Designed for working adults and other non-traditional university students, the MLS program allows students to explore timeless and timely human questions within the humanities, social sciences and sciences. It is for adults who have a curiosity about the world – about art, literature, science, politics, human nature and history. It is for people who want to explore new worlds and who enjoy meeting others who want to join the expedition.
The MLS program is founded on the principle that, in an increasingly complex and fragmented world, a liberal arts education becomes all the more important. Though exploring the liberal arts at a highly integrated level is not frequently possible in a career-focused undergraduate curriculum, it is both possible and well suited to a masters’ level program designed for committed, energetic adults. Courses in the MLS program are taught by distinguished Rice faculty and invited visiting faculty who appreciate the opportunity to teach more experienced adults.
Rice University hosts the national office and is a proud member institution of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP).
Rice University
The beautiful, tree-lined campus of Rice University is located in Houston, Texas -- the fourth-largest city in the U.S. Rice is consistently ranked as one of America’s best teaching and research universities.
- Size: 3,708 undergraduates and 2,374 graduate students
- Selectivity: 14 applicants for each place in the freshman class
- Resources: An undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of less than 6 to 1
- Endowment: $783,568 per full-time equivalent student
- Faculty: Renowned scholars and researchers who leverage approximately $100 million in annual research funding and engage undergraduate and graduate students in the creation of new knowledge and technology
- Residential college system: 11 communities both close-knit and diverse
- Collaborative environment: A culture that crosses disciplines, integrates teaching and research, and intermingles undergraduate and graduate work