Some Recent Curriculum Offerings
Note that MLA seminar offerings vary year by year, to take advantage of faculty availability and to offer students a breadth of courses to choose from across the 2-3 years they are taking seminars.
The MLA is a highly selective graduate degree program. The number of applications received and the percentage accepted varies each year. In past years we have admitted as few as 1 in 5, and as many as 1 in 2.5 applicants.
All courses taken for the MLA degree must come from the Stanford MLA curriculum or approved Stanford graduate departmental courses, so we do not accept transfer credit.
Graduating from a US institution does not guarantee that an applicant's written and oral communication skills are at the level required by the MLA. If you graduated from an US university with a degree in the Humanities, you may be exempted from the TOEFL requirement. For all other degrees, the TOEFL is required if English is not your first language. Setting up the TOEFL test can be time-consuming, so plan accordingly.
Yes, though you should note that as a part-time program, we are not able to sponsor student visas. The international students we have had in the program have been in the US on work or spousal visas. It is the responsibility of the applicant to research and understand if their visa type will allow them remain in the US and study at a part-time graduate degree program.
In most cases, applicants who were not admitted to the program either did not fulfill the eligibility requirements, or did not demonstrate their readiness (see Admissions Criteria) to succeed in this rigorous graduate-level liberal arts program. Unless the following year's application shows significant changes, the committee's decision will be the same.
Feedback is not available to applicants denied admission. We recognize that you devote a great deal of time and effort to your application, and may wish to discuss it with a member of our admissions committee or a faculty member. Regrettably, we are unable to provide individual feedback to any applicant.
The Master of Liberal Arts Program 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 of your work with them, or taking some Continuing Studies courses at Stanford or elsewhere. If you have turned in written work for a grade in a Continuing Studies class, you might ask the professor to write a letter of recommendation based on your written paper and participation in the class. Find a list of recommended courses below.
Recommended Continuing Studies Courses
Applicants who have been out of school for a while, or who do not have a background in the liberal arts, are encouraged to take a few Stanford Continuing Studies courses prior to applying to the Master of Liberal Arts, both to reintroduce themselves to classroom discussion and to get a sense of what it’s like to take classes at night. CSP classes provide an excellent opportunity to work with instructors who may be able to provide you with the necessary letters of recommendation to apply. If you intend to ask for a letter of recommendation, it is best to take the CSP course for a letter grade. Taking CSP courses is not a requirement for applying to the MLA program.
We recommend the following classes offered this winter through CSP:
- Seneca the Stoic: Philosopher, Playwright, Politician (CLA 65)
- Exploring Human Existence: Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time (PHI 123)
- From Lenin to Putin: Russian Society through Literature, 1920-2020 (CLS 113)
- Poverty and Prosperity: Foundations of Economic Development (POL 65)
- Shakespeare’s Greatest Comedies (LIT 71)
- Logic across Cultures: Comparing Eastern and Western Philosophical Traditions (PHI 124)
- The History of Islam: Origins, Influence, and Expansion (REL 88)
- Climate Justice in the US: Understanding Disparities and Building a Sustainable Future (SJS 04)
- From Absurd to AI: Drama for the Age of Uncertainty (TAPS 106)
Note: Continuing Studies classes do not transfer into the MLA Program. For enrollment dates and more information, visit the Continuing Studies website.
