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M.A. programs
The B.A. program in North American Studies will expose you to a variety of disciplines, and after graduating many students will continue their studies in the Master program North American Studies (link to OSA). Another option is to choose a single discipline to study further in a dedicated M.A. program or continue in another interdisciplinary program.
The John F. Kennedy Institute offers an M.A. program in North American Studies that can be studied consecutively, perfect for students whose focus remains in North America or who simply prefer interdisciplinary learning. Some students even continue their research at our Graduate School for North American Studies (GSNAS), and go on to become professors and researchers of North American Studies themselves! The possiblity to study North American studies from undergraduate to doctoral degree only exists at a few other universities.
Because it is possible to gain 60 CP in a single discipline in the B.A. program, which is often the minimal requirement for disciplinary consecutive Master programs, students sometimes decide to continue studying with a more theoretical disciplinary focus at their respective departments at the FU or other universities. Because of the interdisciplinary skills the B.A. North American studies provides, a number of area-studies related M.A. programs are also an option.
Click on the arrows below to explore some of these post-B.A. study opportunities.
The Master's in North American Studies allows students with a continuing focus on the issues and contexts of North America to deepen their expertise within their primary discipline, or widen their interdisciplinary scope.
Masters students complete three modules each in two disciplines (six disciplinary modules total), as well as three interdisciplinary modules, one of which is the institute-wide "Ringvorlesung" public lecture series. The structure of the disciplinary modules will vary by department, but the interdisciplinary modules are always taught by two professors in two different departments – allowing for a multi-disciplinary exploration of a single topic. The program is capped off by the Master's colloquium and Master's thesis.
Here you can get to the OSA for the MA in North American Studies.
By completing the associate module in one of your chosen disciplines, you can earn the requisite 60 CP/ECTS credits in a single discipline, which will qualify you to go on to study that discipline at the M.A. level. For example.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of M.A. programs you might pursue at the Freie Universität if you complete the associate model in the respective discipline.
- Poltical Science: Political Science, International Relations, Media and Political Communication
- Literature: German Literature, Comparative Literature, English Studies*
- History: History, Global History*, Public History
- Sociology: Sociology, European Societies*
- Economics: Economics
- Culture: Cultural Studies+, Gender Studies+
Here is a list of all the MA programs offered at the Freie Universität.
* Programs with an asterisk (*) are taught in English at the FU. All other programs are taught in German. Non-German speakers in the B.A. will have the opportunity to take German language courses at the Freie Universität's "Sprachenzentrum" (language center) during their studies.
+ programs marked with a plus are currently not offered at the FU
The M.A. in Global History, a joint program between Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität, is a popular choice for B.A. graduates of North American Studies – especially those whose specialization is History!
"The structure of our two-year program builds on the conviction that global history is best understood as a complex interplay on different spatial scales. Global historians, in our understanding, are not exclusively concerned with “the global,” however it be defined; rather, they think about ways to link larger processes and global structures to regional, national, and local contexts. Our course structure therefore helps students make connections between global perspectives and the specificities of the local and national. Students are encouraged to think globally, but at the same time to specialize in the history of a particular region. The close cooperation between global approaches and area studies is thus a particular emphasis of our program."