The North American Studies program provides specialized knowledge of the United States and Canada in six disciplines - history, cultural studies, literary studies, political science, sociology, and economics. Students select three of the above disciplines for subject specialization (e.g., history, literary studies, and economics). The subject-specific perspectives are supplemented by cross-disciplinary courses - e.g. in regularly offered interdisciplinary lecture series (Ringvorlesungen) in which lecturers from all six disciplines give presentations.

The John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies (JFKI) is an interdisciplinary research and teaching institute of Freie Universität Berlin. It offers students an academic specialization in the USA and Canada and a study program taught entirely in English. Applicants are not required to demonstrate proficiency in German. There is no other program in North American Studies in Germany that offers a comparable variety of subjects.

As an internationally oriented regional institute, the JFKI is excellently networked throughout Germany and globally. The Institute maintains contacts with numerous American and Canadian Studies Institutes in Europe within the framework of the Erasmus Program. Renowned scholars from North America regularly teach at the JFKI as part of the Graduate School's Visiting Professor Program. The institute also cooperates closely with the American and Canadian embassies and institutions such as the American Academy. The Terra Foundation for American Art also funds a visiting professor program for art historians.

Freie Universität Berlin offers students of North American Studies an institute that is distinguished by its diverse research activities. In addition to the projects of individual institute members, major research projects focus on popular culture and seriality, American art history (funded by the Terra Foundation), the Alt-Right movement, and trust and transparency in the surveillance age, among other topics. Professors are also involved in two clusters of excellence, Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS) and Temporal Communities.

With the Graduate School of North American Studies (GSNAS), the JFKI has also offered the opportunity to pursue a doctorate in one of the six disciplines since 2006. This makes the JFKI one of the few academic institutions in Germany to combine bachelor's, master's, and PhD (doctoral) programs under one roof.

The John F. Kennedy Institute's research library offers scholars from around the world an excellent selection of literature and materials on American and Canadian topics. Today, the library has approximately 900,000 media units (books, comics, newspapers, periodicals, microfilm and microfiche collections, records, DVDs, and digital media). Its user-friendly open access collection and fellowship program make it a research library for U.S. and Canadian studies that is unique in continental Europe.

JFKI also has a very active student body that maintains a cafeté in the Institute building and hosts programs such as movie nights and election nights.

The program of North American Studies consists of an interdisciplinary basic part (Understanding North America, lecture series) and specialized courses. The academic part is divided into basic and orientation modules. These must be completed in three of the six subjects taught at the Institute (e.g. history, literary studies and economics).

A minimum of one semester of subject-related study abroad is obligatory as part of the program. Freie Universität's direct exchange program allows students to spend time in the United States, Canada, or other countries with which the university has agreements. In addition, exchange places at 30 partner institutions in 14 countries are available to students through the ERASMUS program.

At the end of the program, students choose their major field of study (first discipline, e.g. literary studies) by attending a colloquium and writing a Bachelor's thesis in this field. Together with the previously acquired credit points in the foundation and orientation modules, this allows for an undergraduate study of 60 LP in a discipline that allows for the study of a consecutive Master's program (e.g. you acquire a total of 60 LP in Sociology as part of the BA program in North American Studies, which entitles you to a Master's program in Sociology).

The study area General Career Preparation (ABV) includes a professional internship as well as further areas of competence such as foreign languages or subject-related additional qualifications.

The structure and sequence of the program are regulated by the study regulations. They contain detailed descriptions of the contents and qualification goals of each individual module and an exemplary study plan. The examination regulations define the type and requirements of the module examinations. The regulations specify the credit points (LP) for each module or course as well as the workload in time hours for the entire study program.

Bachelor's graduates possess academic knowledge and practical skills that qualify them for professional work or further study.

The bachelor's degree program in North American Studies provides the practical and scholarly foundation for future professional work in private industry, public administration, and academia with an Anglo-American connection, particularly in the following areas:

Politics and Policy Advising, Business and Economic Advising, Foreign Service and International Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, Media and Cultural Institutions, State and Local Planning and Administration, Adult and Continuing Education, Publishing and Librarianship, and University and Non-University Scientific Institutions.

A master's degree and, if applicable, a doctorate are required for managerial positions or employment in research and teaching.