Master of Liberal Arts
The MLA degree is suited to the student who is interested in graduate study in the liberal arts, but is less interested in a research degree in a specific arts discipline or in a graduate degree in a technical area. The MLA is useful for English, speech, theatre, journalism, and social studies teachers at any level who want to deepen their knowledge of the areas they teach. Other professionals who have specialized educational backgrounds, but who have an interest in the liberal arts, will also find the MLA attractive. This program grants students a great deal of educational and creative freedom, allowing them to tailor their education to their specific interests and career goals.
This program may be completed online.
The MLA degree requires coursework in at least three different subjects within the College of Art and Humanities. The goals of the Liberal Arts program include the ability to:
- Generate writing that demonstrates an advanced ability to analyze and synthesize.
- Conduct original research.
- Demonstrate familiarity with interdisciplinary study.
Unconditional Admission
Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the Master of Liberal Arts degree program if they meet the admission requirements for the Graduate College.
Conditional Admission
Applicants who fail to meet the grade point requirement specified for unconditional admission may be admitted conditionally to enroll for a maximum of twelve (12) semester hours. If a student was admitted conditionally based on grade point average, the condition will be met if upon completion of twelve (12) semester hours, a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better is achieved.
Academic Advisors
The MLA Director will serve as faculty advisor to each student admitted conditionally or unconditionally to the MLA degree program. The advisor will assist the student in the design of a curriculum of study that leads to the fulfillment of degree requirements. Subsequently, the academic advisor and the Graduate College monitor the student's progress through the program. It remains, however, the student's responsibility to understand and to satisfy all degree requirements.
Degree Requirements for MLA with Project Option
Degree Requirements for MLA with Project Option
- The completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate course work, at least 15 of which must be at the 6000.
- The satisfactory completion of LA 6013 Introduction to the Liberal Arts (must be taken before the completion of twelve semester hours of graduate course work).
- LA 6711 Liberal Arts Project - requirements for this course include a cumulative scholarly research paper or significant creative project.
- The completion of coursework that includes at three different graduate subjects offered by the College of Arts and Humanities (i.e., Art, Communications, English, History, Journalism, Music, Psychology, Sociology, and TESL). The required Liberal Arts classes do not count toward this distribution requirement.
- A cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 or better must be achieved in all graduate work attempted at ATU, with a maximum of six (6) hours of "C" grades. A student receiving more than six (6) hours of "C" or grades lower than "C" should refer to the section of the catalog on Academic Probation and Dismissal.
- A minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate course work completed in residence at (Full time residence is not required.).
- Completion of all degree requirements within six (6) years of admission to the program.
Degree Requirements for MLA with Exam Option
- The satisfactory completion of a comprehensive exam based on course.1
- The satisfactory completion of LA 6013 Introduction to the Liberal Arts (must be taken before the completion of twelve semester hours of graduate course work).
- The completion of coursework that includes at three different graduate subjects offered by the College of Arts and Humanities (i.e., Art, Communications, English, History, Journalism, Music, Psychology, Sociology, and TESL). The required Liberal Arts classes do not count toward this distribution requirement.
- A cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 or better must be achieved in all graduate work attempted at ATU, with a maximum of six (6) hours of "C" grades. A student receiving more than six (6) hours of "C" or grades lower than "C" should refer to the section of the catalog on Academic Probation and Dismissal. (Full-time residence is not required).
- Completion of all degree requirements within six (6) years of admission to the program.
1This comprehensive exam is comprised of two sections, each focusing on information covered in one of the courses completed as part of the degree program. Students who choose the exam option should complete and return the following form to the program director no later than two weeks before the scheduled examination: Application for MLA Examinations.
Degree Works
Degree Works is a software tool utilized by Arkansas Tech University designed to detail academic progression. It allows both students and advisors to monitor course progress towards degree completion and clearly indicates which course requirements have been met as well as how courses transfer into a program. Transfer courses must be approved through the use of a substitution/waiver form available via the Registrar for progress to display correctly within Degree Works.
Degree Works will display course progression based on the current program of study, but a "what-if" scenario can be generated for any program to see how progression looks with the courses currently completed and in progress. Note that if you have applied to and been admitted to a graduate program while still finishing your undergraduate program, Degree Works will show your new program of study in the graduate program and you would have to generate a "what-if" query to see your undergraduate degree progress.