Delta State University’s College of Arts and Sciences announced the offering of a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree —the only one of its kind in Mississippi, and one of the few in the South. The program targets non-traditional students returning to academe for personal growth and professional advancement, recent undergraduates seeking interdisciplinary knowledge and further academic preparation prior to a professional degree or doctorate, and professionals already in the workforce, such as teachers, seeking a broader and deeper knowledge base applicable to their fields.
“Our complex 21st-century world demands that we have wide and interdisciplinary expertise in globalization, religion and philosophy, international development, gender and diversity, language, and history,” said Dr. Mark Bonta, Associate Professor of Geography and MALS Committee Chair. “The MALS program responds to this need by providing a high-quality, interdisciplinary graduate degree program to a broad range of students.”
The MALS degree encourages studies across the humanities and social sciences while maintaining a structured approach. It provides interpretative reading, writing and research skills, with options for travel courses and service-learning. The program provides the Mississippi Delta, and the state and region as a whole, with more people educated at the Masters level who are prepared to tackle multiple, interlocking issues in communities, government, education, the corporate world, journalism, and health.
“Mississippi, mirroring the Unites States in general, desperately needs more citizens with the cognitive skills to listen thoughtfully and to discuss issues across differences of opinion; these are necessary ingredients for a civil, democratic society,” said Bonta. “This degree provides them those skills.”
For more information about the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, contact the Delta State University College of Arts and Sciences at 662-846-4100 or visit https://www.deltastate.edu/mals.
