Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) Degree
Program Learning Outcomes for the MLS Degree
Upon completing the MLS degree, students will be able to:
- Appreciate major perspectives and methods of the liberal arts by demonstrating a broadened understanding of some basic concepts in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
- Appreciate the connection of the liberal arts to their lives and the larger world.
- Demonstrate a capacity for analytical thinking.
- Demonstrate good writing skills.
- Practice critical listening and good discussion and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrate academic research methods.
Requirements for the MLS Degree
The MLS degree is a non-thesis master's degree. For general university requirements, see Non-Thesis Master's Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the MLS degree must complete:
- A minimum of 11-12 courses (33-36 credit hours) to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level study (coursework at the 500-level or above).
- A minimum of 24 credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
- A minimum residency enrollment of one fall or spring semester of part-time graduate study at Rice University.
- A minimum overall GPA of 2.67.
- A minimum GPA of 3.00 in required coursework.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor, or where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. (Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program's Official Certifier.) Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the MLS Degree | 33-36 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| MLSC 600 | INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE RESEARCH, ANALYSIS AND EXPOSITION 1 | 3 |
| Select 1 course from each of the following fields (see course lists below): 2 | 9 | |
Humanities | ||
Social Sciences | ||
Natural Science | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 6 elective courses from MLSC course offerings at the 500-level or 600-level 3 | 18 | |
| Capstone | ||
| Select 1 from the following: 4 | 3-6 | |
| CAPSTONE I and CAPSTONE II | ||
| CAPSTONE II | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 33-36 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | All students must take MLSC 600 in their first semester of study. |
| 2 | The core requirements are designed to acquaint first-year students with contrasting perspectives and methodological approaches that define academic inquiry in the three broad fields of humanities, social sciences, and natural science. Core courses must be completed before courses that satisfy the electives can be taken. |
| 3 | The six (6) electives beyond the core requirements may focus on just 1 “track” (humanities, social sciences, or natural science) or may be chosen more broadly. |
| 4 | The capstone coursework is designed to help students integrate their knowledge through writing an extended paper or completing a project to be presented to MLS faculty and students. Students may take 1 semester (MLSC 701) or 2 semesters (MLSC 700 and MLSC 701) to complete the capstone project. |
Core Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | ||
| MLSC 501 | THE SHAPING OF WESTERN THOUGHT | 3 |
| MLSC 505 | SHAKESPEARE AND FILM | 3 |
| MLSC 510 | MUSIC AND OTHER ARTS: COLLABORATION AND FUSION | 3 |
| MLSC 517 | MODERN DRAMA ON FILM AND IN PERFORMANCE | 3 |
| MLSC 526 | CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES | 3 |
| MLSC 533 | SELF-DETERMINATION IN ARAB WORLD | 3 |
| MLSC 535 | "PLEASE SIR, I WANT SOME MORE": DICKENS, OLIVER TWIST, POVERTY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE | 3 |
| MLSC 536 | TRADITIONAL CHINESE CULTURE AND ITS MODERN LEGACY | 3 |
| MLSC 537 | PROFILES FROM THE PAST: FAMOUS FIGURES IN WESTERN HISTORY | 3 |
| MLSC 539 | IMMIGRATION AND THE STATE: EUROPE AND THE US IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| MLSC 541 | HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER EQUALITY AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS | 3 |
| MLSC 542 | THE EPIC JOURNEY | 3 |
| MLSC 543 | THE CITY IN LITERATURE | 3 |
