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Liberal Studies


	Description

	Degrees Offered

	Admission

	Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

		Accelerated Graduate Program in Liberal Studies Track

		Maya Studies Track

	Master of Science in Liberal Studies

	Contact Info

Description

Liberal Studies offers an interdisciplinary master's degree with more than thirty concentrations and certificate affiliations available for constructing a program of study. Liberal Studies undergraduate students may be eligible for the accelerated undergraduate and graduate program in Liberal Studies. Liberal Studies also offers a specialized Maya Studies Track in combination with the Maya Studies Certificate.

Degrees Offered

Accelerated Graduate Program in Liberal Studies Track
Maya Studies Track

Master of Science in Liberal Studies

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Graduate Catalog. Applicants are encouraged to apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

Additional Admissions Information

The Master of Arts and Master of Science in Liberal Studies programs award interdisciplinary degrees that incorporate three core courses as a common basis of study. The core courses bring together knowledge from various fields, traditions, and cultures, enhancing and extending the educational experience. The programs are intended to develop research abilities, substantive knowledge, critical thinking, and advanced skills, through the diverse concentrations of study. Individualized advising, carefully selected classes and program construction, and a commitment to the student are central to these programs.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required for all applicants to these programs. Minimum requirements for admission consideration are the standard university criteria of a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 attempted semester credit hours earned toward the baccalaureate or a GRE score of at least 1000 on the combined verbal-quantitative sections of the General (Aptitude) Test. International students and students whose native language is not English must score at least 220 (computer-based test or an equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In addition, applicants must submit three letters of recommendation (at least one from an academic reference) and have an interview with the graduate program coordinator.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships or assistantships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

Program(s) Fall Priority Fall Spring Summer

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Feb 1 Jun 30 Nov 15 Mar 30

Accelerated Graduate Program in Liberal Studies Track Feb 1 Jun 30 Nov 15 Mar 30

Maya Studies Track Feb 1 Jun 30 Nov 15 Mar 30

Master of Science in Liberal Studies Feb 1 Jul 15 Dec 1 Apr 15

International Applicants

Program(s)

Fall Priority

Fall

Spring

Summer

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Feb 1

Jul 1

Accelerated Graduate Program in Liberal Studies Track

Feb 1

Jul 1

Maya Studies Track

Feb 1

Jul 1

Master of Science in Liberal Studies

Feb 1

Jul 1

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Degree-seeking students in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program and in the Master of Science in Liberal Studies may elect to follow either a thesis or a non-thesis course of study. The degree of Master of Arts or Master of Science is conferred when the student has fulfilled the requirements of either the thesis or non-thesis option. Students pursuing the Maya Studies Track must take the thesis option. No graduate credit is given for any grade lower than "B-".

Requirements for M.A.—33 Credit Hours Minimum

Required Courses—9 Credit Hours

IDS 6308 Ways of Knowing (3 credit hours)
IDS 6669 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research (3 credit hours)
IDS 6351 Critical Thinking and Writing (3 credit hours)

Concentration/Graduate Certificate Program—18 Credit Hours

A minimum of 18 semester hours of course work must be completed. Course selection is done in consultation and with approval of the program coordinator.

Thesis Option—6 Credit Hours

Completion of an approved elective or directed research, and a minimum of 3 semester hours of thesis credit, and a successful completion of a thesis are required.

Non-Thesis Option—6 Credit Hours

Six semester hours of approved graduate electives and passing a comprehensive written examination are required.

Concentrations

These concentrations include formally identified courses of study, certificate programs, and individualized courses of study.

American History
American Studies
Art and Culture in Society
Business and Government Writing
Communication
Comparative Cultural Studies: The Hispanic World
English
English for Speakers of Other Langauges
European, Asian, and African History
The Human Condition
Humanities
International Studies
Issues of Social Concern
Leadership Studies
Political Science
Psychology
Public Administration
Public Policy Analysis
Race, Ethnicity, and Class
Sociology
Spanish

Graduate Certificate Programs

Aging Studies
Arts Management
Computer Forensics
Conservation Biology
Contemporary Humanities
Crime Analysis
Domestic Violence
Gender Studies
Maya Studies
Professional Writing
SAS Data Mining
Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Theoretical and Applied Ethics

NOTE: Students pursuing the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree program must take a majority of the 33 required credit hours be earned in traditional liberal arts courses. Students pursuing the Master of Science in Liberal Studies must take at least fifteen credits in their concentration in work that is traditionally from Master of Science courses.

