BA History and American Studies / Course details

BA History and American Studies will allow you to examine the history of the USA from colonisation through to the present-day.

The course will train you in the methods of American Studies and the skills of historical scholarship. You will also be given the opportunity to study aspects of history that interest you most, from ancient, medieval, modern, and economic and social history, to the history of science, technology and medicine.

The University of Manchester was the home of the first Department of American Studies in the UK, and you will be taught by one of the largest concentrations of US historians in the country.

Our areas of specialisation range widely from the European colonisation of the Caribbean in the 17th century, through to the development of US racialized slavery, America's Cold War strategy, and the history of US sport in the late 20th century.

You will be taught by political, intellectual, social, and cultural historians, gain advanced historical skills, such as those of analysis, debate, and argument, and acquire an appreciation of the historiographical debates that have shaped American and world history.

These skills will be refined further through the study of a wide corpus of materials that includes musical scores, diplomatic memoranda, and political cartoons, and through the composition of essays and a final-year dissertation.

Students on this course are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities for study abroad, especially with our partner institutions in North America and Europe. Find out more about our North American partners and European partners .

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks.

Connect with like-minded students

Join the History Society, which plays a key role in building a community among History students at Manchester by organising trips (in the UK and on the continent), hosting social events, and coordinating the student magazine, The Manchester Historian .

You can also join the University of Manchester American Studies Society (UMASS), which organises social events and cultural activities with an American theme.

Teaching takes the form of tutor-led sessions, lectures and seminars.

You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.

For every hour spent at university, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study.

You will also need to study during the holiday periods.

A significant part of your study time will be spent reading, taking notes, preparing presentations and writing essays (which examine aspects of a subject in greater depth).

Classroom time is frequently supplemented by new media, such as the virtual learning environment, Blackboard.

You will also have access to other digital resources to support your learning. For some course units you'll join in group work and other forms of collaborative learning.

You will be assessed in various ways, including:

• written and oral examinations;
• coursework essays;
• research reports;
• practical tests;
• learning logs;
• web contributions.

Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.

In your final year, you will write a dissertation.

Your second-year work counts toward 33% of your final degree result. Your third-year work accounts for the remaining 67%.

Studying a broad range of modules on the History and American Studies degree has definitely enabled me to become an effective teacher. Alongside the wide array of History modules, American Studies modules broadened my awareness of other significant cultural texts. I now find myself referencing such material in a range of lessons-allowing for an interdisciplinary style in my teaching, and hopefully more engaged students. Exposing young people in state education to ‘cultural capital,' to widen their opportunities after leaving school was the main reason that I pursued this career. My degree in History and American Studies provided the perfect training to do that.

Sam Nero, Secondary History Teacher/History and American Studies graduate 2019

The University of Manchester owns the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Museum and Tabley House, giving you unique access to outstanding cultural and historical resources. 

One of only five National Research Libraries, The University of Manchester Library holds extensive, internationally renowned collections in the American literary field, including the Walt Whitman Collection and the Upton Sinclair Collection. 

American history is also well-served by several major research databases dedicated to topics such as the African American Experience, the 19th century US press, and American religion. 

The English and American Studies Film Library is another substantial and growing learning resource. 

Learn more on the Facilities pages for  History  and  American Studies .