Program Requirements
Structure
The Master of Liberal Arts Program at Johns Hopkins is flexible, interdisciplinary, and dynamic. Each MLA student completes a total of ten courses. Students design their own program of study with the help of an advisor and other students. The breadth of the curriculum allows students to combine their interests in creative ways whether they seek professional development, personal enrichment or a combination of both. Courses are generally offered one night a week for 14 weeks and on weekends. We offer courses in the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.
Core course (to be taken within the first three courses) – “Exploring the Liberal Arts: Ways of Knowing”
Using a thematic approach, this core class introduces students to the breath of the liberal arts, and to an interdisciplinary approach to understanding aspects of culture. The class provides a multidisciplinary perspective on a theme to illustrate how different “ways of knowing” can broaden and deepen our understanding of culture. The students will begin to explore what is meant by the "liberal arts" -- and how and why the liberal arts provide a useful interdisciplinary foundation through which to understand the world around us. How do humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and arts compare and contrast in their “ways of knowing.” We will look at how individual scholars from very diverse fields approach the issues raised, and then will integrate the different perspectives.
Past themes have included: “Time,” “Nature and the American Experience,” “The DaVinci Code,” and “Seeing.”
8 or 9 electives (Eight for the Graduate Project option; nine for the Portfolio option.)
The MLA is tailored to students' needs and priorities. Courses described in the catalog and online are representative of the broad range of MLA offerings. The same courses are rarely offered two years in a row. The electives are drawn from faculty across Johns Hopkins University including history, philosophy, art history, political science, physics, music, environmental sciences, and religion. Courses are also provided by field specialists from surrounding cultural institutions (For example The Maryland State Archives and The Walters Art Museum).
Capstone – Graduate Project and Portfolio
The Capstone is designed to encourage the integration of course work in the program and comes at the end of a student's course work. Students conclude the MLA degree through the completion of a non-credit portfolio or a one course graduate project. The student works with the associate program chair to determine the option best suited to the student's needs and goals. There is also an Internship option within the Graduate Project. See Capstone Requirements for more information
Students have five years to complete the degree.
Students who earn a C or below in the core course must retake the course. Students who earn two grades of C or below will be dismissed from the program.
Admission Requirements
Prequisites
- A grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the latter half of undergraduate studies is expected for degree candidacy; particular interests and work experience are also considered.
Application Requirements
- Completed and submitted application
- Application Fee
- Completed and submitted immunization form (if under age 26)
- Resumé
- An essay that allows assessment of the applicant's academic, professional, and personal goals.
- Admission interview (after application materials have been evaluated, an admissions interview is scheduled with the MLA associate program chair.)
- Official Undergraduate Transcript (A transcript is official if it is sent directly to the Advanced Academic program Admissions Official from the institution the student attended. If a student delivers the transcript in a sealed institutional envelope, the transcript must be dated within the last three months.)
Admission Requirements Exceptions
If you do not meet all the requirement criteria for admissions, you may still be admitted to a program. Admission in these cases are determined on a case-by-case basis. These candidates may be granted provisional status.
Provisional Student
Provisional students are admitted to this status because, in the view of the admissions committee, they do not fulfill academic requirements for admission as a degree candidate at the time of the application. Provisional students may be required to take specific prerequisite courses, and/or take a specific number of courses and complete them successfully in order to establish their eligibility to be admitted as a degree candidate.
During the time of this provisional status, students are held to grading criteria stricter than those required of degree candidates. Specifics of a provisional admission are outlined in a formal admissions letter mailed to the student. All listed criteria must be met for a student to continue to enroll in courses.
If you have a question about admission requirements, please don't hesitate to contact admissions.
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