| THE PROGRAM |
| OUR MISSION |
The MA in American Studies at the University of Torino is a one-year program, designed for Italian and international students interested in furthering their understanding of American and Canadian cultures, history, politics, literatures, and arts. Students also learn how to effectively present, in both speech and writing, and translate into American English issues and ideas and how to use traditional and online resources for researching information in their areas of study.
The program provides training in academic and practical skills tailored to meet the needs of future players in a transatlantic and global environment. Graduates are well placed to work as teachers, journalists, translators, librarians, editors, as well as in the areas of tourism and international relations. The program also strengthens self-confidence and motivation to continue in a PhD program.
On a typical year, over 60 per cent of our students are international students.
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DEGREE AND CREDITS AWARDED
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Students earn a total of 60 credit points (in Italy: "crediti formativi universitari" or CFU).
Degree awarded: "Master di Primo Livello in American Studies."
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| CREDIT TRANSFER |
Although a one-year MA program (60 credits) does not fulfill the degree prerequisite for admission to Ph.D. programs in many EU (and non-EU) countries - including Italy - (which typically require 2-years, or 120 credits, of graduate study), our graduates may transfer credits earned through our MA program in to a 2-year MA program ("Laurea Magistrale") in Italy or elsewhere. The number of transferable credits varies, but may equal or approximate one full year's credit load of a 2-year program. Please contact us for further details on this option.
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| COURSES |
Courses are taught over 2 academic semesters, totaling 50 credits (approx 25 credits per semester). These include courses taught by resident and visiting staff, as well as lectures, seminars, writing and research workshops. Courses are taught in weekly seminars and include a significant amount of independent study (reading, preparation of presentations, preparation of written and oral exams). Regular attendance to classroom activities (minimum 70 per cent of each course) is required. Classroom activity is always scheduled in Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.
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| FINAL THESIS |
The remaining 10 credits are earned through a supervised thesis, on a topic chosen by the student in agreement with an advisor.
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| STUDY ABROAD |
Eligible students may choose to spend one extra semester, earning extra credit, at one of our American Studies partner institutions in Europe on a scholarship through the Erasmus program. Erasmus partner universities include Amsterdam University, Freie Universität Berlin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Muenchen, Université Paris VII, and the University of Warsaw. Study abroad is OPTIONAL.
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| ONLINE COURSES |
Students unable to attend or complete any of the regular courses may arrange to substitute up to two 6-credit courses with online courses, specifically designed for this MA program. Online courses are available 24/7. The online courses equal in breadth, scope and coverage the courses taught in class. A typical online course requires students to participate in an orientation session, follow weekly online lectures and complete all the relevant study (reading/research). There is a supplementary charge of 250 euro per student for each online course, since we need to provide the necessary supervision for individual course delivery and grading. Because of the flexibility they provide, online courses are ideal to tackle any unexpected circumstances (e.g. a sudden change in working schedule) students may encounter while enrolled in this MA program. We emphasize, however, that regularly attending students do NOT need online courses to complete the program.
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| INTERNSHIPS |
After completing all the required courses, students may elect to serve in an internship with one of our partner institutions (see INTERNSHIPS link for details). Internships are OPTIONAL. read more
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COURSE & THESIS
SCHEDULE |
1st semester courses: november-February; assignments completion/exams: by end of February 2nd semester courses: March-May; assignments completion/exams: by end of June. Final Thesis and (optional) Internship: July-September | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COURSES AND CREDITS |
Titles of courses offered in the next program will be available approximately three months before the start of classes. Here is a break-down of the disciplines we will teach:
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| STUDENT SERVICES |
Among the services available to our students (at no extra cost): library access and book checkout, library study space, campus wi-fi and online services (periodical databanks with full text retrieval, email, etc.), housing assistance, sports/recreation services (through CUS Torino)
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