Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MA/LS)

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MA/LS) is an interdisciplinary degree program that examines issues and themes in the arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and applied sciences. The program is offered primarily to working adults who seek educational enrichment and professional development on a part-time basis, and does not specifically serve as a prerequisite for a more advanced degree. Courses are offered in the evening, on Saturdays, online and at various off-campus locations on Long Island and in Manhattan.

This degree is acceptable as a functionally-relevant master's degree which may be used to achieve professional certification through the New York State Education Department (please read the Teacher Certification information listed below before applying).

The MA/LS degree program is also available in a completely online learning environment. Online students never come to campus, can take all of their courses over the Internet, and earn their master's degrees at their convenience. The MA/LS Online program is also accredited by the New York State Education Department.

Degree Program
This degree program consists of 11 three-credit courses, distributed among the areas listed below.

Liberal Studies Core - 12 credits
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 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:

Students may also choose to use courses from one of Stony Brook's Advanced Graduate Certificate (AGC) program as their cluster. A separate application is required; restrictions may apply.
»See list of SPD's AGC programs on our Graduate Programs page.

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.
Prerequisite: Matriculation in MA/LS or MPS degree program; completion of 12 graduate credits within the program.
Note: S/U grading applies. 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.

Please Note: Supervised Student Teaching or Educational Leadership Internship credits are not valid to meet any MA/LS degree requirements. (Please see individual course descriptions on the SOLAR System: Course Catalog, School of Professional Development or Graduate School, as applicable.)

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.)

How to Apply
Applications are accepted online via Apply Yourself. All applicants must provide a valid 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:

1. Complete an online orientation and submit the required online Orientation Checklist at the end of the online orientation section, under SIGN OUT.
2. 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.)
3. 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.
4. Submit the nonrefundable $100 application fee, either via credit card, check, or money order. (Instructions are on the Apply Yourself website.)
5. 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.
6. Print, fill out, and return Immunization Form (28 KB; Requires Acrobat Reader or other PDF viewer).
7. Additional requirements apply for International Students (see Information for International Students).

If you cannot complete the application online, you can call SPD (631.632.7050, option 3) and arrange to have an application sent to you. Please note, however, that printed applications take longer to process.

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-matriculating 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.

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."

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.

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.

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