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Master of Liberal Studies

MLS > Concentrations

The Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies allows students to design their own course of graduate study. For those students who prefer more guidance in their selection of a course of study, concentrations within the program are available. Note that students are not required to select one of these concentrations; they are optional.

Gender Studies

Eighteen of the 33 hours required for the MLS degree must have a gender focus. Of these 18 hours, six are for the graduate project, which must have a gender theme. The remaining 12 hours may be obtained in several ways:

A notation will appear on the transcripts of students who elect to do concentrations in Gender Studies. Perhaps the concentration can be printed in the area where a major would be listed.

Students who are interested in a Gender Studies concentration are encouraged to select the concentration at the time they begin their program of study in MLS.

International Studies

The International Studies track would require students to choose one concentration from the International Studies major (Europe, Latin America, or East Asia). In that concentration students would complete the following requirements for the MLS degree:

  1. 15 hours of elective graduate level course work as follows:
    1. One multinational course (3 cr.)
    2. One economics course (3 cr.)
    3. One humanities course (3 cr.)
    4. One social sciences course (3 cr.)
    5. One additional course from B, C, D
  2. 9 hours of graduate seminars: in each seminar the student's paper should be cross-cultural in perspective.
  3. Graduate project must be of an international nature with focus in the major area selected for other course work by the student (Europe, Latin America or East Asia).
Additional Requirements

Students must have a foreign language proficiency equivalent to two years of college study. Students from a college of arts and sciences should meet this requirement. Students from schools without a language requirement (e.g. business) would be required to demonstrate the appropriate level of language proficiency or to take two years of a foreign language. The foreign language in which the student is proficient is not required to match his/her major area (Europe, Latin America or East Asia) with the International Studies concentration.

Applied Science and Instruction

A new concentration in applied science and instruction provides a combination of graduate level education pedagogical courses with science technology courses in a liberal arts setting that broaden the experience. The purpose is to provide graduate education to those who educate others, including the public, in various areas of science. We hope to serve educators such as educators in science museums, parks department staff, consultants training on new biotechnological methods, zoos, health education, community college instructors, technical college instructors, medical science liaisons, science writers, science journalists/bloggers, tech support specialist, and science sales staff.

Requirements
  1. Introduction to Graduate Liberal Studies (4 cr. hr.) and 3 MLS seminars (D501, D502, D503to total at least 9 cr. hr.)
  2. 15 credit hours of electives, including no fewer than 2 courses (6 cr.hr.) in Science Education (EDUC) courses and no fewer than 2 courses (6 cr.hr.) concentrating in one area of science (AHLT, ANAT, BIOL, CHEM, GEOG, GEOL, MICR, PHYS, PLSC, ZOOL).
  3. Graduate Project/Thesis on topic investigation or applying methods of science education or science technology: D601 (3 cr.hr.) and D602 (minimum of 3 cr.hr.)

Applied Behavioral Sciences

This program is designed to educate students in the practical application of psychological principles in public and private agencies providing human services to southern Indiana and the Louisville metropolitan area. Graduates of this program will be trained in areas including: interpersonal dynamics, group dynamics, communication: persuasion, marketing, advertising, organizational communication, organizational crisis resolution, organizational and human management techniques, educational and training program coordination, grant writing and program assessment procedures, as well as more general psychological principles of learning and human behavior that can be applied in any human service setting.

To complete the 15 credit hours of electives associated with the MLS degree students should satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Required courses
    • PSY P505 Organizational Psychology
    • PSY P511 Seminar in Professional Skills
    • PSY P508 Applied Research Project
  2. Select one of the following:
    • PSY P509 Group Behavior & Processes
    • PSY P502 Developmental Psychology
    • PSY P624 Principles of Psychopathology
    • PSY P512 Seminar in Grant Writing
  3. Select one of the following:
    • SPCH S324 Persuasion
    • SPCH S333 Public Relations
    • SPCH S427 Cross-Cultural Communication
    • SPCH S440 Organizational Communication
    • SPCH S450 Gender and Communication

Thesis will be research based.

Post-SecondaryInstruction

The purpose of the concentration is to provide interested students with direct training and experience in the art and science of teaching at the college level, balanced with sufficient (i.e., 18 credit hours) of graduate-level course work in a particular field. A master’s degree is unlikely to provide sufficient educational background for a tenure-track position, but it can open the door to serving as an instructor or adjunct at a 4-year college/university or as a full-time instructor at a community college or junior college. Note that matching the focus of this concentration with your undergraduate major will increase your chances of being selected to teach at the college level.

Requirements:

In addition to the core requirements of the MLS program (D510, D501, D502, & D503); students will satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Electives: 15 credit hours
    • LBST-D591 Graduate Workshop on Teaching (1 cr. hr.)
    • LBST-D550 Teaching Assistant: 3 to 6 credit hours of this 3 credit hour teaching assistant course (Teaching Assistant Contract [PDF])
    • Enough additional credit hours in a single field to achieve 15 total elective hours
  2. Thesis project (tapping at least 2 schools): 6 credit hours
  3. Teaching dossier: student evaluations of teaching, faculty review of teaching, teaching philosophy