Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)

专业详情

The Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program aims to provide a flexible, interdisciplinary program for returning adult students who seek a broad education in the liberal arts. Begun in 1991, the underlying premise of the MLA program is that knowledge gained through an interdisciplinary course of study leads to intellectual independence and satisfaction not always found in discipline-based programs of study. The goals of the MLA program are to develop advanced critical thinking, to foster intellectual range and flexibility, and to cultivate an individual’s ability to find the connections among different areas of human thought: art, history, literature, music, philosophy, political science, science, and theology.

The program is designed with part-time students in mind: seminars meet in the evening, and students complete the degree in 4-5 years. All master’s seminars are taught by members of the Stanford faculty. Seminar size is limited to 20 students.

The purpose of the Master of Liberal Arts Program is to address subjects that cross disciplinary boundaries; to develop an understanding of the strength and the shortcomings of disciplinary evaluation; to help students to refine their skills in writing, research, critical thinking, collaborative work, and collegial discussion. While students are not being groomed for academic careers, graduates of the program have used their experience to gain acceptance into Ph.D. programs at Stanford and elsewhere. Students who complete the MLA program are well positioned to advance in careers that require the careful analytical and rhetorical training they receive. This training is achieved through the completion of four foundations courses, which together emphasize the program’s goals as stated above; seven seminars that offer a more specific engagement with interdisciplinary subject matter; and a master’s thesis, accomplished under the direction of a Stanford faculty member who is expert in the subject of the thesis.