Master of Liberal Arts

Program Requirements

To earn an MLA degree, students complete 33 semester hours of graduate work, at least half of which must be in 600-level courses. The theme, "The Search for Order," is developed through three core colloquia and expanded to reflect individual student interests through elective courses. The concluding colloquium gives each student an opportunity to address a topic of personal interest under the supervision of a faculty adviser.

Core Colloquia

(9 semester hours)

LART 601

"The Empirical Eye"
Examines how we search for order through sensory experience including, for example, the scientific approach.

LART 602

"The Rational Eye"
Investigates how we search for order through reason, logic and other mental processes exemplified in such disciplines as philosophy and mathematics.

LART 603

"The Intuitive Eye"
Explores how we search for order through intuitive processes, and the nature and meaning of aesthetic, religious and creative experiences.

Elective Courses

(21 semester hours)

Seven graduate courses in the liberal arts and sciences that enable students to pursue personal interests.

Concluding Colloquium

(3 semester hours)

LART 604

"Capstone Colloquium"
As the final course in the program, this colloquium allows the student to apply what has been learned in the core colloquia and elective courses of a scholarly project designed by the student and a faculty adviser.

Visit the Admissions Procedures page for more information about getting started with the program.