Program Overview

Master of Arts in Humanities Program

The Master of Arts in Humanities program requires a minimum of 33 hours. The program offers three majors: Aesthetic Studies, History of Ideas, and Studies in Literature.

Major Core Course

• The Major Core Course is HUMA 6300: Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Arts and Humanities, which is 3 hours.
• Students are expected to complete this course within their first two semesters of enrollment.

Elective Courses

• Thirty semester hours are required, with at least twenty-seven hours in organized courses.
• Eighteen of these hours are divided among organized courses in:
  • Aesthetic Studies (6 hours)
  • History of Ideas (6 hours)
  • Studies in Literature (6 hours)
• The remaining hours must be taken in the student's major area of concentration (Aesthetic Studies, History of Ideas, or Studies in Literature), except for students pursuing a general Humanities degree.
• Normally, no more than three hours of independent study are applicable to the degree plan.
• Independent studies do not count toward the 18-hour minimum in the major required for certification to teach at either a two or four-year college/university.
• MA students are restricted to courses numbered at the 5000- and 6000-level.

Foreign Language Requirement

• The research MA degree requires demonstrated reading proficiency in an approved foreign language.
• Students can demonstrate proficiency by passing a translation examination in an approved language, such as:
  • Chinese
  • French
  • German
  • Classical Greek
  • Italian
  • Latin
  • Spanish
• Intensive review courses (HUMA 6320 to HUMA 6323) and advanced language workshops (HUMA 6330 to HUMA 6333) do not count toward minimum course requirements for the degree.
• Students wishing to satisfy the requirement with languages other than those listed must secure the approval of the School's Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.
• Students must satisfy the MA language requirement before or as they submit their master's portfolio proposals to the Graduate Studies Committee.

Portfolio Requirement

• Two substantial pieces of work (two research papers or a creative project plus a scholarly essay) originating in or completed for graduate courses are revised and presented in a portfolio for evaluation by a master's committee.