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Studies & Degrees in Anglo-American Studies

Anglo-American studies is the study of the English-speaking world, above all the United Kingdom and the United States, through its language, literature, history, politics and culture. Some programmes are built around the English language and its literatures. Others, usually called American studies or North American studies, treat the United States and Canada as a region and combine several disciplines.

Students read literature and historical sources in English, write essays, and learn the methods of more than one discipline. A degree page in Spain describes the aim as command of the English language together with knowledge of the literature, culture and society of English-speaking countries. An area-studies programme in Germany lists History, Cultural Studies, Literature, Political Science, Sociology and Economics as its core disciplines.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degrees in Spain. The subject is normally taken as a bachelor's degree (grado) in English studies. Spanish bachelor's degrees have 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Estudios Ingleses of the Universidad de Salamanca, for example, lasts four academic years, is taught in Spanish and English, and expects students to reach at least CEFR level C1 in English.
  • Master's degrees in Spain. Official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Máster Universitario en Estudios Norteamericanos is a joint degree of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Universidad de Alcalá, linked to the Instituto Franklin. It has 60 ECTS credits, takes one academic year full time, is taught in English and offers 20 places. Classes are held in Madrid in the first semester and in Alcalá de Henares in the second.
  • Area studies in Germany. The John F. Kennedy Institute of the Freie Universität Berlin teaches a single-subject bachelor's degree in North American Studies with 150 credit points in the subject and 30 in general professional skills. A semester abroad is mandatory, and applicants must prove English at CEFR level C1. Its master's programme takes two years and 120 credits, and starts every winter semester.
  • Joint honours in the United Kingdom. British universities often offer American Studies with a year abroad, alone or with a second subject. The University of Sussex lists American Studies BA (Hons) with a study abroad year, and combinations with English, Film Studies, History and Politics.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists one active school under Anglo-American studies: the Universidad de Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain. Its list of bachelor's degrees includes Lengua y Literatura Españolas, Historia and Relaciones Internacionales, each with 240 ECTS credits over four years. Ask the university which courses on English-language literature and culture are open to degree and exchange students.

Elsewhere in Spain the subject is found in faculties of philology and humanities under the name Estudios Ingleses. Teaching in these degrees is partly in Spanish, so international students usually need both languages. Programmes in Germany and the United Kingdom, and the Madrid master's degree described above, are taught in English.

Choosing a programme

  • Language and literature, or area studies: check how much of the plan is linguistics and how much is history, politics and society
  • Whether a period abroad in an English-speaking country is compulsory, optional or not offered
  • The English level required at entry and the level the degree expects at the end
  • The second foreign language, which many philology degrees require

Careers

Graduates work where advanced English and knowledge of English-speaking societies are needed. The Universidad de Salamanca names teaching, research and language consultancy as the traditional routes for its English studies graduates, and adds intercultural mediation and cultural management. Others move into translation, publishing, journalism, international relations and tourism.

Teaching in Spanish secondary schools requires an additional master's degree in teacher training after the bachelor's degree. A research career requires a master's degree and then a doctorate.

Frequently asked questions

Is Anglo-American studies the same as English studies?

Largely, in Spain. The usual degree is the Grado en Estudios Ingleses, which covers the language, literature and culture of English-speaking countries. American or North American studies is narrower in region and broader in disciplines.

How long does the degree take?

A Spanish bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years. The joint master's degree in North American studies of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Universidad de Alcalá has 60 ECTS credits and takes one year.

What level of English do I need?

It depends on the programme. The Freie Universität Berlin asks for proof of CEFR level C1 for admission to its bachelor's degree in North American Studies. The Universidad de Salamanca sets C1 as the minimum level its graduates should reach.

Can I study the subject entirely in English in Spain?

At master's level, yes: the Máster Universitario en Estudios Norteamericanos is taught in English. Bachelor's degrees in English studies combine English and Spanish.