Stay Home...Go Far. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Online

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MA/LS) Online

The MA/LS Online is a 33-credit interdisciplinary degree program that examines issues and themes in education, the arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and applied sciences. Through the SPD Online program, MA/LS Online students take the same courses, learn from the same distinguished faculty, and earn the same degree credit as their on-campus counterparts.

The MA/LS is also is a functionally-relevant master's degree for those teachers already holding an initial license (please read the Teacher Certification information listed below before applying).

The program, which has been approved by the New York State Education Department, admits new students in the fall, spring and summer.

Degree Program
This program consists of 11 three-credit courses, distributed among the three areas below, for a total of 33 graduate credits.

Liberal Studies Core - 12 credits
The liberal studies core is designed to bring breadth and depth to the MA/LS Online degree. Students are required to take 12 credits, distributed as follows, to fulfill this requirement. Only courses designated as "Liberal Studies" core courses will apply toward fulfilling this requirement. Courses that have met the University's standards for the Liberal Studies core are coded in the online course descriptions and in the SPD Bulletin with an AH/LS, SB/LS or NS/LS.

• 3 credits - Arts and Humanities Liberal Studies (AH/LS)
• 3 credits - Social and Behavioral Sciences Liberal Studies (SB/LS)
• 3 credits - Natural and Applied Sciences Liberal Studies (NS/LS)
• 3 credits - Any additional Liberal Studies course with an AH, SB or NS designator

There are no transfer credits or substitutions permitted for the Liberal Studies Core curriculum.

Thematically-Related Cluster - 18 credits

Similar to a concentration, a cluster is a group of six three-credit courses that represents a focused area of interest. Students are allowed considerable freedom and flexibility in designing their clusters, and may choose from most of the courses offered through SPD.

Since students design their own clusters, no two are alike. For illustration purposes, we have provided some possible clusters below:

» View sample MA/LS Online clusters

Students may also choose to use courses from the Advanced Graduate Certificate (AGC) in Human Resource Management or Coaching as their cluster. A separate application is required.

If your area of interest is not represented in the representative clusters or in our current course offerings, do not apply to this program until you contact an SPD Academic Advisor via email at malsonline@stonybrook.edu. If you live locally and your area of study is not represented, consider SPD's on-campus MA/LS program which offers a wider selection of course offerings on campus.

MA/LS Project Seminar (CED 595) - 3 credits
The goal of the SPD Project Seminar is to teach students to understand and conduct graduate level research. The research paper may or may not result in a project, e.g., a model curriculum for a school-based substance abuse program. Students will be guided in selecting a topic for their research paper. Methodology and resources will be reviewed as the student’s work is developed. S/U grading applies.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in MA/LS or MPS degree program; completion of 12 graduate credits within the program.
Note: No "I"/Incompletes will be given. If a "U"/Unsatisfactory grade is received, the course must be repeated. There are no transfer credits or substitutions permitted for CED 595/Project Seminar.

Timeline
All degree requirements must be completed within five (5) years from the semester date of admission as a matriculated student.

NOTE: When a student is admitted or readmitted to an SPD degree or certificate program, students may petition SPD to have courses that are older than five (5) years, and no older than 10 years, individually evaluated by the appropriate department/faculty to determine if the credits may be applied toward current SPD degree/certificate requirements. Grades in such courses must be "B" or better. (B- grades are ineligible for review.)

Back to top.

Advantages of the MA/LS Online Program
The advantages of taking the online version of the MA/LS program over the traditional (face-to-face) MA/LS are:

• Priority registration for SPD's popular online courses
• Online students log into their courses whenever and wherever they have Internet access, 24 hours a day/7 days a week
  
• Earn a master's degree without ever traveling to or setting foot on campus
• On-campus University fees are waived

Note: Students matriculated into the MA/LS Online degree program cannot register for any face-to-face course. All courses must be taken online.

Online Student Requirements

Do you have what it takes to be an online student? Read these FAQs before you apply.

Back to top

Tuition and Fee Information

The tuition for the MA/LS Online is the same as any other Stony Brook graduate program. Tuition rates are available on the Bursar's webpage.

Back to top.

Admission Criteria
Due to the interactivity of online classes, course enrollments are capped. Acceptance into the MA/LS Online program will be limited to maintain the small and intimate nature of online learning. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 is required for admission into the program. All students accepted into the program will be limited to 3-9 credits for the first semester. Additional requirements apply for International Students (see Information for International Students).

Back to top.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online via Apply Yourself. All applicants must provide an email address and must be using a web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) that is Javascript-enabled (as most browsers are). If you have any questions about the technical requirements, see the Apply Yourself website.

