Graduate Program Description
Degree – Master of Liberal Arts Concentrations: Criminal Justice, English, History, Mass Communication, Music, Political Science
The Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) degree program is designed to provide both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts. It is by nature an interdisciplinary program, pulling together general coursework from disciplines such as behavioral sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The program is designed to train students to think critically and contextually about their own fields of discipline as well as about a diverse range of issues.
This degree program is also designed to encourage and foster interdisciplinary skills, intellectual habits, analytical and critical thinking, effective writing and verbal communication, and broad-based decision making.
Admission Requirements:
Students applying for entrance to the Master of Liberal Arts are required to submit an application for admission, Apply Online (www.alcorn.edu/academics/graduate-studies), GRE scores (General Test), two letters of recommendation, a Resume, and official transcript from an accredited school (if a student has attended more than one school, transcripts must be submitted from all schools attended). At least one transcript must document the student has a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Some departments have additional requirements students must meet for admission:
Department of English, Languages, and Mass Communication – English, Mass Communication
Department of Fine Arts – Music
Department of Social Sciences – Criminal Justice, History, Political Science
Decisions are made only after receipt of all credentials by the department’s admission committee. Each department uses an admission formula to accept students. The entire application packet, including all supporting materials, must be submitted to the Graduate School. Official test scores must be submitted from Education Testing Service (ETS) and must not be older than five years, official transcripts from the sending school, and Credential Evaluations (International students) from an approved Credential Evaluation Service.
Standardized Test:
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test is the official standardized test required for admission to the Master of Liberal Arts.
Program requirements:
The curriculum requires 33 credit hours of coursework: six hours of Core courses, 18 hours of Required Courses, six hours of Interdisciplinary Electives and three hours Capstone Project (A course requiring a major paper).
Academic Track: Capstone Project
The Capstone Project is an exit requirement for the Master of Liberal Arts. Each discipline has specific expectations for selection of topics and the type of capstone project. Students pursue independent research on a question or problem of their choice in the relevant disciplines under the guidance of a graduate faculty to produce a paper that reflects understanding of the topic and in the respective discipline.
Master Degree Audit:
Before candidacy for graduation can be confirmed, each student progression to degree completion will be evaluated to determine if student has met all academic requirements for course work and other aspects of the student’s course of study and Graduate School requirements. When these requirements are met, the student is cleared for graduation.
For More Information: Contact Dr. Dickson Idusuyi ▪ 601.877.6414 ▪ [email protected]