If you're considering Columbia's MA in American Studies, I would say don't bother. I'm graduating from the program in May and if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn't. The university treats Liberal Studies students, which the MA is offered under, as second-class citizens. Many professors won't let you into their graduate level classes because you aren't a PhD. student. The department has gotten a little more helpful with some recent personnel changes, but it's still a crapshoot. You have no adviser, just a bureaucrat behind a desk, and are pretty much left to your own devices. Developing a personal relationship with a professor or two will make the experience more enjoyable.