Master of Liberal Arts
The 30-credit Master of Liberal Arts (M.L.A.) degree program at Washington University gives motivated, college-educated adults the chance to further their intellectual growth in a community of adult learners.
M.L.A. students study with Washington University scholars of history, anthropology, literature, art, music, philosophy, politics, religion, and science. The liberal-arts curriculum aims to foster skills that go beyond professional training:
- the techniques of critical inquiry
- the willingness to examine complex issues
- the knowledge to choose wisely
- the ability to communicate effectively.
Washington University, Campus Box 1064
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899
phone: (314) 935-6700; fax: (314) 935-4847
The Students
"Shortly after moving to St. Louis, I was introduced to the M.L.A. program. It became the welcome wagon that helped me adjust to my new home city . . . and the ability to delve into a variety of disciplines has helped satisfy my need to explore interests not formally studied."
-Marlene Altman, self-employed, statistical research and polling
"I derive a sense of accomplishment from spending time in the company of great books, sharp classmates, and skilled teachers who clearly enjoy working with adults."
-Robert Senior, physician, Washington University School of Medicine
"There I was -- three kids, house, dog, station wagon -- and I thought, there must be more! There was more . . . a lot more. There were new ideas and new ways of looking back at old ideas, a celebration of thinking and questioning . . . and a feeling of community with students and faculty, and . . . a wonderful sense of me."
-Carol Cradock, homemaker
Students in the Master of Liberal Arts program combine graduate study with busy professional and personal lives.
They come from all corners of the St. Louis area; they are diverse in age, background, and livelihood; but they share a joy of learning and a realization that their lives and careers can be enriched by the liberal arts.
Curriculum
"The M.L.A. program encourages one to explore subjects that would be off the beaten track from a more focused M.A. That is the beauty of the program--one can experiment and explore."
-Evy Warshawski, Managing Director, Edison Theatre, Washington University
The Master of Liberal Arts program consists of seminars that introduce students to the methods and questions of different disciplines.
Planned and taught by full-time Washington University faculty, the core seminars are organized into four general categories and cover a wide variety of topics and issues. Actual topics vary each semester.
Most core seminars are held one evening a week during the fall and spring semesters and twice a week during the summer term.
Some students take all 30 hours of the degree in the seminars that are designed specifically for the M.L.A. program; others augment a particular interest by taking related courses drawn from different departments.
Once-a-week seminars fall into four general categories:
IDEAS AND INQUIRY
How do we know what we know? What ideas have shaped human consciousness? How do ideas and myths define our theories, models, and metaphors? The Origins of Political Virtue - Discovering the Heartland - The Legacy of Greece - The American Dream: Myth and Reality - Religion, Society, and Culture
THE CREATIVE IMAGINATION
What are the nature and sources of creativity, especially in the arts and literature? What does creativity mean to the artist, scientist, writer, or composer? What qualities of mind, personality, and environment affect creation and innovation? On the Nature of Story - The West and the American Imagination - Theater and the Politics of War - The Age of Victoria - Film and Psychoanalysis
SCIENCE AND HUMAN VALUES
How has the growth and application of human knowledge affected human society? What is the non-scientist to believe as new discoveries are announced daily? What new ethical choices are posed by developments in science and technology? Science, Creation Science, and Pseudoscience - Relativity and Quantum Ideas - Heredity and Modern Social Issues - Birds, Biology, and Human Values - Evolutionary Controversies: Past and PresentÂ
HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING
What have been the enduring values of the Western and non-Western cultures? How can we cultivate in ourselves empathy and understanding for people in other times and places? Vienna 1900 - The Court of Louis XIV -Vietnam and America - The Spanish Civil War - Islamic Movements of Reform, Revival, and Revolution
Admission
Admission to the Master of Liberal Arts degree program is open on a selective basis to qualified persons with a baccalaureate degree. To apply to the program, please submit:
- a completed Application for Graduate Admission form, including an essay of 300-350 words describing your interest in and qualifications for the program;
- a non-refundable $35 application fee;
- and official transcripts of all previous college work.
- Admission Deadlines: July 15 for Fall; October 15 for Spring; March 15 for Summer. University College and the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences review completed applications and make admissions decisions on a rolling basis.
