The Master of Arts in Humanities offers an interdisciplinary program that provides a flexible, integrated course of study designed to lead students to breadth of knowledge spanning the liberal arts. The program encourages students to make connections between different areas of human thought, expression, and experience in fields such as art history, history, literature, creative writing, music, religion, philosophy, and political theory. This interdisciplinary approach allows students to experience the methods and contents of more than one discipline within the framework of various graduate seminars. Students may pursue an emphasis in a particular discipline or concentration in creative writing or applied music.
Requirements
Interdisciplinary and Emphasis Track Requirements
For the emphasis track, student conducts research and writing connected to the chosen discipline within the graduate seminars, culminating in a thesis.
Select one of the following courses:
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Seminar: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 4.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5230 | Photography and the Environment | 4.00 units |
Electives:
Selects six 4-unit Graduate Seminar courses. Student may select 2-unit seminar courses in place of 4-unit courses.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
Required courses:
Creative Writing Concentration Requirements
Select one of the following courses:
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Seminar: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 4.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5230 | Photography and the Environment | 4.00 units |
Electives:
Select four Graduate Seminar courses, one of which must be a Literature seminar. Student may select 2-unit seminar courses in place of 4-unit courses.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
Required Courses:
Applied Music Concetration Requirements
Select one of the following courses:
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Seminar: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 4.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5230 | Photography and the Environment | 4.00 units |
Electives:
Select four Graduate Seminar courses, one of which must be a Music seminar. Student may select 2-unit seminar courses in place of 4-unit courses.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
Student takes 12 units of Applied Music courses.
Required Courses:
Complete a recital as the capstone project.
Non-Thesis Track Requirements
| HUM 5000 | Pro-Seminar: Humanities in the Contemporary World | 4.00 units |
| HUM 5001 | Core Integrative Seminar | 3.00 units |
| HUM 5230 | Photography and the Environment | 4.00 units |
Electives:
Select seven Graduate seminar courses. Student may select two 2-unit seminar courses in place of one 4-unit course.
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Elective | 4.00 units |
| Total Credit Hours: | 32 |
Accelareted Master of Arts in Humanities
Dominican University of California offers Dominican and transfer students, including those in the Adult Degree Completion program, the opportunity to begin an accelerated Master of Arts in Humanities while completing their Bachelor of Arts degree. Eligible full-time students with 60 units can complete both their BA and MA degrees in as few as six semesters, provided they have already fulfilled the majority of their general education (CORE) requirements1. However, full time status is not required and time to completion will vary accordingly.
Once admitted to the accelerated MA program, a student takes twelve units of graduate coursework in the BA, which is applied either directly to the major or is counted as general elective credit, depending on the major. After completing the BA, the student applies to advance into the MA program and fulfills the remaining 20 units required to complete the MA.
Eligibility Criteria for All Students
Junior class standing (at least 60 successfully completed semester units of undergraduate credit)
- A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.5 in the major
- Approval of the student’s undergraduate academic advisor
- Approval of the Director of the Graduate Humanities program
The Application process
Interested students start by informing their academic advisor of their intent to apply to the Accelerated Master in Humanities program. The advisor will ensure that their course of study can accommodate the accelerated MA. If so, the student obtains an application from their advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies, who will then review the application, verify eligibility, and determine the first semester of participation. If approved by the Director, then the application is forwarded to the Registrar, who verifies class level and GPA, processes the application, and updates the student’s major code to a new Accelerated MA designation. From this point on, the student may enroll for graduate HUM seminars concurrently with their undergraduate courses, up to the stated limit of 12 graduate units, before the BA/BS/BFA is conferred. It is highly recommended that HUM 5000 Pro-Seminar or HUM 5001 Core Seminar be taken early and within the twelve units.
1Completion in six full-time semesters remains possible for transfer students even though they will need to take either
EC 2000, required for “Day” students, or
ENGL 3442, required for Adult Degree Completion (ADC) students. Time to completion depends on the selected major and the number of units still needed to fulfill major requirements.