Starting in Fall 2009, it will be possible to complete the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree and the Post-Master's Certificate in Liberal Studies taking only online courses.
As a large number of students in the UNCW Graduate Liberal Studies Program work full time while pursuing their degree, we have always tried to accommodate our students’ schedules by offering most of our courses in the evening or late afternoon. GLS also offers courses to Onslow County Extension students, many of whom have difficulty attending and completing the program because of military deployment. Onslow students have been requesting online GLS courses for several years, and more recently, main campus students have been requesting them as well.
In an attempt to meet the changing needs of our students, we will offer three online GLS courses in Fall 2009 and four in Spring 2010 – though at least one each semester will be for Onslow County students only.
By Fall 2011, the GLS Program will be fully online. “Fully online” in this case means that it will be possible to complete the MA and PMC degrees online in the same timeframe as that of the current traditional class program. GLS will continue to offer traditional in-class courses too, though we hope that most of our students will take at least a few online courses in the future.
Each online course will seek to maintain the “Special Features of the GLS Program”:
- The opportunity to be part of the only GLS program in the eastern part of North Carolina and to study at one of the premier regional universities in the South as frequently acknowledged by annual surveys conducted by U.S. News and World Report.
- An innovative curriculum, including: social concerns and cultural systems; environment, science and society; arts, literature, and society with post-baccalaureate certificates possible in gerontology and Hispanic studies.
- The opportunity to create and pursue an individualized course of study that best meets the student's personal interests and needs.
- Stimulating interaction with a mature, enthusiastic community of life-long learners.
- A personal, truly student-oriented touch, both in terms of academic counseling and a teaching faculty fully committed to teaching excellence.
- Access to a first-rate academic library and state-of-the-art computing resources.
- The opportunity to refine the student's communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Our faculty will continue to be as available to our students as before, and technology permits the same interaction with fellow students. The medium may be changing, but the quality of the courses and the program remains the same!
Last Update: April 8, 2009
