Masters of LIberal Studies/Arts

[poopfever]

Wanted to start a thread for those looking at Master's of Liberal Arts/Studies. Seems like most schools who offer this are gearing it toward older 'lifelong learners.' Not sure if there's anything to be read into that, but it's not me.

 

I'm interested in researching and writing on a certain topic that involves: media studies, art history, cultural critique, literary theory, and more.

 

Would love to hear more from anybody who knows about this, or has gone through one of these programs.

 

Some programs that are of initial interest:

 

Reed: http://www.reed.edu/mals/

Dartmouth: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~mals/

Penn: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/graduate/mla

Columbia: http://gsas.columbia.edu/content/liberal-studies-ma-programs

Stanford: http://mla.stanford.edu/

Duke: http://liberalstudies.duke.edu/

WashU in St. Louis: http://ucollege.wustl.edu/MLA

 

And more...

 

Specifically hoping to find schools on the west coast.

 

Any input is appreciated!!

 

Cheers.

 

KF

[SCGH]

MAC2809, you are just plain rude and ignorant. Much can be said about your posts - overly negative and often with misspellings and incorrect word use ("congrads" is not a word and you should learn the difference between "then" and "than" for example).

[kglad]

To reply to the original post- the MLS degree can be a way to pursue interdisciplinary studies in areas personally interesting or relevant, like what you listed, but not necessarily a career-driver unless you're very focused and have specific career goals in mind. The degree may be difficult to use toward a Ph.D. if you eventually want to pursue one, but it's not impossible. The fields you listed could mean that the MLS leads you to a Ph.D. in Communications-type degree, Sociology-type degree, American (or American African, Women's, Asian) Studies, and so forth. I finished a MLS and will be going on to the doctorate program in American Studies at Penn State in Fall 2014, for example.

 

Most of the people in my MLS classes already were in careers and appeared to be designing their MLS to be relevant to their current and possible future careers in their respective fields. Many students were in their 20s, and a handful in their 30s, 40s, and beyond. It did feel like it was geared toward "lifelong learners", but the courses were rigorous and I was able to take directed studies to pursue specific topics deeply. Many of my instructors had Ph.D. degrees and a deep knowledge of their subjects. Overall, I wouldn't change a thing except I probably wouldn't have tried to pursue a minor. It got a little bit in my way and wasn't as relevant to my thesis as I'd hoped.

 

In the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area of Minnesota, at least four universities offer MLS or similar degree: University of Minnesota (where I earned mine), Metropolitan State U, Hamline U, and St. Mary's University (Minneapolis branch) offers a Master of Human Development, which appears to be student-designed in a similar way. Haven't looked into other large metro areas, but I'm sure you could find dozens more MLS degrees in or near California. Dig deep, they could have obscure names like Master of Interdisciplinary Studies or whatnot (MSU-Mankato has something like that).

 

I'm glad I went to the U of MN, because it's a research university and has the associated amazeballs library resources, staff, faculty, and overall student support. Penn State hasn't been in the American Studies game for long in the Ph.D. arena since their first cohort started in 2009, but they are a Big 10 university with similar resources to the U of MN.

 

Best of luck in your grad school research and applications!

[Imaginary]

I agree with much of what kglad has said. In my program, many of the other students got the degree to earn credits toward their raise or provisional teaching certificate. Many of them did not do a thesis. One of my former colleagues was told that her MLS meant nothing for her in terms of getting a promotion. 

 

With that said, I took as many classes as I could that related to my research interests. I applied mostly to programs that showed evidence of interdisciplinary scholars or research. I was accepted to four English PhD programs. 

[ExponentialDecay]

Yea it means it is a worthless degree!    Please when you say something this silly- don't mention the state of California. This is where I live and don't want to be associated with people like you

 

Aaaaaand now I know why college administrators are usually sociopathic idiots

[GeographyOSU]

I'm applying to the MLS program at the U of M-Duluth. It's a relatively new program, started last fall, but I was drawn by the offered emphasis of Global Indigenous Studies. By taking courses in American Indian Studies and Geography, I hope to get into an American Studies phd program or a Geography program. Like a an earlier poster said,

many schools offer these programs, my undergrad alma mater, St. Cloud State calls their interdisciplinary degree "Special Studies".

[kglad]

aspireperspire- congrats! That's a nice set of options. I was accepted by one program and it felt like a good fit. I wouldn't have applied if I wasn't serious about attending. We'll see if I'm still enthusiastic when I actually start in the fall.

 

geographyumd- I hope you get accepted into the MLS program at UMN-Duluth! It's such a lovely area and I'm sure the program will be great.

[GeographyOSU]

Admitted to the MLS program at Minnesota-Duluth for this upcoming fall! Anyone else going into a MLS/Liberal Arts program?