Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree requires nine courses and a Final Project for a total of 30 units of credit.
- Three Liberal Studies (LS) courses (9 units of credit)
- Core Course
- Two additional LS courses
- Six elective courses (18 units of credit)
- Students choose the remaining six courses from among LS courses and courses from other departments of the Graduate School
- Most Graduate School certificate programs can be incorporated into a MALS degree without exceeding the number of units required for the degree
- Two undergraduate courses at the 200 level or higher may be taken for degree credit and must achieve a B (3.0) or higher
- Final Project (FP) (3 units of credit)
The Final Project fulfills the remaining three credits required to complete the degree.
Although designated as three credits, the Final Project is considered a full-time activity. All students must complete a Final Project in order to graduate. - General requirements
- The first two courses in the program must be LS courses, one of which must be the core course
- Director approval is required for all non-LS courses
- Transfer credit does not count towards the thirty-credit requirement
- The MALS degree must be completed within six years, a requirement of Duke University for all Master’s degrees