Maya Studies Track

Maya Studies Track—33 Credit Hours Minimum

Core Courses—9 Credit Hours

IDS 6308 Ways of Knowing (3 credit hours)
IDS 6669 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research (3 credit hours)
IDS 6351 Critical Thinking and Writing (3 credit hours)

Concentration—18 Credit Hours*

Required—6 Credit Hours

ANG 6168 The Ancient Maya (3 credit hours)
ANG 6324 Contemporary Maya (3 credit hours)

Elective Courses—12 Credit Hours

ANG 5166 Problems in Maya Studies (3 credit hours)
ANG 5167 Maya Hieroglyphs (3 credit hours)
ANG 5228 Maya Iconography (3 credit hours)
ANT 5165 Field Research in Maya Studies (3 credit hours)
CPO 5334 Contemporary Politics in the Mayan Region (3 credit hours)
ANG 5110 Archaeological Theory and Mayan Method (3 credit hours)

Thesis—6 Credit Hours

Students must complete an approved elective or directed research, a minimum of 3 credit hours of thesis, and a thesis.

* To receive the Graduate Certificate in Maya Studies, an application to the Maya Studies certificate program is required.

Accelerated Undergraduate and Graduate Program in Liberal Studies

Web address: www.cas.ucf.edu/liberal_studies/accelerated

The accelerated undergraduate and graduate program in Liberal Studies allows a student to earn a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree and a master of arts degree in as few as five years including summer sessions. Students can earn nine hours of graduate credit toward the master’s degree while still an undergraduate, and then an additional twenty-four credits after earning the bachelor’s degree.

Students majoring in Liberal Studies who have compiled a superior record can apply for the program. This unique course of study requires close advising with program advisors and approval by the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program.

Admission Requirements

Acceptance to the university does not constitute admission to the combined bachelor’s/master’s program. An additional application to the program must be submitted and the student accepted. Contact the Liberal Studies Program or visit the website for application information. All applicants must meet the following criteria:

A student must have a grade point average of 3.25 or higher at UCF in their last 30 semester hours before applying in the second semester of their junior year.
The student must have earned at least 75 semester hours by the time of application and 30 upper level credit hours by the end of the application semester. Decision about admission to the program will depend partially on the grades earned in the application semester if the 30 upper level (and 75 overall) credits were not earned previously.
A Graduate Record Examination score of 1050 or above (usually taken at the latest in the second semester of the junior year).

Degree Requirements

The combined bachelor’s/master’s program involves a minimum of 144 credit hours for completion of both the B.A./B.S. and M.A. degrees. For the graduate degree program, no credit is given for any grades lower than a "B-".

Liberal Studies Undergraduate Degree

The Liberal Studies undergraduate program offers five options: Liberal Studies, Liberal Arts, Environmental Studies, Computer Information Technology, and Women’s Studies. (Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for more details about these tracks.) The undergraduate requirements listed in the Graduate Catalog are for informational purposes only. The official requirements are detailed in the Undergraduate Catalog and take precedence over what is described here.

Liberal Studies Track

Minor (18+ credit hours)
Two liberal studies areas (18 credit hours each)

Liberal Arts Track

Ethics course
Critical thinking course
Minor (18+ semester hours)
Individual minor (24+ credit hours)
Directed reading/honors seminar
Thesis

Environmental Studies Track

Core for Environmental Studies (23 credit hours)
Subject Area: Environmental Studies Fundamentals (20 credit hours)
One subject areas: restricted electives (18 credit hours)

Computer Information Technology Track

Computer Information Technology minor (36 semester hours)
One Liberal Studies area (18 semester hours)

Women’s Studies Track

Either the Womanist/Women of Color subject area or the Women’s Studies Cognate subject area (18 credit hours)
One subject area from among the fifteen liberal studies areas (18 credit hours)
Women’s Studies minor (18 credit hours)

Liberal Studies Graduate Degree

Core Courses—9 Credit Hours

IDS 6308 Ways of Knowing (3 credit hours)
IDS 6669 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research (3 credit hours)
IDS 6351 Critical Thinking and Writing (3 credit hours)

Concentration—18 Credit Hours

Choose one from the many concentrations and certificate affiliation programs that are part of the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program.

Elective—3 Credit Hours

Thesis Option—6 Credit Hours

Successful completion of an approved elective or directed research, a minimum of 3 credit hours of thesis credit, and successful completion of a thesis are required.

Non-Thesis Option—6 Credit Hours

Six credit hours of approved graduate electives and passing a comprehensive written examination are required.

Master of Science in Liberal Studies

The Master of Science in Liberal Studies degree is designed for students interested in the interdisciplinary experience of Liberal Studies who complete their concentration through courses traditionally associated with M.S. degrees. Students completing their concentration through certificates in Computer Forensics, Conservation Biology, Nonprofit Management, and others normally would be eligible for the M.S. degree.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

If you’re interested in financial assistance, you’re strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. To receive need-based fellowship awards, the student must have demonstrated need as determined by FAFSA. Merit fellowship awards are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application).
For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program coordinator of your major.

Contact Info