Program Description:
The Master of Humanities program in the College of Liberal Arts provides opportunities for interdisciplinary study for students who wish to pursue individually designed curricula in the humanities. Study leads to a Master of Humanities (MH) degree.
The program’s primary goal is scholarly, intellectual development, and thus serves diverse personal and professional needs. High school teachers who want a content-emphasis graduate degree, persons who seek a career change or a post-retirement graduate degree, and persons who seek a second master’s degree in a complementary or even a contrasting field are among the many people who may find this program uniquely suited to their needs. Graduates of specialized undergraduate programs may welcome the breadth provided by this master’s degree. Part-time study is the norm; full-time study is also possible.
At the core of the program are two seminars that introduce students to the scope and methodologies of scholarly research in the humanities. In cooperation with the program director, students design a personal program of study to meet their individual academic goals. The program thus has both a specific focus in the humanities and wide flexibility within the broad curriculum of the College of Liberal Arts.
The range of possible programs of study is intentionally wide. A student might choose to study the role of music in African American culture or the status of women in American religion. Another student might study the interrelations of art and philosophy in modern German (or French) culture or the politics and rhetoric of Cicero. The only expectation is that students pursue an interdisciplinary program of study having a focus in the humanities.
Most students follow the general, interdisciplinary program of study. However, qualified students have the option of pursuing a Master of Humanities degree with an emphasis in one content area. A wide variety of emphases are possible, including philosophy, religion, classics, studio art, art history, American politics, and historical studies. Suggested programs of study have been developed for students choosing to emphasize music history or theory, modern languages, women/gender/sexuality studies, and African and African-American studies.
In conjunction with a Master of Humanities degree, students may also receive a graduate certificate in the following areas: archives and records management, museum studies, women/gender/sexuality studies, regional studies, and nonprofit leadership.
Admissions Requirements:
Applicants for admission to the Master of Humanities program must present a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 30 semester hours in liberal arts courses, with an overall grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in their undergraduate work. Applicants with deficiencies in their undergraduate work may be required to take additional background courses.
Applicants who do not meet the Regular admission requirements but who do meet the Graduate School admission requirements may be granted Conditional admission.
A maximum of three courses, normally not to exceed 9 semester hours of credit, may be accepted in transfer for work completed at the master’s level at other accredited institutions. Such transfer credits are subject to approval by the program as well as to the regulations of the Graduate School.
Faculty:
Participating faculty are drawn from departments throughout the College of Liberal Arts. All CoLA members of the graduate faculty are eligible to participate in the program. Members of the graduate faculty from other colleges will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
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