Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

(MALS) (HEGIS 4901)

ADMISSION

The MALS Admissions Committee makes its decision on the basis of a review of the items listed below:
  1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
  2. A cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0.
  3. A completed Application for Graduate Enrollment including official transcripts of undergraduate study, and at least two letters of reference.
  4. ESL students must pass the TOEFL test at 550 or better, or be tested by Dowling ESL faculty. Students may be required to enroll in ESL courses as a condition of matriculation.
The MALS Admissions Committee may request additional materials for their consideration before making an admissions decision.
Applicants who do not meet all of the MALS admission requirements detailed above may, with the approval of the MALS Admissions Committee or the Dean, be conditionally admitted to the program. Conditional admission may require, prior to formal acceptance into the MALS program, up to 12 credits of coursework in the MALS program while maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Students interested in pursuing teacher certification must speak with an advisor.
Students are welcome to take courses in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program on a non-matriculated basis.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

The MALS program is ideal for:
1. Life-long learners who desire to be intellectually challenged, and to benefit from a high quality academic course of study at the graduate level;
2. Individuals wishing to pursue a Master of Arts degree through an interdisciplinary program of study in the Liberal Arts; and,
3. Certified teachers seeking permanent/professional certification, especially in the areas of English, Social Studies, and Visual Arts.
The MALS program is committed to providing a positive alternative to traditional, discipline-bound master’s degrees. We offer courses that are thoroughly interdisciplinary in design and content across four categories (“tracks”) of study: Aesthetics Studies; Literature; Contemporary Issues and Policy Studies; and History of Ideas. Courses are conducted in seminar format, and taught by experienced faculty who are active scholars in the subject matter offered.

Requirements  Credits 
REL 6601 Approaches to the Study of Myth 3
Courses within one track 12
Electives (any MALS course) 18
Master’s Research Project 3
Master's Project Proseminar 3
  Total Credits: 39  

Continuation in the Program
Continuation in the program requires that students maintain a 3.0 cumulative G.P.A., calculated on a yearly basis.

The Capstone Master's Project
The capstone Master’s Project is designed to be a unifying or culminating project in which the student demonstrates mastery of a topic, of research methods, and of relevant theoretical perspectives. The project may be a standard research thesis, or it may be a field study, oral history, or an original creative work in the arts, music or literature (provided the non-standard thesis project includes a substantial written component). In all cases, the capstone Master’s Project must demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to a topic or theme, and a solid application of the material learned throughout the program’s interdisciplinary course curriculum.
The capstone Master’s Project will be completed within the context of two 3-credit courses, the Independent Study and the Master’s Project Proseminar. The Independent Study will be devoted to the initial research and drafting of the capstone Master’s Project. The Proseminar is for students actively working on approved capstone Master’s Projects.
Students must conduct a successful defense of their Capstone Master’s Project before a MALS Faculty Committee.

Foreign Language Requirement
To graduate, the student must demonstrate a reading mastery of a foreign language, as documented by at least six (6) credits of undergraduate coursework in a language other than English or sign language, or a passing score on a written foreign language exam acceptable to the program.
This requirement must be completed before the student formally begins work on his/her capstone project.
Course Offerings

Aesthetic Studies
HUM 6601/LIT 6609 Vienna (1886-1920)  
MUS 6601 Beethoven  
VIS 6601 Art and Society in Medieval Europe  
VIS 6602 Cubism and Its Aftermath  
VIS 6603 Master Class in Figure Drawing  
VIS 6604 Master Class in Painting  
VIS 6606 Avant-Garde Art in the U.S.: 1890-1945  
VIS 6620 History of Costume  
VIS 6681-6689 Variable Topics in the Visual Arts  

Contemporary Issues and Policy Studies
SSC 6606 Comparing Different Worlds
SSC 6607 The Politics of Revolution  
SSC 6608 Alternative Conceptions of Political Community  
SSC 6609 Global Migration  
SSC 6616 Mass Media in American History: From the Telegraph to the Internet  
SSC 6617 U.S. Presidential Elections  
SSC 6618 Race, Class, and American Democracy  
SSC 6626 The Politics of Latin America  
SSC 6630 American-East Asian Relations  
SSC 6645/HUM 6645 Exploring the Self  

History of Ideas
HUM 6601/LIT 6609 Vienna (1886-1920)  
HUM 6645/SSC 6645 Exploring the Self  
LIT 6681 Revolutionary Romanticism  
SSC 6608 Alternative Conceptions of Political Community  

Literature
FRN 6681-6689 Variable Topics in French Language, Literature, and Culture  
LIT 6601 North American Literary Traditions in Contemporary Perspective  
LIT 6605 Shakespeare and His Interpreters  
LIT 6607 Raymond Chandler  
LIT 6609/HUM 6601 Vienna (1886-1920)  
LIT 6620 The Novel: Practice and Theory  
LIT 6621 The Epic Tradition  
LIT/SPN 6622 Hispanic Literature in Mourning: Portraits of Impossible Loves, Impossible Bodies, and Impossible Countries  
LIT 6623 /FRN 6623 Reading Marcel Proust  
LIT 6681 Revolutionary Romanticism  
LIT 6682-6689 Variable Topics in Literature  
SPN 6681-6689 Variable Topics in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture