What You’ll Study in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
Pursue an enriching intellectual experience in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) graduate program at Reed College. Engage with great works and ideas, and expand your knowledge and resources to discover new ideas and new connections. Choose from a wide range of courses in the arts, humanities, history, social sciences, mathematics, and the sciences, and pursue a thesis on a topic of particular interest to you. All instructors are members of the Reed College faculty—Reed was voted #1 for “Professors Get High Marks” in the 2023 Princeton Review survey of current college students.
Roadmap to the MALS degree at Reed
The MALS degree is an alternative to the highly specialized course of study characteristic of most traditional graduate programs. Its broad scope allows students to choose from a wide range of courses, and its interdisciplinary nature encourages an enriched intellectual experience. Pursue personal and intellectual growth, and prepare for the possibility of additional advanced degrees.
Step One
Begin Your Journey
Begin by completing at least two concurrent or consecutive courses at Reed, including one of our liberal studies core courses. These core courses, like Chicago and the Urban Modern and Memory & Modernity in the Indian Ocean, are explicitly interdisciplinary and writing intensive. After successful completion of two courses, submit your application for admission to formal candidacy to the Committee on Graduate Studies.
Step Two
Select a Course of Study
Meet with your faculty adviser to design a course of study that will lead to your capstone project, the thesis. Continue to take graduate-level classes, like the Biological Legacy of Lewis and Clark or Archaeological Fantasies: Pseudo-archaeology, Pseudo-history, and Nationalism. Courses, which meet weekly on campus, are offered in the evenings and during the summer.
Step Three
Build Research Skills
The graduate curriculum is planned on a two-year cycle, so course offerings and faculty members change each year, reflecting the diversity of interests and fields addressed by the program. Continue to take courses that meet your interests and provide a broad academic base. Enroll in our Gateway Course, which provides you with the opportunity to write a substantial research paper, helping you prepare for the independent research and sustained work of a thesis.
Step Four
Complete Your Thesis
Research and write a thesis on a topic of interest to you that has emerged out of the your coursework. The experience of writing the thesis is intended to allow you to investigate a particular topic in depth and present a conclusion in the scholarly manner appropriate to the field(s) you pursue.
Why Study in the MALS program at Reed College?
A Structured Yet Flexible Program
Choose from a wide range of courses not available in traditional graduate programs. The program is open to anyone with a bachelor’s or higher degree whose quest for knowledge and its integration into one’s personal and professional life is “unfinished business.” Put together your own course of study, selecting from graduate courses and a limited number of upper-level undergraduate classes.
Advance Professionally
Reed's master’s degree in liberal studies can open doors to new employment opportunities and career enhancement. A curator at the Portland Art Museum received a fellowship to continue her thesis research at the Huntington Library. Another student received an Oregon Heritage Grant to pursue her professional interest in the Southern Oregon Chautauqua Association. And high school teachers often find direct application of MALS course work in the classes they themselves are teaching.
Prepare for Further Studies
With Reed's graduate degree, you can explore further professional study or strengthen a future application to a PhD program. Recent graduates have gone on to pursue PhDs at Columbia University, Northwestern University, Case Western Reserve University, Boston University, and Oregon State University. Others have completed masters programs in library science, history, teaching, fine arts, and peace, and conflict studies.
Over 55 Years of Programming for Lifelong Learners
Reed’s Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program, now over 55 years old, models the essence of a liberal arts education with its interdisciplinary approach and focus on the development of critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills. MALS expands Reed’s academic mission to an adult population of lifelong learners.