American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons)
University of Essex
Key Course Facts
Student Reviews
Below you can see course specific reviews of 145 graduates of American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons) and other courses in Politics & International Relations at University of Essex for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Politics & International Relations.
Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.
All Politics & International Relations courses of University of Essex
Salary
Salary of Graduates in Politics & International Relations
Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Politics & International Relations at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.
| 15 months after graduation | 3 years after graduation | 5 years after graduation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median salary | £25000 | £26500 | £30500 |
| 25-75 percentile range | £22500 - £30000 | £21000 - £32500 | £26500 - £41000 |
All Politics & International Relations courses of University of Essex
Salary of all UK Graduates of Politics & International Relations
| 15 months after graduation | 3 years after graduation | 5 years after graduation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median salary | £25497 | £24834 | £30021 |
| 25-75 percentile range | £21918 - £30092 | £19462 - £31205 | £23138 - £39390 |
All Politics & International Relations courses in the UK
Course Description
The complex and ever-changing American culture continues to fascinate. For well over a century, the US has been one of the most influential countries in the world, rising to be a world ‘superpower’ and dominating the world stage. Its commercial and cultural products are exported all over the world, from Silicon Valley and Hollywood, to jazz, blues and hip hop.
BA American Studies (United States) is for those with enthusiasm, passion and intellectual curiosity about all things American. At Essex, we offer you an opportunity to understand some of the diverse and paradoxical aspects of the US through interdisciplinary studies. The US – perhaps more than any other society – lends itself to interdisciplinary study; its literature and film are connected to its politics, its cultures are linked to its histories.
Crucially, you also spend either a term or a full academic year studying in the United States, so you can explore and become immersed in American culture.
The degree is built to be extremely flexible and student-led, and as you progress through the course you can choose from an enormous range of options from across the humanities and social sciences including:
- Contemporary social issues, such as the struggles for racial justice
- The legacies of slavery and the civil rights movement
- Environmental protection of the ‘wilderness’ of the Far West
- Native American histories and rights
Based within our Interdisciplinary Studies Centre (ISC), this course allows you to explore the many ways of understanding the American experience. You draw on multiple perspectives in order to reach a deeper understanding of the world we inhabit, opening up exciting possibilities to discover the American continent. The cities, vast open plains, mountains and deserts shape diverse and intriguing ways of life.
By encouraging you to think and operate across traditional boundaries, our American studies course has produced confident, assertive and intelligent graduates who have become successful in many professional fields.
Jobs & Career Perspectives
15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.
All Politics & International Relations courses of University of Essex
Current jobs
All courses of University of Essex
Required skill level of job after 15 months
All Politics & International Relations courses of University of Essex
Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)
Example below based on all graduates of American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons) at University of Essex
| 21% | Welfare and housing associate professionals |
| 14% | Legal professionals |
| 13% | Business and public service associate professionals |
| 12% | Elementary occupations |
| 6% | Teaching Professionals |
| 6% | Secretarial and related occupations |
| 5% | Artistic, literary and media occupations |
| 3% | Finance Professionals |
| 3% | Media Professionals |
| 3% | Information Technology Professionals |
Entry Requirements / Admissions
UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Politics & International Relations
All Politics & International Relations courses of University of Essex
Requirements for international students / English requirements
IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)
-
- 6.5
- Graduate Degrees
-
- 6.0
- Undergraduate Degrees
Costs
Tuition Fees American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons)
| England UK | £9250 | year 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | year 1 |
| EU | £18585 | year 1 |
| International | £18585 | year 1 |
| Ireland | £18585 | year 1 |
Additional fee information
Fees displayed are for 2023-24 entry. Fees may increase for each academic intake and each academic year of study.
Average student cost of living in the UK
| Rent | £518 |
| Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) | £50 |
| Supermarket shopping | £81 |
| Clothing | £35 |
| Eating out | £33 |
| Alcohol | £27 |
| Takeaways / food deliveries | £30 |
| Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) | £24 |
| Holidays and weekend trips | £78 |
| Transport within city | £17 |
| Self-care / sports | £20 |
| Stationary / books | £13 |
| Mobile phone / internet | £13 |
| Cable TV / streaming | £7 |
| Insurance | £51 |
| Other | £95 |
| Average student cost of living | £1092 |
London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.
How to apply
Application deadline:
August 1, 2025
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Possible Entry Points:
- year 1 (Default entry point)
- year 2
UCAS application code:
T708
University Rankings
of University of Essex
among 379 universities in England UK
based on 32 different rankings
Positions of University of Essex in top UK and global rankings.
See all 32 university rankings of University of Essex
About University of Essex
List of 921 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Essex - Course Catalogue
Student composition of University of Essex
-
Total number of students enrolled at University of Essex by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
- undergraduates:
- 12070
- postgraduates:
- 3690
- Total:
- 15760
-
Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “American Studies”: 205 Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
Where is this programme taught
Show on map
Similar courses
| Program | University | Student satisfaction | Unemployed | Dropout | Tuition (UK) | Tuition (International) |  UCAS Tariff |
City | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Criminology and American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons) | University of Essex | - | 0% | 8% | £9250 | £18585 | 107 | Colchester |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
Spanish and Latin American Studies BA (Hons) | Aberystwyth University | - | - | - | £9000 | £16520 | - | Aberystwyth |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
History and American Studies with Foundation Year BA (Hons) | York St John University | - | - | - | £9250 | £14000 | - | York |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
|
Criminology and American Studies (United States) Including Placement Year BA (Hons) | University of Essex | - | 5% | 10% | £9250 | £18585 | 92 | Colchester |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
American Studies and English (with a study abroad year) BA (Hons) | University of Sussex | 94% | 8% | 4% | £9250 | £21500 | 132 | Brighton |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
|
American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) BA (Hons) | University of Sussex | 86% | 0% | 5% | £9250 | £21500 | 126 | Brighton |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
Spanish and Latin American Studies BA (Hons) | University College London | - | - | - | £9250 | £26200 | - | London |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
|
American Studies (United States) (Including Foundation Year and Year Abroad) BA (Hons) | University of Essex | 76% | 3% | 5% | £9250 | £19500 | 104 | Colchester |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
Politics and American Studies BA (Hons) | The University of Nottingham | 72% | 10% | 0% | £9250 | £21500 | 132 | Nottingham |
On campus
Full-time
|
|
|
American Studies and War Studies with Foundation Year BA (Hons) | York St John University | - | - | - | £9250 | £14000 | - | York |
On campus
Full-time
|
FAQ about American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons) University of Essex
- Tuition fees for this programme are 9250 per year for UK students. In addition to the tuition fees you should also take into consideration the average monthly cost of living for students in the UK.
- The median salary of graduates of this course was £25000 15 months after graduation, £26500 3 years after graduation and £30500 after graduation.
- Welfare and housing associate professionals (21%), Legal professionals (14%), Business and public service associate professionals (13%), Elementary occupations (12%)
- 145 graduates rated the course 79. This means that 79% of graduates indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the course. See detailed ratings above and how these compare to the averages at other universities.
- American Studies (United States) (Including Year Abroad) BA (Hons) is taught on campus and cannot be taken online at University of Essex.
- It is pretty easy to get accepted based on UCAS tariff scores (lowest 1% Percentile among all American Studies students in the UK). Other criteria may have been valued for acceptance apart from UCAS tariff scores.