Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)

Transferring Credit

A maximum of six units of related, 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. 

Bachelor’s Degree

Admission to this program is on a selective basis to qualified persons with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.

Completed Application Form

The online application is available on our Apply page. Applications are ready for review when all fields on the application form are completed and the required documents have been received.

Official Transcripts From All Previous College Work

Transcripts are required from each institution that you have attended and taken courses, received your bachelor’s degree, taken post-graduate courses, or where a higher-level degree was conferred.  Official transcripts must be sent directly from the school’s registrar to CAPS.  Electronic transcripts should be forwarded to caps@wustl.edu.  For transcript questions, please email caps@wustl.edu.

Non-United States course work transcript verification
If the transcript you submit for consideration is from a college or university outside the United States, a course by course transcript evaluation is also required. Evaluations will be accepted from World Education Services (WES), Spantran or another member institution of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). For Spantran evaluations, you must use this form. 

Personal Essay

Tell us about yourself in a brief essay (about 250 words). Why are you applying to WashU School of Continuing & Professional Studies? What are your goals, both academic and professional? Is there additional information we should know about you when considering your application?

Three Letters of Recommendation

A college instructor or professional associate should complete letters of recommendation. If an instructor cannot be contacted, applicants may submit a waiver request to provide three professional recommendations. Letters can be submitted through the online application or mailed by the recommender.

Writing Sample

Please submit a recent academic writing sample. If one is not available, please submit an original essay that answers the following question: What important idea, discovery, or work of art (including music and literature) has made a difference in your life, and why?

REQUIRED COURSES: 30 UNITS

Student complete 30 units total, including at least 15 units of core MLA interdisciplinary seminars, one writing intensive course, one research methods course, and a final research project that typically earns 3 credits.

CORE MLA SEMINARS

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, these seminars cover a wide variety of topics and issues. Most core seminars are held one evening a week during the fall and spring semesters and twice a week during the summer term.

Among the seminars, some will be noted as “writing intensive” and “research methods.” These courses are intended to hone graduate-level writing and research techniques, preparing students for their final research projects.

Some students take all required courses in the seminars that are designed specifically for the MLA program; others augment a particular interest by taking related courses drawn from different departments with MLA department approval.

FINAL PROJECT

A 3-unit final research 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 for the student to independently and extensively explore an area of personal interest; it must be completed at the conclusion of a student’s course work. Under special circumstances and with permission, some complete a final project comprising two semesters of research and writing for 6 units.

Learn more about the final project.