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Director: Jan Furman, PhD
810.762.3285

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Why UM-Flint

What Sets UM-Flint's Liberal Studies (MA) in American Culture Program Apart?

Offered through the world-renowned University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Studies, the MA in Liberal Studies at UM-Flint supports students as they develop intellectually, professionally, and personally. This program welcomes learners from a range of educational backgrounds and experiences. Graduates of our program include business professionals, civic and religious leaders, community activists, artists, and scholars seeking to earn doctorate or professional degrees, as well as non-traditional students.

FLEXIBLE FORMAT

With full- and part-time enrollment available, the MA in Liberal Studies offers a flexible online format that accommodates the learning styles and busy schedules of working adult learners. Complete your courses and degree at your own pace, on your own time.

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING

Students of the program are provided ample opportunities to undertake independent studies, individual research, and creative projects that reflect personal passions and interests. You’ll be challenged to complete a thesis based on your area of study, and present your thesis to a faculty board, as well as peers. (View Our Top 50 Downloaded Thesis Papers)

RELEVANT FOCUS

With an emphasis on American thought and culture, the MA in Liberal Studies engages you in a critical, multidisciplinary examination of the American experience. You’ll be asked to explore and examine issues critical to national identity, including race, gender, equality, politics, religion, and popular culture. As a result, you’ll emerge from the program with a deeper understanding of our nation and the historical themes and contexts that shape it.

IN-DEPTH CURRICULUM

Courses build on one another to develop an in-depth understanding of historical, current, and emerging issues across a range of disciplines that reveal the intersection of art, literature, politics, history, sociology, business, and more. The MA in Liberal Studies at UM-Flint provides a broad, cross-disciplinary education that builds knowledge and skills valued in the workplace as well as the classroom. Students emerge from the program with new disciplinary, cultural, and self-knowledge; facility in inquiry and analysis; critical and creative thinking; and a confident commitment to effective written and oral communication.

Double Count Courses to earn a business certificate

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies/Graduate Certificate in Business program encourages intellectual and personal development, prepares individuals for leadership through engagement with liberal learning, and promotes the advanced problem-solving, decision-making and management skills required for successful civic and work lives. Click here to learn more. 

EXPERT FACULTY

The program is led by strong faculty who share a commitment to lifelong learning, teaching, and scholarly excellence. Your professors remain available to interact with and mentor you online and in person, long after you’ve completed your degree. 

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Along with intellectual pursuits, students in the program are encouraged to engage civically through special projects, research, and service learning. You’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate the transformative power of a liberal education in real-life situations and environments.

Liberal Studies (MA)

Requirements

Thirty-three credits (33), distributed as follows:

A. Core Courses (9 credits)

  • AMC 502 - Topics on American Institutions (3).
  • AMC 503 - The American Character (3).
  • AMC 504 - The United States in Comparative Perspective (3).

B. Research Courses (9 credits)

  • AMC 500 - Research Foundations (3).
  • AMC 590 - Directed Study (1-3).
  • AMC 591 - Thesis (3).

C. Approved Electives (15 credits)

While the core courses in sections A and B will be offered on line, at present twenty-five (25) elective courses are available online.  This number will increase over time.

  • ADM 580 - Advanced Production Management (3).

  •  

  • AFA 534 - History of Ethnicity and Race in the United States (3).

  • or

  • HIS 534 - History of Ethnicity and Race in the United States (3).

  •  

  • AFA 535 - Black America Since the Civil War (3).

  • or

  • HIS 535 - Black America since the Civil War (3).

  •  

  • AFA 599 - Teaching Africana Studies (3).
  • AMC 501 - The Mind of America (3).
  • AMC 509 - American Artistic Traditions (3).

  •  

  • AMC 521 - Devising Theatre (3).

  • or

  • THE 521 - Devising Theatre (3).

  •  

  • AMC 522 - Performance Lab (3).

  • or

  • THE 522 - Performance Lab (3).

  •  

  • AMC 523 - Drama and Social Theory (3).

  • or

  • THE 523 - Drama and Social Theory (3).

  •  

  • AMC 592 - Research/Creative Project (3).
  • AMC 598 - Selected Topics (3).

