DEGREES & CERTIFICATES:
Master of Humanities
When you pursue the Master of Humanities, your courses will come from disciplines traditionally included in the category of "liberal arts," disciplines such as fine arts, theatre, music, literature, philosophy, history, and communication. But you may also include appropriate coursework from the social sciences or other areas. Some students use the program as a springboard toward a doctoral degree or professional school. Others are teachers or other professionals seeking additional training to expand their expertise. Many enroll in the program for the sheer satisfaction of intellectual enrichment. Each student's program is supervised by a faculty advisor.
The Master of Humanities offers two general plans of study, Track I: Individualized Program requiring 36 credit hours of study and Track II: Cultural Studies, requiring 39 credit hours of study. Each is described below.
Track I: Individualized Program--Thesis or Project Option
If a student chooses Track I, he or she will have the opportunity to fashion a course of study based on individual interests and goals. Students choose two or three academic disciplines as areas of concentration in consultation with their faculty advisor. After completing 30 or 33 hours of coursework (depending on choice of thesis or project option), they will move on to a thesis or project.
Requirements -- 36 credit hours total
Three interdisciplinary seminars (9 credits total, 3 each):
- Methods and Texts of the Humanities (offered each fall semester and taken during first year of course work)
- Mid-Program Seminar
- Directed Readings and Research in the Humanities (offered each spring semester and taken during the final year of course work in preparation for the thesis or project)
21-24 credit hours of coursework selected in conjunction with student's advisor
Final Project (3 credits) OR Thesis (6 credits) -- must be a scholarly and/or creative exercise involving at least two disciplines
Track II: Cultural Studies--Non-Thesis/Project Option
This track is somewhat more structured than Track I but does not require a thesis or a project. In conjunction with their advisor, Track II students complete 39 credit hours of study. Of the 39 hours, students direct 15 credit hours of coursework towards one of the cultural studies clusters below:
- Social and Political Thought
- Philosophy and Theory
- Identity and Gender
- Classics
- Meaning and Values
- Self, Society, and Community
- Technology and Culture
- Understanding America/Understanding the World
The remaining coursework is distributed among required coursework (see below) and electives.
Requirements -- 39 credit hours total
Three interdisciplinary seminars (9 credits total):
- Methods and Texts of the Humanities
- Mid-Program Seminar
- Directed Readings and Research in the Humanities (offered each spring semester and taken during the final year of course work in preparation for the oral exam)
15 credit hours within one of the seven interdisciplinary clusters listed above
15 additional credit hours from any humanities or social sciences based discipline
Successful completion of oral exam