Who We Are

American Studies is the interdisciplinary study of the culture, history, and society of the United States. Although the field is almost 100 years old, in Romania it is relatively new because the communist regime did not encourage the study of the US. Shortly after 1989, this academic discipline finally took root in Romania with the pioneering program at the University of Bucharest, through the initiative of Professor Rodica Mihăilă. We started with an MA program in 1996. Shortly after our undergraduate program took off, and it is still the most successful in the country.

The American Studies Program at the University of Bucharest already has a long tradition within the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures and was the first such academic venture in Romania. Supported by both the Cultural Center of the US Embassy and the Fulbright Commission in Romania, our program has benefited from the experience of some of the top specialists in the field of American Studies.


Since this is an interdisciplinary (cultural studies) program, it follows that you will be studying a lot of exciting interrelated disciplines, such as (to name but a few subjects) American film studies, American literature, American civilization, media studies, studies of race and ethnicity, visual culture, popular culture, American history and politics, Native-American studies, African-American studies and a lot of other very exciting things!

Through the complementary disciplines you will also have access to a second language and literature to choose from a rich range of possibilities (French, German, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Latin and Romanian). Both languages will appear in the transcript of grades.

What We Offer

We go beyond teaching and examining you. We make sure you have a great CV when you’ve graduated. We find internships — part-time employment in institutions and companies which are directly related to what you may want to become when you graduate. That is, you can work at the American Cultural Center, the Fulbright Commission, newspapers and magazines, radio stations, TV stations, cultural institutes, publishing houses, English language teaching centers, NGOs. We have done it in the past, and our students left these temporary work places with solid recommendations and important work experience.

“A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome;” – Emma Lazarus

Our Fulbright Experience


The presence of 1-2 American professors every year is ensured with the help of the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission. They have always been wonderfully supportive of our undergraduate students and can provide valuable advice for your future careers, should you decide to continue your studies in the US. They provide written recommendations and invaluable support.



Along with the many benefits provided by our successful collaboration with the Fulbright Commission, we regularly plan and organize events with many other organizations, such as the U.S. Embassy, the RAAS, RSAA, and more.

Possible Career Paths

ASLS Career Event

According to the Romanian higher education nomenclature, as established by the Ministry of Education, your diploma will say that you are a graduate of “cultural studies.” However, you can become a teacher of English and an authorized translator of both English and the other language you choose to study. Your major and minor will be listed on your transcript, issued by the University of Bucharest, together with your diploma. The transcript lists all the subjects you studied, as well as your grades in all the disciplines you studied.


What jobs can we get after we graduate from the American Studies Program?


It can depend on what your BA or MA dissertation focus is, but you can work in the written and visual media, as writers and journalists. You can become teachers, editors, translators, curators, or political analysts. One of the main advantages of our program is that we offer plenty of expertise for you to develop professionally in any of the subjects you study during your undergraduate education.

Moreover, our American Studies MA further develops your competitive skills, which translates into possible career paths including jobs in the arts, film, cultural management, sociology, anthropology, HR, advertising, and a lot more!


Business

Diplomacy

Research


Film

Academia

Politics


Besides offering solid theoretical instruments for critical debate, our program is well anchored in today’s world. We realize our students will not be students for ever. Some of them will study further and pursue academic careers, others will opt for more practical jobs, related to cultural management, the media, publishing, teaching or other fields. We want them to be prepared for all possibilities.

Hence, we offer them a wide variety of internships in institutions such as: the Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission, the Central University Library, the Romanian Cultural Institute, Pro-Democracy Association, Center for Independent Journalism, Press Monitoring Agency, Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania, Discovery Channel, Ariel Foreign Language Center, Britannica Foreign Language Center,  and even our own American Studies Center at the University of Bucharest!

Meet the Team

A Message from the Founder

I am very pleased to welcome you to this new website of the American Studies Program at the University of Bucharest and to share with you some thoughts about what we have accomplished so far and about the kind of legacy the program aims to create. It was with our strong commitment, painstaking effort and immense enthusiasm and with the unswerving support of the US Embassy and the Fulbright Commission that we succeeded to institutionalize this challenging disciplinary area at both the undergraduate and graduate level as part of the nationwide process of democracy-building and reform.