To complete the application process, you will need to do the following:

• Complete an online orientation and submit the orientation checklist.
• Write a personal statement that expresses your educational and/or career goals. The statement should be a minimum of one and a maximum of five pages. Save the statement to your hard drive. (If you are not using Microsoft Word, you will need to save the document in a Text-Only or Rich Text Format.)
• Go to the Apply Yourself website and click on the "Create Account" button. By creating an account, you will receive a unique ID so you can check your application status online. Once you're logged in, be sure to select the "Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Online" program (and not just "Master of Arts in Liberal Studies").
• Submit the nonrefundable $100 application fee, either via credit card, check, or money order. (Instructions are on the Apply Yourself website.)
• Print, fill out, and return Immunization Form (28 KB; Requires Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer).
• Arrange to have an official, sealed copy of your transcript sent to SPD. Mailing address: School of Professional Development, N-201 Social & Behavioral Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4310. (Full zip code must be used.) The transcript must show that you have earned a bachelor's degree with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 (if your GPA is lower than 2.75, please see the note on Conditional Admission, below). If you earned your bachelor's from Stony Brook, SPD will access your transcript electronically.
• Additional requirements apply for International Students (see Information for International Students).

Conditional Admission

If your official transcript indicates an undergraduate cumulative GPA below 2.75, you will be considered for conditional admission. Conditionally admitted part-time students must achieve a 3.00 GPA after attempting six graduate credits (applicable to their program) at Stony Brook. Full-time students (12 or more credits) must achieve a 3.00 GPA after their first semester. If a 3.00 GPA is not achieved as aforementioned, students normally will not be permitted to re-enroll. However, a student may petition SPD's Committee on Academic Standing to be allowed to continue taking courses as a non-matriculated student.

Application Deadlines*

• July 15 for Fall admission.
• December 15 for Spring admission.
• March 15 for Summer admission.

*Applications may be accepted after these dates, but there may fewer course options available for late applicants.

Applicants will receive an e-mail confirmation of receipt of materials; therefore, please make sure the e-mail address on the application is current. If you change your e-mail address after you submit your application, please let us know. Applicants will be informed of their acceptance status within a month of the deadline date.

Current SPD Students
If you are a currently matriculated MA/LS student who has taken all of your courses online, then you are eligible to transfer into the MA/LS Online program. Contact MA/LS Online for more information.

Teacher Certification

A master’s degree is not required for an initial license; however, a functionally relevant master’s degree is required for the advanced (professional) license. The MA/LS is a functionally-relevant master's degree for those teachers already holding an initial license. Under NYSED guidelines for those students licensed after February 1, 2004, a minimum of four (4) courses in one’s content area of certification must be included within the MA/LS degree program plan of study to ensure that this degree is functionally relevant for “professional license." Courses may not be offered in an online format in all content areas. Prospective students should review the current online course offerings to confirm that their content area is represented. If not, applicants should apply to the traditional MA/LS program. This program allows students to take courses both online and face-to-face.

The MA/LS degree is not a "registered and approved" program for purposes of initial licensure for teacher certification with institutional recommendation. At Stony Brook University, the Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is the "registered and approved" program at the master's level for obtaining an initial license as well as fulfilling professional license requirements. By matriculating in an “approved” master’s degree program (MAT), one may pursue licensure through the program, obtaining a license and a degree concurrently.

Advisement on teacher certification (particularly how individual SPD courses may be used to satisfy teacher certification requirements) must be obtained by either writing or calling NYSED:

Office of Teaching
NYS Education Department (NYSED)
Albany, NY 12232
Telephone: 518.474.3901
Visit the New York State Education Department on the web:
www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/

For advisement relating to prior approval of courses for certification purposes and forms for alternate route filing, you may contact your local BOCES (Nassau, 516-997-8700; Western Suffolk, 631-549-4900; Eastern Suffolk, 631-289-2200) or the New York City Board of Education if you reside in the City.

Contact Information
If you need additional information, send an email to MA/LS Online.

Back to top

Statement of Student Responsibility
Students themselves—whether new, returning, or continuing—are responsible for reviewing, understanding, and adhering to their degree and/or certificate program requirements. (SPD’s Non-matriculating (non-degree) Graduate Students [GSP] are responsible for adhering to the guidelines related to non-matriculated status.) All SPD students are responsible for reviewing, understanding, and complying with University and SPD regulations, policies, and procedures, as described in all official publications, the University website, and the SPD website, including, but not limited to, SPD’s online references, the SPD Student Handbook and SPD Academic Calendar.