  •  

  • ANE 605 - Health Policy (3).

  • or

  • HCR 505 - Health Policy (3).

  • or

  • PUB 505 - Health Policy (3).

  •  

  • ANE 677 - Applications of Financial Management in Health Care (3).

  • or

  • HCR 577 - Applications of Financial Management in Health Care (3).

  •  

  • ANE 687 - Legal Issues in Health Care (3).

  • or

  • HCR 587 - Legal Issues in Health Care (3).

  •  

  • ANT 511 - Historical Archaeology (3).

  •  

  • ANT 551 - Political and Legal Anthropology (3).

  • or

  • POL 551 - Political and Legal Anthropology (3).

  •  

  • ARH 509 - History of North-American Art (3).

  • or

  • ADM 512 - History of North-American Art (3).

  •  

  • ARH 515 - History of Aboriginal North American Art (3).
  • BIO 526 - Wildlife Policy and Law (4).
  • COM 550 - Media, Propaganda and Social Change (3).
  • ECN 521 - American Economic History (3).
  • ECN 524 - Labor Economics (3).
  • PUB 571 - Public Economics (3).

  •  

  • EDE 501 - Sociology of Education (3).

  • or

  • SOC 569 - Sociology of Education (3).

  •  

  • EDE 503 - History of American Urban Schooling (3).
  • EDE 504 - Learning in the 21st Century (3).
  • EDN 501 - Special Education in American Schools (3).
  • EDR 520 - Reading and Writing Development of Young Children (3).
  • EDR 530 - Children’s Literature (3).
  • EDR 532 - Multicultural Children’s Literature (3).

  •  

  • EDR 535 - Folklore and Storytelling (3).

  • or

  • THE 549 - Folklore and Storytelling (3).

  •  

  • EDR 537 - Adolescent Literature (3).
  • EDT 521 - Technology Skills for Educators (1-3).
  • EDT 532 - Online Communities for Social Change (3).
  • EDT 535 - Online Course Design (3).
  • EDT 543 - Advanced Educational Project Design (3).
  • EDT 576 - Introduction to Instructional Design and Technology (3).
  • ENG 509 - American English (3).
  • ENG 531 - The American Novel I (3).
  • ENG 532 - The American Novel II (3).
  • ENG 533 - American Poetry (3).

  •  

  • ENG 534 - American Drama (3).

  • or

  • THE 534 - American Drama (3).

  •  

  • ENG 535 - American Film: Silent and Studio Eras (3).
  • ENG 536 - American Film: After the Studio Era (3).
  • ENG 537 - Topics in American Literature to 1900 (3).
  • ENG 538 - Topics in American Literature since 1900 (3).
  • ENG 539 - Themes in Multicultural American Literatures (3).
  • ENG 540 - Recent American Film (3).
  • ENG 561 - Writing and Publishing (3).

  •  

  • PUB 518 - Budgeting and Finance in the Public Sector (3).

  •  

  • HIS 509 - Colonial America (3).
  • HIS 510 - Era of the American Revolution (3).
  • HIS 511 - Conflict, Reform and Expansion: America before the Civil War (3).
  • HIS 512 - The Atlantic World in Transition: 1400-1850 (3).
  • HIS 515 - The Early American Republic (3).
  • HIS 519 - History of Sport in the United States (3).
  • HIS 521 - History of the United States Constitution, 1789 to Present (3).
  • HIS 528 - Emergence of the United States as a World Power since 1914 (3).
  • HIS 530 - American Indian History (3).
  • HIS 531 - American Urban History (3).

  •  

  • HIS 569 - History of Women in America I (3).

  • or

  • WGS 569 - History of Women in America I (3).

  •  

  • HIS 579 - Pacific World in Transition since 19th Century (3).
  • LIN 520 - Linguistics for Teachers (3).
  • MGT 541 - Organizational Behavior (3).
  • EIM 545 - Entrepreneurship (3).
  • MGT 552 - Nonmarket Strategy (3).
  • MUS 522 - Jazz in American Culture (3).

  •  

  • MUS 540 - Music Theatre Literature (3).

