Master of Liberal Arts
Program Overview
The JHU Master of Liberal Arts program thrives on your curiosity, passion, and diverse world experience. The first program of its kind in the country, this educational experience allows you to pursue a graduate degree tailored to your interests, whether you’re looking for an advanced credential for career mobility or simply want to enrich your personal and professional life.
Build a Program Around Your Interests
You’ll have access to a diverse and creative selection of interdisciplinary courses each semester, with topic-driven offerings that draw from disciplines like history, film, art, music, literature, sociology, politics, world cultures, bioethics, psychology, ecology, and archaeology. Here is a sampling of the unique, fascinating courses you will see:
- The Six Degrees of Miles Davis
- The Mind of Leonardo Da Vinci
- Black Queer History
- Gender and Media
- Fakes, Lies, and Forgeries: A History of “News” from the Flood to the Apocalypse
- Medieval England: From Beowulf to the Battle of Bosworth
- Deep Ecology: Environmental Ethic
- Philosophy of Beauty
- Existentialism: Philosophy and Social Critique
- Critical Theory
- Race and Jazz
- “When the Lamps Went Out”: WWI as history, memory, and commemoration
- Social History of Medicine
- What is History?
- Ways of Knowing: Historical and Epistemological Foundations of the Liberal Arts
Join a Top-Ranked Program
Founded in 1962, Johns Hopkins University’s online Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program was ranked #3 in the nation by Online Masters and has received the distinction of being the “Most Established.”
What’s it like to study Liberal Arts at JHU?
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Find out how the Master of Liberal Arts degree can help you explore your deepest questions across a variety of academic disciplines.
Lisa Serice 2019 Graduate of the MLA programThe depth, breadth, and diversity of courses pushed me to become a more well-rounded human being, a more divergent thinker, and a better citizen of humanity. Pursuing the Hopkins MLA was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Why Study Liberal Arts at JHU
Flexible Course Selection
Given the breadth and flexibility of our program and course offerings, the MLA is able to meet a range of different goals and expectations among our students. Our students represent the full range of working professions and are at all stages of their careers.
Deepen Analytical Skills and Broaden Your Perspectives
Our interdisciplinary courses strengthen your critical thinking and communication skills, improve your ethical reasoning, boost your capacity for creativity and innovation, and raise your social and cultural awareness.
Knowledgeable, Diverse Faculty
The liberal arts faculty has a range of research interests and professional backgrounds, including: jazz musicians, cultural historians, philosophers, art historians, photographers, religious scholars, sociologists, and literary critics.
Capstone Experience
Your program will culminate with a capstone project that is selected from a range of different options. Students choose from a reflective portfolio, a research-driven graduate project, a research-based creative project, and an internship option.
Liberal Arts News
Take the Next Step
Let your intellectual curiosity be your guide as you complete your Master of Liberal Arts online or on campus from Johns Hopkins University.