You must submit a complete application and the required items described below for each specific program.

To discuss your unique situation, qualifications and goals, please contact Eugene McCarraher, the Graduate Program Director of the Liberal Studies program.

Telephone: 610-519-4796
Email:  eugene.mccarraher@villanova.edu

For Admission

5 Year BA / MA Application Rquirements

Two Essays

1. One essay must be an autobiographical account of what the student has done since his/her last formal education, including a brief description of what the student considers to be his/her two most significant achievements in life.
2. The second essay must deal with the applicant's reasons for his/her attraction to the Liberal Studies program. These essays will be used to evaluate one's interests in the program as well as identify student's writing abilities.

Post-Master's Certificate in Interdisciplinary Studies

• GREs are waived for applicants to the post-master’s interdisciplinary certificate program.
• The Graduate Program in Liberal Studies follows a rolling admissions policy. However, it is best to apply by early March if you intend to begin classes in September, or by early October if you intend to begin classes in January. This will give you the best options of course registration.
• Admissions are administered by the Graduate Studies Office, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and are subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, Liberal Arts and Sciences. Information relating to specific departmental requirements, transfer credits, etc., may be acquired by referring to the Graduate Studies Catalogue.

You may contact the Graduate Studies Office with any questions.

Certificate of Graduate Study in "Great Books"

• Apply for acceptance as a matriculated student in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program.
• Take five appropriate Great Books courses. (After acceptance into the program, with the advice of the LST Director.)
• For current bachelor's degree students need take only the five courses.
• Students with a bachelor's degree seeking the M.A. in Liberal Studies as their final goal can receive the Certificate in Great Books along the way by taking the five appropriate courses among the ten needed for the M.A.
• Students already possessing an M.A. or other graduate degree may receive the Certificate by taking five more courses chosen from those appropriate for this degree.

For Program Completion

The minimum requirements for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies are:

• the successful completion of thirty credits of graduate course work with a minimum grade point average of 3.0;
• nine credit hours in three required core courses;
• eighteen credit hours to be taken from regular graduate departmental offerings in the liberal arts and social sciences;
• and a three-credit, directed readings seminar in which the student will be expected to write a culminating essay or complete a final project relating to his/her major field of interest.

A student may also propose to do an independent study on a topic that is not offered in Villanova's graduate course offerings. There is also precedent for LST students to combine the Directed Readings course with an Independent Study to carry out a more ambitious culminating essay or project. The Independent Study replaces one of the six disciplinary courses.