Frequently Asked Questions
Can the MLA be completed in fewer than 4 years?
No. The Master of Liberal Arts is designed as a part-time program. The
first year and a half consists of required core courses, and the last
year consists of researching and writing the master's thesis. During
the time in between, students must take a minimum of seven MLA seminars
and 2 electives, and must fulfill the distribution requirements. For
more information, see the sample timelines.
If I take Stanford Continuing Studies courses prior
to being accepted into the MLA program, may those courses count toward
my degree?
No. Students may not apply credit for coursework taken at Stanford or
elsewhere toward the MLA degree. However, if the applicant has been
out of school for a while, we do recommend taking a few Continuing Studies
courses prior to applying. This will give the applicant a good idea
of what it will be like to take classes at night, and may provide the
opportunity for possible academic letters of recommendation. View the
list of recommended courses
below.
I do not live near Stanford. Does the MLA program have
an online or distance-learning component?
No. The MLA is intended for students who live or work close enough to
commute to the Stanford campus on a weekly basis.
When are classes held and how often do they meet?
MLA courses are held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings
from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Each course meets once per week, for ten
weeks.
I am interested in getting a Ph.D. Will the MLA degree
help me toward this goal?
Several MLA graduates have decided to pursue a Ph.D. after obtaining
their MLA. The rigor of the MLA program is very good preparation for
the work students will undertake in pursuit of a Ph.D. However, please
remember that the MLA takes four to five years to complete; if the student's
ultimate goal is to obtain a Ph.D. it may make more sense to begin pursuing
that degree right away rather than pursuing an MLA first. Whether or
not MLA coursework may apply toward a Ph.D. degree would be determined
by the policies of the institution granting the Ph.D.
What can I do with an MLA degree?
Unlike traditional academic degree programs, a master of liberal arts
degree does not lead to a set career path. While most of our alumni
do not change careers as a result of the MLA, they do find that their
professional lives are enriched by the intellectual honing they go through
in the program. The teachers among them have been advanced in responsibility
and salary. Several graduates have developed academic passions and have
gone on to Ph.D. work in disciplines discovered in the MLA program.
MLA students and alumni work in various fields; they are engineers,
physicians, homemakers, administrators, CEOs, full-time parents, lawyers,
journalists, teachers, retirees, writers, computer programmers, athletes,
librarians, and more.
Does the MLA provide visas for foreign students?
No. The MLA is a part-time program and cannot provide visas for foreign
students.
May MLA students take courses in other Stanford departments?
With approval from the Associate Dean and Director, and from the professor
of the course the student wishes to take, MLA students in their third
or fourth year may take a maximum of one course from another department
at Stanford. This course should be directly related to the student's
proposed thesis work. This course may not replace one of the seven MLA
seminars, but it may be used to fulfill the two-unit elective requirement.
Is it possible to audit MLA courses prior to being
accepted into the program?
No. MLA courses are strictly limited to matriculated MLA students.
Is the MLA degree a real Stanford degree, or is it
a separate Continuing Studies degree?
The Master of Liberal Arts degree is a graduate degree granted by Stanford
University. Like all degree-granting units of the university, the program
reports to the faculty senate and maintains standards and policies in
accordance with its requirements.
I have been out of school for a number of years and
am not in contact with my old professors. May I submit professional
letters of recommendation?
The Master of Liberal Arts is intended for adults who have been out
of school for a while, so many applicants find themselves in this situation.
We recommend either contacting your undergraduate professors and reminding
them who you are (sending them a copy of a paper you wrote for them
would help), or taking some Continuing
Studies courses at Stanford (see below for a list of recommended
classes) or elsewhere. If you take these courses for a letter grade,
you may ask the professor to write a letter of recommendation based
on your written paper and participation in the class.
The admissions committee is looking for information about the depth
and quality of your academic background, and about your intellectual
abilities; most professional references would not be able to comment
on these abilities and therefore would not be helpful to the admissions
committee.
How selective is the Master of Liberal Arts program?
The MLA is a highly selective graduate degree program. The number of
applications received and the percentage accepted varies each year.
The admissions committee admits every applicant it believes is qualified
to embark on graduate-level work in the humanities.
If I am not accepted, should I re-apply the following
year?
The admissions committee admits all applicants it believes are qualified
for the program. In most cases, applicants who were not admitted to
the program did not demonstrate a strong enough background in the humanities
and/or strong enough writing and critical thinking skills to allow the
applicant to succeed in a rigorous graduate-level humanities program.
Unless the following year's application shows significant changes, the
result will be the same.
My undergraduate degree was not in the liberal arts;
can I still be accepted into the MLA program?
The MLA program offers a graduate degree in the liberal arts, which
requires of its entering students significant background, coursework,
and accomplishment in this field of study. If your bachelor's degree
was not in the liberal arts, your application must demonstrate other
academic and/or nonacademic accomplishments within the liberal arts,
and a strong interest in pursuing further study in the humanities.
The MLA application states that applicants whose native
language is not English must submit their TOEFL score. I received my
bachelor's degree from an American university; must I still submit a
TOEFL score?
Yes. Every university program has different standards and requirements.
Graduating from an American institution does not guarantee that an applicant's
written and oral communication skills are at the level required by the
MLA. Every applicant whose native language is not English must submit
a recent TOEFL score. The TOEFL process can be time consuming, so plan
accordingly.
I have taken some classes toward a degree that was
never completed, and some classes at community college, should I include
those transcripts in my application?
Yes. The admissions committee is interested in seeing the transcripts
from all coursework completed, whether it was toward a degree or not.
Does the program require, or grant, interviews?
While the program does not require, nor grant, interviews, we do hold
an annual information session where prospective applicants may meet
the dean as well as some faculty and students. The information session
is generally held in October or November. We encourage applicants to
attend this event.
List of liberal studies courses with
an emphasis on the humanities offered by Stanford Continuing Studies
this spring:
Students who have been out of school for a while are encouraged to take
some Stanford
Continuing Studies courses prior to applying to the Master of Liberal
Arts. Taking Continuing Studies courses will help the student get back
into the academic mode, will give the student a sense of what it will
be like to take classes at night, and it may also provide an opportunity
for a possible academic letter of recommendation. Following is a list
of liberal studies courses with an emphasis on the humanities that will
be offered by Stanford Continuing Studies this Fall:
Art and the Archaeology of Persia
The Archaeological Imagination
Aeschylus' Oresteia
Crossroads: The Hellenistic Period
Crossroads: The Hebrew Tradition
China Today in Light of Its Past
A Guided Tour of James Joyce's Ulysses
Registration begins Monday, August 18, and classes start
the week of September 22. Stanford Continuing Studies courses are open
to anyone with a high school diploma. Find out more at
Stanford
Continuing Studies.
last updated: August 20, 2008
|