| MLSC 544 | WRITING LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN | 3 |
| MLSC 545 | WINDOW TO THE SOUL: EXPLORING RELIGION AND ETHNICITY THROUGH MUSIC | 3 |
| MLSC 547 | PROFILES FROM THE PAST II: FAMOUS FIGURES IN WESTERN HISTORY | 3 |
| MLSC 548 | HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY SET IN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONTEXT | 3 |
| MLSC 549 | COMPARATIVE IMPERIAL PLEASURE GARDENS: POWER AND LANDSCAPE | 3 |
| MLSC 551 | PROFILES FROM THE PAST III: FAMOUS FIGURES IN WESTERN HISTORY | 3 |
| MLSC 554 | MY FAVORITE NOVELS - AND GREAT FILMS MADE FROM THEM | 3 |
| MLSC 555 | THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | 3 |
| MLSC 556 | HEAVEN AND HELL: FROM DANTE TO MILTON AND BEYOND | 3 |
| MLSC 557 | EARLY MODERN ISLAMIC WORLD: ART AND EMPIRE | 3 |
| MLSC 559 | ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | ||
| MLSC 509 | STEREOTYPES, PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION | 3 |
| MLSC 519 | PSYCHOLOGY OF BELIEFS | 3 |
| MLSC 523 | THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PUNISHMENT | 3 |
| MLSC 526 | CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES | 3 |
| MLSC 533 | SELF-DETERMINATION IN ARAB WORLD | 3 |
| MLSC 534 | HUMAN RIGHTS IN WORLD AFFAIRS | 3 |
| MLSC 535 | "PLEASE SIR, I WANT SOME MORE": DICKENS, OLIVER TWIST, POVERTY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE | 3 |
| MLSC 536 | TRADITIONAL CHINESE CULTURE AND ITS MODERN LEGACY | 3 |
| MLSC 539 | IMMIGRATION AND THE STATE: EUROPE AND THE US IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE | 3 |
| MLSC 541 | HUMAN RIGHTS, GENDER EQUALITY AND RELIGIOUS BELIEFS | 3 |
| MLSC 549 | COMPARATIVE IMPERIAL PLEASURE GARDENS: POWER AND LANDSCAPE | 3 |
| MLSC 555 | THE POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | 3 |
| MLSC 557 | EARLY MODERN ISLAMIC WORLD: ART AND EMPIRE | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Science | ||
| Select 1 course from the following: | 3 | |
| MLSC 502 | OUR ENVIRONMENT: SCIENCE AND CULTURE | 3 |
| MLSC 506 | THE SOLAR SYSTEM, THE SUN AND THE MIND OF MAN | 3 |
| MLSC 508 | EARTH SYSTEMS DYNAMICS | 3 |
| MLSC 513 | DNA: HUMAN IDENTITY AND ORIGINS | 3 |
| MLSC 515 | SCIENCE IN THE FIRST PERSON | 3 |
| MLSC 525 | PLAGUES AND POPULATIONS | 3 |
| MLSC 532 | THE GRAND DESIGN | 3 |
| MLSC 538 | OUR CHANGING PLANET | 3 |
| MLSC 540 | IS ANYBODY OUT THERE: THE SEARCH FOR LIFE BEYOND EARTH | 3 |
| MLSC 546 | THE ROLE OF CHEMISTRY IN HISTORY | 3 |
| MLSC 550 | MODERN ASTRONOMY AND OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE | 3 |
| MLSC 552 | CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY | 3 |
| MLSC 553 | SOLVING THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE | 3 |
| MLSC 558 | EVOLUTION AND SOCIETY | 3 |
| MLSC 604 | EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY IN ANTARCTICA | 3 |
Policies for the MLS Degree
Department of Liberal Studies Graduate Handbook
The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, Liberal Studies publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2018_19/Liberal_Studies_Graduate_Handbook.pdf
Admission
Admission to graduate study is open to qualified students holding a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited university or college. A minimum GPA of 3.00 from the applicant’s undergraduate work is expected, though the admissions committee also gives consideration to applicants’ postgraduate experience and recent accomplishments.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Liberal Studies website: https://glasscock.rice.edu/departments/graduate-liberal-studies/
Opportunities for the MLS Degree
Association of Graduate Liberal Studies National Honor Society
MLS graduates who earn a 3.75 GPA or higher and have demonstrated leadership in the classroom and in the greater community are eligible for nomination to the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies National Honor Society.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the Liberal Studies website: https://glasscock.rice.edu/departments/graduate-liberal-studies/