Bachelor of Arts in American Studies

Formerly the Program in American Studies, Culture, Advocacy, and Leadership is a new interdisciplinary program for students who want to change the world. Bridging what students learn in the classroom with what happens in the larger communitywhether in Nashville, around the nation, or across the worldCAL marries a rich understanding of human culture with an ethical sense of advocacy and widely applicable leadership skills. As a result, it prepares students for a wide range of advanced studies or career paths students after graduation.

The program of study in CAL is both structured and individualized. After completing a series of required courses in CORE Part I of the major, students work with a faculty mentor to choose courses inside or outside of CAL related to their Area Focus. This allows students to adapt their coursework to countless modern problems, including law and justice, sports and culture, international relations and human rights, conflict and peace, global migrations and diaspora, entrepreneurial leadership and economic justice, popular culture and American values, environmental legacies and global solutions, and more. After completing their Area Focus, students will enter CORE Part II of the major, undertaking an intentional, ethnical, and purposeful civic-engagement experience, where they will practice leadership and advocacy through partnerships based on service, mutual respect, and shared authority. Students complete the major with a senior capstone course that brings them back to reflect on their varied experiences.

Official high school transcript (must show date of graduation)
Official college transcript(s) (from each institution attended)
Whether on the college transcript or noted in the application, we must have documentation of spring coursework/schedule for 2024.
If not enrolled for spring 2024, please note this on your application in order for your transcript to be considered complete.
Two academic teacher letters of recommendation (we strongly prefer that at least one letter is from a college professor/instructor)
Optional for students applying for fall 2024 entry: SAT or ACT scores (SAT code: 1871 / ACT code: 4036)
Applicants whose first language or language of instruction is English are not required to submit English proficiency exam scores.
Applicants who score above 26 on the ACT English section or above 630 on the SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing section are not required to submit English proficiency exam scores.
TOEFL iBT 100
TOEFL Essentials 10.5
IELTS 7.0