  • or

  • THE 540 - Music Theatre Literature (3).

  •  

  • MUS 555 - American Music (3).
  • PHL 510 - Philosophy of Education (3).
  • POL 501 - U.S. Political Thought (3).

  •  

  • POL 520 - Law and Administrative Processes (3).

  • or

  • PUB 519 - Law and Administrative Processes (3).

  •  

  • PUB 530 - Criminal Justice Policy (3).

  •  

  • POL 531 - Women and Work (3).

  • or

  • SOC 563 - Women and Work (3).

  • or

  • WGS 531 - Women and Work (3).

  •  

  • POL 533 - International Law and Organizations (3).
  • POL 537 - US Foreign Policy (3).
  • POL 541 - The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective (3).
  • POL 544 - Latin American Politics (3).
  • POL 575 - Politics and American Labor (3).
  • PUB 500 - Politics, Policy, and Public Administration (3).
  • SCM 512 - Applied Quantitative Analysis (3).
  • SOC 545 - Ethnicity in American Society (3).
  • SOC 558 - Religion in American Society (3).

  •  

  • SOC 571 - Social Movements in America (3).

  •  

  • SOC 574 - Gender and Society (3).

  • or

  • WGS 574 - Gender and Society (3).

  •  

  • THE 505 - American’s Contribution to Theatre (3).

  •  

    Students may select alternative elective courses with approval of the Director.

Transfer of Credit

Up to six (6) credit hours of graduate credit completed at an accredited institution may be accepted for transfer.  Transfers of credit are subject to the approval of the program director.  Transfers are made in accordance with the policies of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.


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Admission

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • Minimum overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Undergraduate course work totaling twenty-four (24) credit hours, primarily in the humanities and social sciences
STATE AUTHORIZATION FOR ONLINE STUDENTS

The federal government requires universities and colleges to be in compliance with the distance education laws of each individual state. If you are an out-of-state student intending to enroll in an online program, especially if it leads to professional licensure, please visit umflint.edu/oel/state-authorization-distance-education to verify the status of UM-Flint with your state.

Applying

To be considered for admission, submit an online application below. Other materials can be emailed to FlintGradOffice@umich.edu or delivered to the Office of Graduate Programs, 251 Thompson Library.

  • Application for Graduate Admission
  • $55 application fee (non-refundable)
  • Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
  • Statement of Purpose describing your reasons for pursuing the degree
  • Three letters of recommendation from individuals knowledgeable of your potential for advanced academic study (must include academic recommendation)
  • International Students: Submit additional documentation. Visit umflint.edu/international for details. This program is an online program. Students admitted to this program are not eligible to obtain a student visa (F visa). Students with all other visa types are eligible.

Application Dates

Submit all application materials to the Office of Graduate Programs by 5 p.m. on the day of the application deadline. This program offers rolling admission with monthly application reviews. To be considered for admission, all application materials must be submitted on or before:

Application deadlines are as follows:     

  • Fall (early review*) – May 1
  • Fall (final review) – August 1
  • Winter – November 15
  • Spring – March 15
  • Summer – May 15

*You must apply for admission by the early review deadline to be eligible for scholarships, grants, and research assistantships.

 

Laura Livingstone-McNelis

Liberal Studies in American Culture

The Liberal Studies program allows for interdisciplinary study, which may be individualized to match the interests of the students and their career aspirations. This is highly unique at the graduate level, yet mirrors the liberal arts degree offered by small colleges which has proven to develop creative thinking, promote problem solving, and encourage the ability to draw connections between areas of study which might initially appear to have little in common. It is these skills which should be trumpeted on the website loudly and clearly, for those who possess these talents will be the ones who are capable of promoting collaboration between people in schools, communities, and ultimately, the world at large. What can be more important today?

Liberal Studies Faculty

Dr. Jan Furman is the director of the MA in Liberal Studies program and part of an amazing faculty. 

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Received #11 Nationwide Ranking

Nationwide ranking as one of the best Master's in Liberal Studies Degree Programs.

Rackham Graduate School

This program is part of the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School. To view the Rackham calendar of events click here. Follow Rackham on Social Media.

 

View the Liberal Studies Brochure