Degree Requirements
To earn the Master of Liberal Arts degree, students must satisfactorily complete nine courses (five of which must be drawn from the core seminars) and a final independent project for a total of 30 units of graduate study. A maximum of 6 credits of related and comparable graduate-level course
work may be transferred from another university or from a related
graduate program at Washington University with the approval of the
program director. These must be graduate-level units not used to
fulfill undergraduate degree requirements. Transfer credit may be
granted only for authorized courses for which the student received a
grade of B or higher.
A Final Project, developed under the supervision of a Washington University faculty member, is required for the Master of Liberal Arts degree. This project presents an opportunity to explore independently and extensively an area of personal interest and must be completed at the conclusion of a student's course work. The project also provides an opportunity for students to work closely with a member of the MLA faculty. The topic may be a subject first identified during a course or one that has emerged over time in the program.
MLA Final Project
All candidates for the master’s degree in Liberal Arts (MLA) are required to complete a final written project. Normally completed during the final semester of the program (and in some cases the final year), the project entails substantial research and analysis on a topic determined by the student in consultation with the program coordinator.
The project is completed under the primary supervision of a faculty advisor, along with a faculty committee, and it is evaluated by this committee in the form of an oral examination at the conclusion of the student’s program. There are two options for the final written project: 1) Directed Research Project (DRP), the minimum requirement for all students; and 2) Master’s Thesis, available to exceptionally strong students authorized by the program coordinator.
Directed Research Project
MLA students are expected to complete a three-unit Directed Research Project (DRP) at the end of the program. The DRP is a study of approximately 40 pages that may build on (but may not replicate) material from one or more MLA classes the student has taken. This project presents an opportunity to explore independently and extensively an area of personal interest. The project also provides an opportunity for students to work closely with a member of the MLA faculty.
Master’s Thesis
Exceptional students with strong research interests may be authorized to complete the MLA with Thesis in place of the DRP. The MLA with Thesis option is a six-credit, two-semester study that includes extensive references to extant published material on the topic. Students must have an A- average (3.7 GPA) for all of their MLA courses in the program to qualify for the degree with thesis. Generally, the faculty director for such a thesis would expect it to conform to requirements for the M.A. degree in his/her home department. Students who are approved for this thesis must meet Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Master's Thesis guidelines.
Advisor and Committee
Prior to the semester in which the student begins the DRP or Master's thesis, the student must confer with the MLA Program Coordinator to establish the topic and scope of the project and also to establish the student's faculty committee. The final project is completed under the primary supervision of a faculty advisor ("director"), who, along with two additional faculty members ("readers"), constitute the student's DRP or Master's thesis committee. Faculty directors and committee members for the DRP should be MLA teaching faculty with training in an area relevant to the student's research topic. Master’s thesis directors and committee members should be tenured or tenure-track faculty at Washington University.
The student works with his/her director, meeting regularly (at least once per month) throughout the semester(s) dedicated to the DRP or Master's thesis. The student is expected to submit individual sections or chapters one at a time to his/her director, according to a schedule that they arrange at the start of the project, in order to receive comments and suggestions for revisions. Once the director has approved a fully-revised and final version of the student's DRP or Master's thesis, the student will submit it to the other two faculty readers.
The three-member faculty committee will evaluate the student's work during an oral examination. Authorization to proceed to the oral exam occurs only once the student's director approves a full and final version of the DRP or Master's thesis, and no later than two weeks prior to the oral exam, in order to ensure that the other two members of the committee have time to read the DRP or Master's thesis. Although the scheduling of a thesis date and time does not guarantee that the oral exam will take place, students should schedule an oral defense date very early in the semester in order to have a slot reserved by all members of his/her committee in advance of the following deadlines: * Spring – April 15th * Summer – August 15th * Fall – December 15th.
Oral Examination
The Director will work with the student and the other two committee members to select a date for the oral exam. The student should notify University College well in advance of the oral exam date to arrange for the necessary paperwork and assign a room for the exam.
Final Essay
Along with the final Directed Research Project or Master’s Thesis, the student will submit to all members of the committee a 5-page personal statement about his/her experiences in the MLA program.
