Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies is a multidisciplinary degree for students seeking an alternative to traditional graduate courses of study that focus on professional training in a single area. Instead, the 30-credit Liberal Studies program is designed for the life-long learner seeking intellectual development, personal enrichment and the benefits of an advanced education in the liberal arts and sciences. The program allows each degree candidate the opportunity to develop an individualized Plan of Study tailored to his or her own personal and/or professional goals. Through this Plan of Study, the student examines significant ideas and contemporary issues from the perspectives of the fine arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. It provides an integrative educational experience that promotes a deeper understanding of self, nature and society, and offers opportunities to sharpen critical thinking and communication skills.

Student Learning Outcomes

Student learning outcomes (SLOs) for Liberal Studies students must be understood in the context of a multidisciplinary program with no prescribed core of specific courses (although there is a core of prescribed disciplinary categories), considerable variation in courses making up each Liberal Studies candidate’s plan of study (POS), and each student’s differing personal and professional goals. Nevertheless, a number of SLOs are expected for all Liberal Studies candidates. These include:

• Contributors to Knowledge – Examine the unique perspective of the arts and humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences as contributors to knowledge.
• Multidisciplinary Nature of Knowledge – Analyze the multidisciplinary nature of knowledge, and assess the value of a multidisciplinary approach to scholarship.
• Self and Nature within Contemporary Society – Provide examples of the way in which insights and methodologies from the arts and humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences contribute to an understanding of one's self and nature within contemporary society.
• Knowledge Skills and Application – Assess interrelationships between areas of knowledge and skill within the Plan of Study, illustrate how these areas provide an integrated holistic overview.
• Critical Reasoning – Use critical reasoning skills to evaluate and synthesize knowledge from different disciplinary perspectives.
• Effective Communication – Employ effective communication skills through coherent and well-organized written and verbal presentations.