Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

Although there is no formally structured graduate program in American Studies, graduate students in any field at Cornell can elect American Studies as a minor field. In order to declare a graduate minor in American Studies, students should discuss how an interdisciplinary minor in American Studies may fit into their overall interests with an American Studies faculty member. They must also make sure that declaring a minor in American Studies is compatible with the requirements of their major field and secure the approval of their special committee chair. They will have to constitute their special committee so that one special committee member represents American studies.

This is a minor field. Application for admission is made only to the major fields. After matriculation, a student may select minor subjects from the major or minor fields.

Graduate Minor Requirements

For students in graduate research degrees, earning a “minor” in a specific subject or concentration is not explicitly linked to the completion of coursework but is instead defined by the student’s special committee. Faculty serving on the student’s special committee each represent a concentration. Because many graduate faculty are active in more than one graduate field or academic discipline, students and faculty should be clear about which concentration will be represented when a committee is formed.