Degree Admission

Applicants for admission to the Master of Liberal Arts degree program must complete and submit an application form and must arrange for complete and official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work to be sent directly to the Arkansas Tech University Registrar's Office.

Students are eligible to apply for unconditional admission to the Master of Liberal Arts degree program if they meet the following requirements:

1. Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.

2. Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 (on a four-point scale) or a grade point average of 3.00 on the final thirty hours of undergraduate work.

Applicants who fail to meet the grade point requirement specified for unconditional admission may be admitted conditionally to enroll for a maximum of twelve semester hours. If a cumulative 3.00 grade point average is achieved at the completion of twelve semester hours, the student will be granted unconditional admission.

An applicant who satisfies the grade point requirement at an unaccredited college may also be granted conditional admission. In some instances, transcripts may be judged to be deficient and the student will be required to complete up to thirty undergraduate hours in addition to graduate credits required for the degree. If a cumulative 3.00 grade point average is achieved at the completion of twelve graduate hours, the student will be granted unconditional admission.

Academic Advisors

The MLA Coordinator will assign a faculty advisor to each student admitted conditionally or unconditionally to the MLA degree program. The advisor will assist the student in the design of a curriculum of study that leads to the fulfillment of degree requirements. Subsequently, the academic advisor and the Office of Graduate Studies monitor the student's progress as he/she progresses through the program. It remains, however, the student's responsibility to understand and to satisfy all degree requirements.

Admission to Candidacy

Only students who have been granted unconditional admission are eligible for admission to candidacy for the degree. It is the student's responsibility to complete the "Application for Admission to Candidacy" form and to submit it to the MLA Coordinator. The form is to be submitted upon completion of twelve graduate hours.

General Requirements

for

Master of Liberal Arts Degree

1. The completion of at least 30 semester hours of graduate course work; a minimum of 20 of the hours must be at the 6000 level.

2. The satisfactory completion of LA 6013, Introduction to the Liberal Arts and 6713, Liberal Arts Project, as part of the 30-semester-hour requirement.

3. The public presentation of the project paper prepared for LA 6713.

4. The completion of a 12- to 18-semester hour major concentration of course work in one of three areas: communications (including English and linguistics), the fine arts, or social sciences. The completion of 6 to 12 hours in a related area of study.

5. A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 in all graduate course work attempted at Arkansas Tech University with a maximum of six semester hours of "C" grades.

6. A minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate course work completed in residence at Arkansas Tech University. (Full time residence is not required.)

7. Completion of all degree requirements within six years of admission to the program.

Special Conditions of Graduate Credit

Graduate Credit Taken Prior to Admission to Arkansas Tech University. Students who are admitted to the MLA degree program may apply up to nine transfer graduate credits toward the satisfaction of degree requirements, subject to the following conditions.

1. The graduate credits must have been earned at a regionally accredited college or university.

2. Only liberal arts courses, not technical or professional courses, are acceptable.

3. Only courses with grades of "B" or "A" are eligible for transfer.

Previously earned Arkansas Tech University graduate hours may be applied to the MLA so long as the course work was not of a technical or professional nature. A maximum of six hours from another master's degree may be applied toward MLA degree requirements.

Graduate credit earned six years prior to the completion date of all degree requirements may not be applied toward the degree without the approval of the Dean of the School of Liberal and Fine Arts and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Credits earned by correspondence courses or for remedial purposes will not apply toward the graduate degree. No undergraduate course may be repeated for graduate credit.

Graduate Credit Taken After Admission to Arkansas Tech University. If, after admission to graduate study, a student wishes to take a course at another institution to count toward degree requirements at Arkansas Tech University, the student must secure, in advance of enrollment, a letter from the Dean of Graduate Studies approving the course for use in the Arkansas Tech University program.

Liberal Arts Project

All candidates for the MLA degree must complete LA 6713, Liberal Arts Project. The requirements for this course include a scholarly research paper that will be presented publicly. With the approval of the Dean of the School of Liberal and Fine Arts, a significant creative project may be substituted for a scholarly research paper.