Step 1) Fill out the New Student Questionnaire

Step 2) Understand the term "liberal arts" and the umw degree requirements

Step 3) Understand AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, and Cambridge Credit

Step 4) Understand Prerequisites & Vertically Building Coursework

Step 5) Consider Pre-Professional Interests

Step 6) Tips and other considerations when planning a schedule

Step 7) First-Year Seminar

Step 8) Choose Possible Courses

Step 9) Fill Out the Course Registration Request Form

Step 10) Video Guides & How to Register

Step 8) Choose Possible Courses

American Studies

Please refer to the current University Catalog to see course descriptions and a major description with requirements for American Studies.

The American Studies major is interdisciplinary in nature, designed to provide students with a flexible, multifaceted approach to the study of American society.  Since the major provides much latitude in the selection of courses, students are encouraged to work closely with the program advisor in choosing courses which will form a cohesive curriculum.  The major provides excellent preparation for students interested in law, journalism and communications, library science, museum work, teaching, and many areas of public service.

New students considering a major in American Studies should ordinarily select either HIST 131 or HIST 132, both of which are required for the major and are prerequisites to the upper-level American Studies seminar courses.  However, students who have received credit for these courses by virtue of earning a 4 or 5 on the American History AP test should check the web site for the Department of History and American Studies and consult the chair of the Department of History and American Studies for appropriate placement.

New students who have qualifying AP scores should also give serious consideration to HIST 201: First-Year Seminar in European History or HIST 202: First-Year Seminar in American History. Keep in mind that these courses fulfill your First-Year Seminar General Education requirement.

Below please find some examples of first semester schedules for an American Studies major. There are many variations of a first semester schedule; the examples are just meant to help you see that there are many ways to reach the same goals.

Example 1:

Course (credits)	Requirement(s) Met
HIST 131** - Am Hist to 1865 (3) ENGL 202B - Writing About The Self (3) HIST 201 - First-Year Seminar: European History (3) SPAN 101** - Beginning Spanish (3) MUHL 151A - Great Masterworks (3)	Major, HES ALPP, WI* FSEM Foreign Language ALPA

Example 2:

Course	Requirement(s) Met
HIST 131** - Am Hist Since 1865 (3) ANTH 101 - Intro to Cultural & Social Anthropology (3) CPSC 105 - Problem-Solving w/DB (3) ARTH 114A - History of Western Art I	Major, HES HES Quantitative Reasoning ALPA

Please note that certain sequence courses begin in the fall. Examples of this can be found in all of the sciences and some of the foreign languages. If you are unable to start at the correct place in the sequence, we recommend that you try to do so in the following fall semester.

*Please note that not all sections of a course may have the Across-the-Curriculum (ATC) attribute(s). Across-the-Curriculum designations for a course are dependent on instructor and semester. ATC designations for each course are listed in the Banner description for the semester in which you are registering.
**This particular course is in a discipline that allows students with demonstrated competence upon admission to UMW (such as AP/IB credit, dual enrollment, etc.) to begin courses at a higher level. Please read the Academic Planning Guide carefully to see if you meet the requirements. For example: students may begin at any level language course for which they feel prepared (101, 102, 201, or 202), but must then complete the rest of the sequence in order without skipping any levels.