Master of Arts (M.A.)
The M.A. degree program, offered at Penn State Harrisburg, emphasizes the study of American society and culture. It serves students who want to investigate the American experience and apply their studies in a variety of professions, including education, government, communications, and museums. It is the distinguishing characteristic of the program that the large majority of its course offerings are taught by faculty trained in the discipline of American Studies and these courses have the AMST prefix for "American Studies." The program offers a number of concentrations including folklore, cultural history (politics, popular culture, media studies), international American Studies, material and visual culture (art, architecture, craft, landscape, food, clothing, medicine), public heritage (museums, historic preservation, archiving, cultural resource management), race and ethnicity, and regional studies.
The campus is located in a rich cultural region, which includes Amish Farmlands, Gettysburg, Hershey, Steelton, Ephrata, Carlisle, York, and Harrisburg. Additionally, proximity to the major cities of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and New York offer a host of research options for students. Strong ties with local educational and cultural institutions, including the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Landis Valley Musuem, Hershey Museum, National Civil War Museum, and the Dauphin County Historical Society, Cumberland County Historical Society, and other public heritage resources provide excellent learning opportunities for students.
The M.A. degree can be earned by full- or part-time study. Most 500-level courses are offered in the evening as the program strives to meet students' needs.
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The Doctor of Philosophy program in American Studies represents the study of the United States as an academic field with its own developed theories, methods, and applications. Taking advantage of its location in a capital region with internationally known heritage sites and American Studies resources such as the Gettysburg Battlefield, Three-Mile Island, Hershey, Steelton, Anthracite Coal Region, and Amish Country, it emphasizes critical cultural inquiry and the application of American Studies to public heritage, public policy, and cultural resource management, including governmental work, museums, cultural agencies, education, archives and records management, public policy, and communications. A foundation for this application is an understanding of the American experience developed within the intellectual legacy of American Studies.
Graduates of the program are typically oriented toward public practice as well as scholarship in American Studies, integrating perspectives on United States history, culture, and society. Students have opportunities for internships and field experiences outside the classroom. In addition to preparation for academic teaching and writing, the program is distinctively concerned among other doctoral departments of American Studies with the production of public scholars and leadership careers outside of academe. The program strives to cover America broadly in its national and international contexts, work with local resources and institutions, and to develop a focus on cultural expression and identity, including areas of:
- material and visual culture
- folk and popular culture
- race, ethnicity, and gender
- literature, performance, and media
