Mission Statement

The Master of Arts in the Liberal Arts (MALA) program is a graduate-level MA-granting interdisciplinary program administered by the College of Humanities & Social Sciences. It is a broad, interdisciplinary program of part-time or full-time graduate study that integrates and expands the student’s knowledge and awareness and that is geared toward the student’s interests.

The Mission of the MALA Program is

to provide graduate-level opportunities for students to pursue studies not provided by traditional department programs;
to encourage non-traditional students (especially working adults) to pursue graduate-level professional and/or personal enhancement;
to serve as an incubator for programs of study not currently formally created;
to provide an opportunity for students to reestablish their academic careers after professional or personal hiatus in a manner suited to their uniquely developed interests as well as time constraints.

In support of this mission, the MALA program embraces the following broad goals:

To encourage independent-minded students to pursue graduate-level interdisciplinary programs of study.
To provide academic opportunities at the Master’s level not provided by discipline-specific degree programs within the university.
To encourage interdisciplinary research and studies.
To offer instructional venues to exhibit and develop interdisciplinary expertise among LSU’s faculty and to have that expertise shared with students.