Requirements

Post-Summer 2019 Students

For students who entered in Summer 2019 or after, the Liberal Arts Studies M.A. requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. At least 15 hours must be taken in LBS courses designed for this degree. Up to 6 hours may be taken in Directed Study courses, which do not count toward the 15 hour LBS minimum. A maximum of 12 hours may be taken in 600- and 700- level departmental courses for graduate credit. A student may transfer a maximum of six semester-hours from another liberal arts studies program or other appropriate graduate program at the discretion of the director and the dean of the Graduate School. 

Students must have a 3.0 GPA (B average) in order to be awarded a Liberal Arts Studies M.A. The degree must be completed in no more than six years. There is no minimum residence (full-time enrollment) requirement.

Pre-Summer 2019 Students

For students who entered prior to Summer 2019, completion of the MA Degree requires ten courses, including eight taught courses and two thesis courses, together totaling 30 hours. At least four courses (12 hours) must be chosen from the core curriculum on either American Cultural Studies or Global Studies, depending on your preference. We anticipate that many students will choose most or all of their courses from these core offerings. Students are encouraged to design an individualized program of study by choosing courses that allow them to pursue their own interests. Two courses (3 hours each) will be devoted to a capstone project of the student’s choosing. This work may be a standard research thesis, a field study, an oral history, or an original creative work in the arts, music, or literature.

For students who entered the program prior to the Summer 2019 semester, completion of the MALS Degree requires eleven courses, totaling 33 hours. At least six courses (18 hours) must be chosen from the program courses (classes whose prefix is LBS). During the student’s final semester, he or she will write and submit a synthesizing essay (approximately 18-20 pages in length) that draws together their personal experience in the Liberal Studies program.

If you have further questions, you may check the specific requirements applicable to you by consulting the Graduate Bulletin for the academic year during which you entered the program. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences maintains an archive of Graduate Bulletins dating back to the 1998/1999 academic year.