Master of Arts in Liberal Studies - MALS

Degree Requirements

The degree requirements consist of 30 hours of course work, or 10 three-hour courses, which must include:

at least two MALS seminars
a research methods course (broadly defined) or third MALS seminar
a six-course interdisciplinary concentration
a culminating project for which three credit hours are given

Once admitted, students work with the program director until they identify an appropriate academic adviser. Students attend an orientation program. MALS students are advised to take a MALS seminar in the first semester of enrollment. By the time students complete the program, they will have taken two MALS seminars, plus a third seminar or research methods course. Usually three MALS seminars are offered each semester.

The research methods course, if taken, can come from departments throughout the university and should be appropriate for the student’s concentration. This course might include statistics, experimental or survey research, or qualitative methods .

The six-course, 18-hour, concentration on an interdisciplinary theme or topic is proposed in the application and finalized by each student once he or she is 15 credit hours into the program. This work is done in consultation with the student's adviser. The courses making up the concentration may be MALS seminars appropriate to the theme, graduate (and sometimes undergraduate) courses offered by other NCSU departments (or other universities in the area), or independent study courses.

Each concentration is expected to have breadth and depth, and also to show the student's understanding of a liberal studies degree. The concentration courses must come from at least three different academic departments, with no more than two courses from any one department. At least two courses in the concentration must be humanities or social science courses (art, literature, languages, philosophy, politics, history, mathematics, science, communication, sociology, etc.).

The final part of the program is the culminating project related to the student's concentration. The final project can take a diversity of forms—video productions, work with a community agency, creative writing and handbooks or brochures, for instance. Three hours of credit will be given for completing this project. A final presentation of the project must be given before graduation. A more detailed description of the complete requirements of the M.A. in Liberal Studies degree is available from the MALS office.