Liberal Studies

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
South Bend

Graduate Director
Professor Mike F. Keen

Departmental E-mail
mkeen@iusb.edu

Departmental URL
www.iusb.edu/~lasi/

The Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers instruction leading to the degree Master of Liberal Studies. The interdisciplinary program provides an opportunity for students to study the liberal arts and sciences beyond the bachelor's degree. It is intended primarily for those who regard the liberal arts as subjects for lifelong learning and for those who, because their undergraduate curriculum was primarily professional, wish to broaden their general education. The Master of Liberal Studies is not intended as preparation for doctoral study. In addition to taking three required graduate seminars, students complete a project and a program of electives designed to meet their own interests and needs.

Special Program Requirements
Master of Liberal Studies Degree
Required Courses

Special Program Requirements

Admission Requirements
Students are admitted to the Master of Liberal Studies program by the Graduate Studies Committee of the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To be considered for admission, students must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution and must have obtained an undergraduate grade point average of at least B (3.0), but the committee may make exceptions to this latter requirement. Application forms and further details may be obtained from the director of graduate studies in the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wiekamp Hall 2288, or by calling (219) 237-4256.

Application Deadlines
Students may be admitted to the M.L.S. Program to begin in either the fall or spring semester. All admission decisions are made by the faculty members of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Graduate Liberal Studies Committee. The committee meets to review applications three times each year. Deadlines for submitting completed applications for review by the committee are March 31 for early admission to the following fall semester, August 1 for final admission to the fall semester, and October 31 for admission to the following spring semester.

Students wishing to enter in the fall are strongly encouraged to submit their materials by the March 31 early admission deadline to assure there will be an opening in the program. Students are also advised to give reference letter writers at least two to four weeks' notice so that their letters will arrive prior to the deadline. Applications that are not completed by a given deadline will not be considered until the next deadline and may cause a delay in admission by one semester. Completed applications include the application form, a personal essay, three letters of reference, transcripts of all previous undergraduate study, and the application fee. All students wishing to enter the program should contact Mike Keen, director, at (574) 237-4185) before submitting an application.

Grades
An average grade of B (3.0) is required for graduation, and no course with a grade lower than B- (2.7) will be counted toward the degree. Students are required to remain in academic good standing, i.e., to maintain a grade point average of at least 2.7. Failure to maintain good standing may result in dismissal from the program.

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Master of Liberal Studies Degree

Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours of graduate-level work, including D500, D501, D502, D503, and 15 credit hours of electives selected to provide support and background for the graduate project or to enable students to understand new areas of knowledge from an interdisciplinary point of view. No more than 9 credit hours of electives may be taken in any one department. Programs of study must be approved by the graduate director.

Master of Liberal Studies Project
Required; 6 credits. The graduate project is a scholarly enterprise in which the student demonstrates mastery of a specific topic, by means of, for example, a thesis, a computer program, a translation of a work of literature, or an artistic composition or performance. Students plan and execute their projects after completion of the three core courses and their electives.

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Required Courses

D500 Graduate Project (3-6 cr.)

D501 Humanities Seminar (3 cr.) An interdisciplinary graduate seminar in the humanities. Topics vary from semester to semester. May be repeated once for credit.

D502 Social Science Seminar (3 cr.) An interdisciplinary graduate seminar in the social sciences. Topics vary from semester to semester. May be repeated once for credit.

D503 Science Seminar (3 cr.) An interdisciplinary graduate seminar in the natural sciences. Topics vary from semester to semester. May be repeated once for credit.

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