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American U.S. Studies

Types of Degrees American U.S. Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in American U.S. Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	112
Bachelor’s Degree	775
Master’s Degree	186
Doctor’s Degree	82

What American U.S. Studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for American U.S. Studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that American U.S. Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing American U.S. Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a American U.S. Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to American U.S. Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, American U.S. Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by American U.S. Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for American U.S. Studies graduates include:

• Black Studies Professor
• Humanities Professor
• Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Gender Studies Professor
• Faculty Lecturer
• Hawaiian Studies Lecturer
• Ethnic Origins Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Ethnic Studies Teacher
• African Studies Professor
• College Professor
• Latin American Studies Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Ethnology Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to American U.S. Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	60.5%
Master’s degree	31.0%
Post-doctoral training	4.0%
Post-master’s certificate	3.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in American U.S. Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.8% women and 40.2% men among American U.S. Studies graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	691	59.8%
Men	465	40.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of American U.S. Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	588	50.9%
Asian	82	7.1%
Hispanic or Latino	202	17.5%
Black or African American	119	10.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	12	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	95	8.2%
Race Unknown	25	2.2%
International Students	31	2.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do American U.S. Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of American U.S. Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$37,815
4 years	$54,317
5 years	$64,382

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,382 — roughly 70% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online American U.S. Studies Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for American U.S. Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	2	0
Bachelor’s	1	4
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in American U.S. Studies Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, American U.S. Studies graduates earn a median of $54,317 four years after completion — roughly 43% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Area Studies	05.01
African Studies	05.0101
Appalachian Studies	05.0135
Arctic Studies	05.0136
Area Studies, Other	05.0199
Asian Studies/Civilization	05.0103
Balkans Studies	05.0116
Baltic Studies	05.0117
Canadian Studies	05.0115
Caribbean Studies	05.0119
Chinese Studies	05.0123
Commonwealth Studies	05.0121

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.