UNCW College of Arts & Sciences: Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies

"Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago. To tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this planet. Let us dedicate ourselves to that."
~Robert F. Kennedy

Note: See the "Post-Master's Certificate" page for that program's admission requirements.

Admission Requirements

An application for graduate admission -- MALS applicants must use the UNCW Graduate Online Application to apply. Read and carefully follow the directions therein and where required, submit required documents to the UNCW Graduate School.
- Application deadlines: In order to attend classes in the indicated semester, students must apply to the UNCW Graduate School by the dates indicated.
Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate): These transcripts must be forwarded to the UNCW Graduate School by the institution.
Three recommendations that address the student's chance of success in a graduate liberal studies program: Requests for these recommendations are sent as a function of the online application.
A writing sample in the form of an essay: The subject of this essay will be an explanation of how the MALS degree can assist the candidate in meeting her or his personal goals. Essays shall be from one to five pages (single-spaced). The essay is submitted as part of the online application.
A bachelor's degree, from an accredited college or university, with a minimum of a "B" average in undergraduate work: Students seeking admission to the GLS Program in order to complete the MALS degree must hold a bachelor's degree with an academic record of a "B" average or better from an accredited university or college in this country or its equivalent in a foreign institution based on a four-year program.
At the discretion of the GLS Program Director, an interview with the director of the program and/or representative(s) from the advisory committee will be required. Applicants will be contacted by the GLS Program to arrange interview details. When appropriate and requested, interview by telephone or other electronic means may be permitted.
GRE/MAT: No tests such as the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) or the MAT (Miller Analogy Test) are required.

Degree Requirements

Minimum hours of study: The program requires a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate study.
Grade average: Students must maintain a "B" average in all graduate courses taken.
Crosslisted courses for credit: No more than six hours may be taken from cross-listed 400/500 courses.
Non-GLS courses for credit: No more than nine hours may be taken outside the MALS degree (GLS 5xx) curriculum.
DIS courses for credit: Only one GLS 591 Directed Independent Study course may be taken.
Transfer hours for credit: No more than six semester hours of credit may be transferred from another accredited institution. Grades earned on that transfer work must be equivalent to "B" or better. A minimum of 24 hours of graduate study must be completed in residence at UNCW.
Capstone experience: A final project (GLS 598-Final Project Liberal Studies) of three credit hours is required of all students who have successfully completed 27 hours of course work. (For details about the final project, see the GLS 598 description below.)
Time limit: Students are expected to complete all course work within five years after their initial enrollment.
Withdrawals and Incompletes in the GLS Program:
- Withdrawals: Should a student withdraw from more than three courses, whether graduate liberal studies courses or graduate courses in other departments/programs, he or she will be dropped from the MALS program or the post-Masters certificate program. In the event that a student withdraws from a course, he or she will be responsible for notifying both the program director and his or her graduate advisor. At the discretion of the Graduate Liberal Studies program director, exceptions may be made in the event of extenuating circumstances.
- "Incomplete" Grades:
  - In accordance with university policy, a student has at most 12 months from the end of the course to resolve the Incomplete. However, the instructor of the course (in consultation with the student) determines the deadline for work to be completed. If the student fails to complete the work by the deadline or within the 12 months (that is, whichever comes first), the Incomplete grade will automatically be converted to an F. If a student has two or more concurrent "Incomplete" grades in graduate courses, whether in graduate liberal studies courses or in graduate courses in another program/department, he or she will need to remove the Incompletes before being permitted to register for courses in the following or any future semester. Should a student receive an Incomplete for any graduate course other than GLS 598, he or she will be responsible for both making her or his program director and advisor aware of the grade and then notifying these individuals once the Incomplete is removed. At the discretion of the graduate liberal studies program director, exceptions may be made in the event of extenuating circumstances.
  - Should a student receive an "Incomplete" grade in GLS 598: Final Project in Liberal Studies, she or he will have one year to remove the Incomplete. Please note, however, that the initial completion date will be at the end of the next semester and any future extensions will be granted one semester at a time. Therefore, an extension of the "Incomplete" grade must be requested at the end of every semester. Extensions of an "Incomplete" grade are not usually granted after the first year. At the discretion of the graduate liberal studies program director, exceptions may be made in the event of extenuating circumstances.
  - All students are again reminded that "Incomplete" grades are valid for a maximum of one year. Upon expiry, an "Incomplete" grade is converted to an F. Students with a grade of F in any graduate course are no longer eligible to continue as graduate students at UNCW.
Two core courses: GLS 502 - Contemporary Issues in Liberal Studies and GLS 598 - Final Project in Liberal Studies are required.
- GLS 502: Contemporary Issues in Liberal Studies.
  Beyond familiarizing students with cross-disciplinary reseach methods and standard conventions of academic discourse, GLS 502 explores major agendas that inform the GLS MALS degree, most notably, interdisciplinarity, cultural diversity, and globalism.
- GLS 598: Final Project in Liberal Studies
  The final project may take the form of scholarly research or a creative work (e.g., a personal memoir; a collection of short fiction, poetry, or personal essays; a family history; a documentary film; or an exhibition of original paintings or photographs), though in either case a written analysis is required to meet degree requirements. During the final project process, the student will work under the close supervision of a graduate faculty member of the student’s choice as well as one additional final project committee member. Once the final project is approved by the committee, the student will present the project to a forum of faculty and students. Note: If you are planning to commence, or have already started, work on your MALS final project, please click on the title of this paragraph to obtain details and deadlines regarding this process. Recent MALS final projects range from a radio drama dealing with a fictitious nineteenth-century Irish whalerman and a young adult mystery-suspense novel set in the Marshall Islands to studies on the efficacy of touch therapy as a healing technique, a palliative approach to Alzheimer’s disease, the cultural geography of East Bladen County, NC, the homeless population in Wilmington, NC, and the “stepmom syndrome.”

Options

Aside from GLS 502 and GLS 598, GLS MALS courses fall into five broad thematic areas: l) social concerns and cultural systems; 2) environment, science, and society; 3) arts, literature, and society; 4) gerontology; and 5) Hispanic studies.

General

In addition to GLS 502 and GLS 598, students pursuing a general option in graduate liberal studies must complete 24 elective hours. Up to 9 of the elective hours may be taken outside the GLS curriculum on condition that the desired courses are graduate-level courses; that they are consistent with the general philosophy of graduate liberal studies; that the student receives the permission of the instructor(s) in question in regard to possible background and methodological expectations; and that the student receives permission from his or her program advisor. On the other hand, students pursuing a general option in graduate liberal studies may take all of the required 24 elective hours within the GLS curriculum.

Special Concentration in Gerontology

In addition to GLS 502 and GLS 598, students pursuing a special concentration in gerontology must take GRN 501: Aging in Society (3), GRN 523: Biology of Aging (3), and PSY 524: Psychology of Aging (3) as well as 15 elective hours, at least 6 of which must be in gerontology.

Special Concentration in Hispanic Studies

In addition to GLS 502 and GLS 598, students pursuing a special concentration in Hispanic Studies must take 9 hours of core classes in Hispanic Studies and 15 elective hours, at least 9 of which must be in Hispanic Studies.

Last Update: September 23, 2009

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