Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)

Curriculum

Each student designs an individualized curriculum of nine courses that centers on a stated theme. The series of courses must include at least one, and up to three, MLA Proseminars plus graduate-level courses from any department within the School of Arts & Sciences (some courses may require departmental or faculty permission).

An MLA Proseminar is a graduate-level seminar taught by a member of Penn's standing faculty. The Proseminars are designed to introduce MLA students both to interdisciplinary research and to academic work at the graduate level. We usually offer two different Proseminars every semester, and the topics change every semester. You must take a Proseminar as one of your first three classes in the MLA Program, and you may take up to a total of three Proseminars throughout the course of your program.

Students may take courses at other schools within the University, such as the Annenberg School for Communication, the Graduate School of Fine Arts and the Graduate School of Education; however, no more than two courses may be taken outside of the School of Arts and Sciences. No more than four courses may be taken in a single discipline. It may be necessary for some students to take prerequisites for which graduate credit may not be given. Students will be advised and supported throughout by the MLA program staff and the Faculty Committee. The MLA degree will be awarded after successful completion of nine graduate course units including the submission of a faculty-guided Capstone Project.

Course Information

In order to find listings of the MLA courses offered in the evening through CGS, please view the course guide. To find information about courses offered during the daytime through the School of Arts and Sciences and other schools at Penn, please view the University Registrar's homepage. Use the PENN A-Z index to find departmental homepages, which include current information about courses and faculty.

Students have the opportunity to earn certificates in their fields of concentration in addition to their MLA degrees. Students have also focused their studies on more general themes such as Art, Culture, & Society; Comparative Cultures; Gender Studies; Health, Medicine, & Society; Interdisciplinary Science; Language & Non-Verbal Communication; Religion & Belief; and Writing & Literature.