Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

Why pursue a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at North Central College?

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program brings today’s headlines into conversation with classic statements on humanity’s most enduring questions. Students investigate how our cultural, social, and natural worlds intersect in order to understand issues in our own lives in their full complexity. Together, they examine a variety of materials across a wide array of academic disciplines in order to integrate disparate insights into a view of the whole.

All the courses in the MALS program are run as small, discussion-based, Socratic seminars. Students develop close working relationships with each other and program faculty, whose expertise represents the range of traditional arts and sciences. In addition to intensive seminars, students work individually with program faculty on either a focused capstone project of their devising or on a problem-based project in which they integrate knowledge and insights from across the liberal arts.

Graduates of the MALS program master assured, compelling communication, developing and honing skills in critical reading, concise writing, confident speaking, and careful research. Students will find new ways to work productively in diverse settings and approach challenges creatively in their personal lives, workplaces, and communities.

Flexible Format

• Cohort Model
• 100% Online
• Synchronous sessions Monday and Wednesday
• Enrolling for Fall 2022 Cohort

Benefits of a Cohort Model

• Structured program that supports busy graduate students
• Comprehensive program that can be completed in 5 semesters
• Close connection with faculty and classmates through online discussions

Interdisciplinary Coursework Designed for Today

The MALS degree is an interdisciplinary program drawing upon coursework from many different areas such as art, humanities, and social sciences. It is designed to train you on how to think critically and contextually about your own experiences, as well as a wide range of topics. The reimagined courses focus on areas that are relevant to our culture today from healthcare, religion, and sports, to gender and sexuality, science, and immigration issues.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!