– Prof. Dr. Rodica Mihăilă


The MA Program in American Studies at the University of Bucharest offers an inter- and multi-disciplinary study of U.S. culture and society in a comparative and transnational perspective, emphasizing European/Romanian—U.S. relations in the context of globalization and being based on three directions of study: Culture and Values, History and Politics, Society and Communication.

The program benefits from the expertise of scholars and faculty who have carried out research or specializations in the United States and who are based in a range of Faculties (Foreign Languages and Literatures, The University of Economic Sciences, Political Science). In addition, there is a “Fulbright Seminar,” held by U.S. scholars.




You can also meet us on our Facebook Page!

A Few Words About Us…

The American Studies Program at the University of Bucharest already has a long tradition within the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures and was the first such academic venture in Romania. Supported by both the Cultural Center of the US Embassy and the Fulbright Commission in Romania, our program has benefited from the experience of some of the top specialists in the field of American Studies.


We Excel

National Ranking*Admission RateNr. of Enrolled Students (Yearly)Of Which Subsidized (Yearly)**
1st90%8030
*according to multiple national and international rankings
**extensible

What Our Students Think


I attended the Media Communication course in the winter semester 2019. The course focused on how the common status of the outcast that has been bonding Jewish Americans and African Americans was represented by the media. The discourse was created by adopting a multidisciplinary approach, ranging from movies to comic books; the atmosphere of openness and willingness to welcome multiple interpretations and perspectives helped enrich the quality of the classes. Furthermore, the teacher was absolutely passionate and committed to take the best out of the entire course, also by showing curiosity about my country and providing me additional materials.

The final exam allowed me to deepen the topic I was mostly interested in and the multidisciplinary approach I decided to adopt was highly appreciated and encouraged from the very beginning. If I could, I would take the same course over and over again.

Erica Bruno, Erasmus student from the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Turin [2019-2020]


My name is Sebastian Lins and I am a student from Germany who came to Romania with the Erasmus Exchange program. I studied American Studies for the first semester in 2016. For me it was a big chance to have a view on many different topics, from Literature, Psychology, History and Anthropology to Linguistics. This multi-perspective view on America was for me the key to get deeper knowledge about the United States and the issues of immigration, colonization and culture, which would not be possible with one single subject.

I really enjoyed working with many different methods and many different kinds of texts and would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in the humanities and wants to understand a problem, from many different points of view.”

Sebastian Lins, Erasmus student in Psychology from the University of Trier, Germany [2016-2017]


I have to say that this was really enriching for me as a westerner, on top of being a very nice cross-cultural experience too. Moreover, I have dived into intercultural predicaments, politics, and similarities in modern America within different communities. In general, classes at the American Studies Program have been an inclusive place where to discuss, present and challenge myself in front of others. The professors have been supportive and open-minded at all times. As a matter of fact, I have always felt welcome as an Erasmus student. The American Studies Program has given me the chance to explore new horizons, points of view, and academic disciplines in a warming intellectual atmosphere.”

I am not originally part of the American Studies Program, however, I belong to the Foreign Languages Faculty while doing my Erasmus stay. My experience taking classes, both at the first and the second year of the graduate program, has been very rewarding and fulfilling. I have had the chance to take a closer look at topics such as transatlantic imagology or “balkanism” from an unusual and geographically privileged perspective.

Miguel Angel Villaescusa, University of the Basque Country/ Translation and Interpreting major Erasmus+ scholarship [2018-2019]


I am Julia, an MA student from Kraków, Poland. I came to Bucharest in 2023 for my Erasmus program and had a truly great experience. The courses I took during the exchange in American Studies (Media Communication, Contemporary Theatre, Popular Culture) were interesting and engaging for both students and lecturers as they were based on academic discussions. I particularly enjoyed the active format of the courses and the multidisciplinary approach applied. It’s worth mentioning that before the classes, we were provided with relevant materials so we could actively participate in the discussions. The atmosphere was welcoming and friendly, and both professors and students were very supportive. I also enjoyed writing the final essays, as creativity and originality were appreciated.

The knowledge I gained during my exchange proved helpful in the process of writing my Master’s thesis and encouraged me to deepen my knowledge in the field of American Studies. It also left me with a new passion for comic books. I’d recommend this program to anyone willing to explore new cultures through the lens of multiple academic approaches.

Julia Kotowska, Jagellonian University, Krakow, Poland. Erasmus student [2024].


Questions? Make sure to visit our F.A.Q. section!

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