Mar 19, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalogue 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalogue Archived Catalogue

Liberal Studies, M.A.


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Graduate Programs


Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Julie-Anne Scott-Pollock  

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a program that leads to the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) degree. This program is for students who wish to design a personalized curriculum of interdisciplinary graduate study. Students can select from a variety of courses that will expand their interests and deepen their understanding of themselves, their society and the environment. This program reflects an older, cultural tradition of scholarship, which liberally educates the whole person, providing breadth and depth, but not necessarily applying directly to a career or vocation. The major objective of this program is to offer highly motivated, intellectually prepared students an opportunity to explore the questions and issues that are important to them and society.

Admission Requirements


Applicants seeking admission to the MALS program are required to submit the following to the Graduate School:

  1. An application for graduate admission
  2. Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate)
  3. Three recommendations that address the student’s chances of success in a MALS program
  4. A writing sample in the form of an essay explaining how the MALS degree can assist the candidate in meeting his or her personal goals. Essays should be from one to five pages (single-spaced) and uploaded directly into the online application.
  5. Application and supplemental documents must be submitted by the published deadline.

Students seeking admission to the MALS program must hold a bachelor’s degree with an academic record of a “B” average or better in an undergraduate major from a regionally accredited college or university in this country or its equivalent from a foreign institution based on a four-year program.

At the discretion of the GLS Program Director, the admission procedure may also include an interview with a graduate coordinator of the program and a representative from the advisory committee.

Degree Requirements (30 total credit hours)


Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS)


  • The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate study.

     

    Two courses are required for all students.

  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Credit Hours: 3
  •  

  • The remaining 24 credit hours of courses are elective.

     

    Restrictions:

     

    • At least 15 of the 24 elective credit hours must be Graduate Liberal Studies (GLS) courses.
    • No more than six credit hours may be taken from cross-listed 400/500 courses.
    • Students must maintain a “B” average in all graduate courses taken.
    • No more than six credit hours may be transferred from another regionally accredited institution. Grades earned on transfer work must be equivalent to “B” or better. A minimum of 24 credit hours of graduate study must be completed in residence.
    • Students are expected to complete all course work within five years after enrollment.

MALS Degree + Certificates


The GLS program also offers three other methods of obtaining the MALS degree. Each of these options, if the student is matriculated in both the MALS and the chosen post-baccalaureate certificate program, will result in the student receiving both the MALS degree and the post-baccalaureate certificate.

Applicants must apply and be accepted into both programs, which requires two separate graduate applications.  Details for each of the three options are provided below.

MALS Degree + Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Conflict Management and Resolution


MALS Degree + Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Women’s and Gender Studies


  • The combined program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate study.
  •  

  • Two GLS courses are required for all students.

  • Credit Hours: 3
  • Credit Hours: 3
  •  

     

  • GLS Restrictions:
     

    • No more than six GLS credit hours may be taken from cross-listed 400/500 courses.
    • Students must maintain a “B” average in all graduate courses taken.
    • Students are expected to complete all course work within five years after enrollment.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Graduate Programs