Procedures and Timeline
It is important to adhere closely to requirements and deadlines associated with the final project in order to ensure timely completion of the project and fulfillment of program requirements. Please read carefully “Directed Research Project and Master’s Thesis Guidelines and Timelines” (below) for detailed information about procedures, requirements, forms, and deadlines. All candidates for the MLA are required to complete the Final Project Proposal Form for M.A. Programs. All students authorized to pursue the Master’s Thesis also must complete the Title, Scope, and Procedure Form. See “Directed Research Project and Master’s Thesis Guidelines and Timelines” (below) for detailed information about procedures and deadlines.
Directed Research Project and Master's Thesis Guidelines and Timelines
Planning
You should begin planning for your Directed Research Project the semester prior to your final semester of study. If you have authorization to pursue a Thesis, begin planning two semesters prior to your final semester of study. The Title, Scope and Procedure of Dissertation (Thesis) Form must be completed, approved, and returned to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at least six months before the month in which the degree is expected to be conferred (August, December, or May).
Registration
The Final Project Proposal Form must be completed with all required signatures for registration. Registration follows the normal academic schedule. Refer to the current course schedule for registration deadlines. Submit your Final Project Proposal Form to the Administrative Assistant for Academic Programs, University College, January Hall, Room 100. Complete the University College Registration Form for the appropriate course.
Schedule Your Oral Defense
The Oral Defense should be scheduled as soon as possible after you have registered. The Oral Defense should take place no later than two weeks prior to the end of the semester you plan to graduate. Consult with your committee to find a time that is agreeable. Your Oral Defense will probably only last 1 hour, but schedule 1.5 hours for the defense to provide a small cushion of extra time if needed. To schedule and reserve space, contact the Administrative Assistant for Academic Programs, 314-935-6759.
Deadlines for Oral Defense: * Spring – April 15th * Summer – August 15th * Fall – December 15th.
Submission of the Final Project (Directed Research Project or Master’s Thesis): Submit a copy of your final project to each member of your committee two weeks in advance of your oral defense to allow time for review. Submission deadlines are as follows: Spring – April 1st, Summer - August 15th, Fall – December 15th.
Three copies of the Master’s Thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Deadlines: * Fall (December graduation) – January 1st * Spring (May graduation) – April 27th.
http://artsci.wustl.edu/GSAS/Calendars/eventsdeadlines.html
Please refer to the Graduate School Arts & Sciences Master’s Thesis guidelines for formatting and presentation requirements.
Important Contact Information
Harriet Stone, MLA Program Coordinator
hastone@artsci.wustl.edu (314) 935-5142.
Elizabeth Fogt, Director of Advising and Student Services, University College
efogt@wustl.edu (314) 935-6778.
Cassandra Schroeder, Administrative Assistant for Academic Programs, University College
cschroed@artsci.wustl.edu (314) 935-6759.
Faculty
Every participating faculty member in the Master of Liberal Arts program is an accomplished scholar and teacher. All enjoy inquiry and discussion with small groups of motivated adult learners. A few are mentioned below.- GARLAND ALLEN - biology, evolution, and history of science
- MIRIAM BAILIN - 18th- and 19th-century English literature
- HENRY BERGER - U.S. diplomatic history and foreign relations
- JOHN BOWEN - sociocultural anthropology; language and religion in Southeast Asia
- RICHARD COLES - biology, ecology, and ornithology
- JAMES W. DAVIS - American presidency; national defense strategy and military history
- J. CLAUDE EVANS - philosophy
- WAYNE FIELDS - 19th- and 20th-century American literature and rhetoric
- MICHAEL W. FRIEDLANDER - astrophysics; history of science
- BEATA GRANT - Asian religions; Chinese culture and religion
- ROBERT HEGEL - Chinese literature and culture
- GERALD IZENBERG - modern European intellectual history; development of Freud's thought
- DAVID KONIG - colonial American history; origins of American legal culture
- VICTOR LEVINE - international politics
- MARVIN MARCUS - Japanese literature and culture
- STAMOS METZIDAKIS - modern literature; French culture
- GEORGE PEPE - Greek & Roman history & thought; political ideology & concepts of liberty
- HENRY SCHVEY - contemporary American and British drama
- JOSEPH SCHRAIBMAN - Spanish literature, history, and culture
- HARRIET STONE - French culture; women's literature
