Program Overview

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M.A. in Liberal Studies

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies is a two-year internationally accredited program offering a comprehensive liberal arts education. As a graduate of this program, you will earn a degree accredited in both Europe and the United States, one that will leave you well-positioned for success in your chosen field or in the pursuit of further studies.

About the Program

The M.A. in Liberal Studies provides a balance of theoretical, applied, and interdisciplinary exploration of the humanities and social sciences. Classes take place on the AAU campus in the neoclassical Thurn-Taxis Palace, situated in Prague’s city center, a renowned seedbed of history, culture, and political significance.

The overarching aim of the program is to develop you into a well-rounded, informed, independent thinker and articulate communicator. You’ll explore a mix of philosophy, social sciences, politics, history, and literature-based subjects, as you refine your capacity to think critically, become adept at analyzing contemporary issues from multiple standpoints, and conduct your own, original research.

Classes are led by accomplished international faculty and kept intentionally small, with a seminar format that encourages scholarly investigation, critical thinking, and thought-provoking discussion. You will cultivate essential skills in research, writing, and presentation in preparation for PhD studies or career opportunities across a wide range of fields, while the curriculum also allows you to explore and nurture your specific interests through numerous elective courses.

The program is broad in scope and multidisciplinary by design, an approach that runs counter to the increasingly specialized and fragmented trends in modern education, helping you become a versatile, thoughtful, and engaged citizen capable of making informed decisions in your own life and valuable contributions to society.

Program Structure

Where do you want your study of the liberal arts to take you? The flexible nature of this program means you can tailor this master’s towards the areas that interest you most, whether that’s history and art history, literature, human sciences, or philosophy. Or if you prefer, you can study a mix of all of them.

You’ll earn 60 US credits (120 ECTS credits) over a period of two years, by completing 20 courses. Below, you can find a list of courses and modules that form the program.

• Semester 1
  • HUM 600 Theoretical Paradigms and Critical Theory
  • PHI 600 Advanced Seminar in Philosophy
  • LIT 600 Advanced Seminar in Literature and Literary Theory
  • HSS 600 Advanced Seminar in Interdisciplinary
  • Elective Course
• Semester 2
  • HIS 600 Advanced Seminar in History and Historiography
  • Required Optional Course in the Area – Philosophy
  • Required Optional Course in the Area – Literature
  • Required Optional Course in the Area – Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Elective Course
• Semester 3
  • HUM 695 Scholarly Writing and Research Methods
  • HUM 680 Multidisciplinary Colloquium
  • Required Optional Course in the Area – History
  • Required Optional Course in the Area – Human Sciences
  • Elective Course
• Semester 4
  • HUM 699 Thesis
  • Required Optional Course in the Foundation Area
  • Required Optional Course in the Foundation Area
  • Required Optional Course in the Foundation Area
  • Graduation Examination
  • Oral State Exam based on Foundation Courses
  • Thesis Defense

Required-optional courses (subject to change according to interest and availability):

• Required-Optional Courses in the Area – Philosophy
  • PHI 585 Philosophy and Society
  • PHI 660 Advanced Seminar in Aesthetics
  • PHI 581 Philosophical Ethics
  • PHI 522 Anglo-American Philosophy
  • PHI 555 Conceptions of Evil
  • PHI 605 Populism Ancient and Modern
• Required-Optional Courses in the Area – Literature
  • LIT601 Bodies of Modernism
  • LIT 660 The Romantic Imagination: Goethe to Mary Shelley
  • LIT 661 Modernisms and Postmodernisms
  • HUM 510 Folklore and Mythology
  • LIT 520 Shakespeare
  • LIT 506 Václav Havel: Theater, Politics and Dissent
  • LIT 521 Recent Trends in Anglophone Drama
• Required-Optional Courses in the Area – History
  • ART535 From Gothic to Modern: Art in Bohemia
  • ART515 History of Architecture
  • HIS 537 Central European History
  • HIS 589 Advanced Seminar in Race, Progress and Civilization in Anglo American Thought
  • IRS 506 Conflict Studies
  • IRS 508 Diplomatic History
  • HIS 530 Elizabeth I of England: Her Reign, Her Kingdom, Her World
  • HIS 529 Empire: British Imperialism and Colonialism
  • HSS 528 The Story of Language: Empires, Languages and Global English
• Required-Optional Courses in the Area – Human Sciences
  • PSY 585 Decision Making
  • PSY 525 Psychology of Human Cooperation
  • PSY 503 Language Learning and Bilingualism
  • PSY 560 Developmental Psychology
  • COM 580 Language and Power
  • SOC 500 Twentieth Century Social Theory
  • REL 501 Religion as a Social Force

The program culminates in a colloquium where you will have the opportunity to present your work alongside faculty and invited speakers in a professional forum. Having passed all the required and elective courses, you’ll then complete your studies by taking state exams and defending your research thesis.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the two years, you’ll:

• Have a strong understanding of intellectual, historical and cultural phenomena across various cultures and societies, and be able to compare and critique them
• Be skilled in the analysis and interpretation of humanities subjects
• Have strong verbal and written English skills
• Have honed your problem solving skills and be able to identify, describe and discuss complex problems and solutions with international audiences
• Be ready to apply what you’ve learnt across a vast variety of fields, as your career and life unfolds
• Be comfortable conducting your own research

Career Prospects

As a graduate of the VAS Program, you will be equipped to flourish in multinational environments. This in turn will open up career opportunities for you on a global scale in areas such as:

• curation
• cultural diplomacy
• publishing on art history and critique
• tourism
• education in the human sciences
• mass media

Additionally, our Career Center will assist you with internships in the course of your studies and landing a job after graduation.

Accreditation

• WASC + NABHE

Degree

• Master of Arts

Duration

• 2 Years

Location

• Prague, CZ

Tuition EU

• 21 187 USD

Tuition NON-EU

• 24 453 USD

Intake

• Fall / Spring

Deadline

• Rollings Admissions

Meet Your Tutors

• Karen Grunow-Harsta, PhD, dean, senior lecturer
• Gerald Power, PhD, lecturer, chair of department of history and philosophy
• Joshua M. Hayden, EdD, lecturer, institutional research specialist, chair of department of social sciences
• Andrew Giarelli, PhD, senior lecturer, chair of department of art, culture & literature