There is a difference, said Augustine, between living, and living wisely. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at Notre Dame is about that difference. Broaden your background and perspective through a variety of courses including Ethical Issues in Science and Technology, African History and Culture, Cinema and Classics, and Religion and Society. Teachers who are interested in studying the content areas, rather than pedagogy, will benefit professionally, as will others who seek to hone their reasoning and critical thinking skills. Although interdisciplinary in content, this degree is available with an art, English, or history concentration. Students have seven years from the time of admission to complete the degree.

What our Students Say
“Enrolling in a memoir class, I learned to explore and share insights into the perception of human nature and its common plights and strengths. As a class, we examined the inner world of self and life’s circumstances, applying both our discovery both globally and close to home.”

“Virtually every course I have taken in the Liberal Studies program has moved me to serious thought and touched me in the deepest sense imaginable.”

“I have been impressed by all of my professors’ willingness to spend time out of class to ensure my understanding of the subject material. The enthusiasm of the professors is contagious. I have taken classes in subjects I know very little about, and have come out of them very excited about what I have learned and anxious to learn more”

Credits Required
33 credits

Locations
Offered on the main campus in Baltimore

Courses Offered
ART-511 Topics in Western Art
ART-512 Topics in American Art
ART-515 Studies of Women in Art

ENG-506 Story and Film
ENG-511 Topics in Literature
ENG-530 Literature of the Examined Life
ENG-535 Post-Modern Fiction
ENG-541 Drama and Its Wisdom
ENG-546 Women’s Voices in Literature
ENG-547 “New Woman” Literature
ENG-551 Literary Utopias
ENG-571 Literary Perspectives on Aging

HIS-511 Topics in History
HIS-515 “Daughters of Columbia”: American
HIS-525 Telling History: Problems in Historical Narrative
HIS-543 Chinese Civilization
HIS-557 African History and Culture
HIS-558 Latin American Thought and Culture

IDS-500 The Human Spirit and the Liberal Arts
IDS-544 Mind, Brain, and Behavior
IDS-546 The Experience of Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach
IDS-547 The Creative Spirit
IDS-574 Psyche and Spirit
IDS-698 Independent Study

LCL-541 Classical Mythology and Its Influence
LCL-543 The Golden Age of Greece
LCL-555 Cinema and Classics
LCO-511 Women Writers of Early Modern Europe
LLT-571 Roman Literature and Society
LLT-580 Aspects of Roman Culture

MUS-542 Romanticism in Music

PHL-530 Philosophical Issues in Human Experience
PHL-543 Philosophy and Tragedy
PHL-544 Search for the Meaning of Life
PHL-545 The Question of God

PHY-550 Cosmos and Quanta

RST-533 Jerusalem, Holy City of Three Religions
RST-543 Religion and Society
RST-571 Religious Perspectives on Aging

IDS-597 Master’s Seminar
IDS-598 Master’s Project
IDS-599 Master’s Thesis