Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Degree Requirements

Each student will complete 36 semester hours of MLA course work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. At least 27 of these credits must be taken at Clayton State University. In their first semester, students will take the required Introduction to Graduate Studies course (3 hrs.). Also, in this and subsequent semesters, additional foundational seminars (9 hrs.) will provide all students with a selected background in Art, Literature, Music, Philosophy, and Political/Historical Thought. Each student will also select an academic area of focus or concentration (18 hrs.). Students may select from one of four areas in this degree program: Liberal Arts, English, History, or Music. Students have two options (6 hrs.) in completing the program: The Capstone Thesis Option or The Capstone Non-Thesis Option.

Summary Degree Requirements:

Matrix

The Foundational Seminars (12 hrs.):

MALS 5000
Introduction to Graduate Studies (3-0-3)

Choose 3 of the following courses:
ART 5000
Great Works in Art History
(3-0-3) 		ENGL 5000
Great Books
(3-0-3) 		MUSC 5000
Great Works in Musical History
(3-0-3) 		PHIL 5000
Classics of Philosophy
(3-0-3) 		POLS 5000
Great Political Thinkers
(3-0-3)
The Academic Concentration
Liberal Arts (18 hrs.)

A. Choose 3 to 6 of the following courses:

  • ART 5201
    Modern and Contemporary Visual Arts in the US (3-0-3)
  • CMS 5310
    Contemporary Cinema Studies (3-0-3)
  • CMS 5610
    Digital Culture (3-0-3)
  • MALS 5800
    Selected Topics in Liberal Studies (3-0-3)
  • IDST 5201
    The Science in Science Fiction (3-0-3)
  • IDST 5202
    Contemporary Irish Fiction, Film, History, and Politics (3-0-3)
  • PHIL 5201
    Philosophy in the US (3-0-3)
  • PSYC 5201
    Psychoanalysis and Society (3-0-3)
  • SOCI 5201
    Religion & the Family in America (3-0-3)
  • THEA 5201
    Contemporary US Theater (3-0-3)

B. Choose 0-3 courses from any of the four areas of concentration.

English (18 hrs.)

  • English 5100
    Literary Theory (3-0-3)

And choose 5 of the following courses:

  • ENGL 5150
    Studies in Shakespeare (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5120
    Studies in Nineteenth Century American Literature and Culture (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5130
    Studies in Southern Literature (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5140
    Studies in Twentieth Century American Literature and Culture (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5210
    Studies in Renaissance Literature (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5250
    Studies in Nineteenth Century British Literature and Culture (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5260
    Studies in Twentieth Century and Twenty-First Century British Literature (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5300
    Literature by American Women (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5350
    Studies in Gender and Sexuality in American Literature and Culture (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5400
    Studies in African American Literature and Culture (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5410
    The African American Novel (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5450
    Race and Ethnicity in American Literature and Culture (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5620
    Postcolonial Theory and Literature (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5710
    Contemporary American Poetry (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5720
    Contemporary American Fiction (3-0-3)
  • ENGL 5800
    Selected Topics in Literature and Culture (3-0-3)

History (18 hrs.)

Choose 6 of the following courses:

  • HIST 5050
    Historical Methods and American Historiography (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5100
    African-American History (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5200
    History of the American South (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5500
    Twentieth Century World History (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5400
    Twentieth Century US History (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5500
    Twentieth Century World History (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5600
    The Atlantic World (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5700
    American Military History (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5800
    Modern American Popular Culture (3-0-3)
  • HIST 5900
    American Environmental History (3-0-3)

Music (18 hrs.)

Choose 6 of the following courses:

  • MUSC 5100
    Survey of Renaissance and Baroque Music (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5200
    Survey of Classic and Romantic Music (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5300
    Survey of Twentieth Century Music (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5400
    Form and Analysis (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5500
    Eighteenth Century Harmony and Form (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5600
    Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Harmony and Form (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5700
    Advanced School Music Methods (3-0-3)
  • MUSC 5800
    Applied Music (2-0-2)
  • MUSC 5900
    Major Ensemble (1-0-1)

The Capstone Experience

Candidates for the MA in Liberal Studies have two options in order to satisfy the final requirement for the degree:

Non-Thesis (6)

The “Non-Thesis” option is available to candidates in all four tracks. Candidates who choose this option must take two additional courses from any of the discipline-specific areas of concentration and must also complete and pass a comprehensive exam.

Thesis (6)

Candidates in any one of the four areas of concentration may choose to write a thesis.