attention that students receive from the faculty. Students custom-tailor their degree program by taking courses in English, History, Political Science, Sociology, Journalism/Communications, Religion Studies, and a range of other disciplines. Over 30 faculty members in six different departments contribute to the American Studies program, and students work closely with two faculty members on a final thesis project that can take the form of a written paper or, in many cases, a short documentary film.
Lehigh provides a vibrant intellectual environment for scholarship in American Studies. Dozens of speakers visit Lehigh every year, including scholars, activists, filmmakers, and political figures. Lehigh’s close proximity to New York and Philadelphia also gives students access to research and other opportunities on the East Coast.