Humanities

Anne Muraoka, Director, Institute for the Humanities
757 683-3821 ww1.odu.edu/al/institutes/humanities

The Master of Arts in Humanities program fosters cross-disciplinary learning and interdisciplinary research outcomes with a primary focus on humanistic methodologies. Our goal is to prepare students to engage global concerns in the arts, culture, equity, and historic narratives at a local, national, or international level. The program seeks to provide students with these skills through an interdisciplinary core curriculum that culminates with the development of a thesis or capstone project. Students collaborate with the Program Director to create an appropriate, rigorous program of study. In alignment with the mission of the college and university, the program aims to develop students' skills in critical thinking, effective communication, and creative problem solving. Students will become engaged citizens and stewards of the value of the human experience to transform the world and improve their own lived experiences.

High-performing undergraduates in the College of Arts and Letters may take graduate courses while completing their undergraduate degree through the Linked BA/BS-MA Humanities Program. To learn more about our program, visit our catalog.

Linked BA/BS-MA Program

Linked Master of Arts in Humanities – Art History, Communication, Fine Arts, Geography, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Visual Studies, Women's Studies, and World Languages and Cultures.

The linked degree programs make it possible for exceptional majors in Art History, Communication, Fine Arts, Geography, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Visual Studies, Women's Studies, and World Languages and Cultures to take up to 12 credit hours of graduate courses while completing their undergraduate degree and to gain a head start on a graduate degree.  Students interested in pursuing the linked program should carefully plan their undergraduate course of study considering the requirements of the program.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the linked BA/BS-MA program, students must declare a major in Art History, Communication, Fine Arts, Geography, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Visual Studies, Women's Studies or World Languages and Cultures and complete a minimum of at least 60 undergraduate credit hours, including at least six hours of 300/400 level courses in the major. At the time of admission to the linked program, students must have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or better or with permission granted by the Graduate Program Director to be in the program.

Admission Procedure

Interested students who meet the admission requirements should apply to the Humanities Graduate Program Director as soon as possible after completing the required 60 undergraduate hours. In consultation with the undergraduate advisor for their department and the Humanities Graduate Program Director, students will:

1. Draft a schedule of graduate courses to be taken as an undergraduate, which will be placed in the student's undergraduate and graduate advising files.
2. Submit an Old Dominion University graduate application, a 500-word personal statement, a sample critical/analytical essay or research paper, and two letters of recommendation.
3. Submit an application form found here.

Students will be officially admitted into the MA in Humanities program once they have been awarded their bachelor's degree and have fulfilled all regular admission requirements for the MA in Humanities. (Please refer to the appropriate section of this catalog for information on the requirements for the bachelor's degree in Art History, Communication, Fine Arts, Geography, Interdisciplinary Studies, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Visual Studies, Women's  Studies, and World Languages and Cultures.)

Bridge Courses

Students admitted to the linked program may count 12 hours of bridge courses (graduate courses taken as an undergraduate) for which they have earned a grade of B (3.0) or better toward both the specific BA or BS and the MA in Humanities. These courses may be 500 or 600 level courses within or cross-listed with the discipline or approved graduate courses. Any 500-level course that is cross listed with a 400-level course may be substituted for the 400 level-course. However, students in the linked program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree). In addition, all students must complete an undergraduate writing intensive course in the major. Students who complete fewer than 12 bridge course credits may fulfill Humanities program requirements by taking courses during summer sessions and/or an additional semester; however, all students are required to fulfill a minimum of six bridge course credits to be eligible to continue in the linked program.

The MA in Humanities

Students in the linked program will fulfill all normal admission and curricular requirements for both a BA or BS in their discipline and an MA in Humanities, with the following exceptions, conditions, and requirements.

1. In addition, all students, regardless of their concentration, are required to take:

   Course List

   Code	Title	Credit Hours
   HUM 601	Introduction to the Humanities	3
   HUM 602	Critical Methods in Humanities	3
   HUM 603	Strategic Professional Development Pro-Seminar	3
   HUM 704	Technology and the Humanities	3
   HUM 698	Capstone Project and Thesis Preparation Seminar	3

2. All students must either complete a thesis (HUM 699) or capstone project (HUM 693) as their culminating work toward the MA degree.
3. No more than 12 hours of graduate credit at the 500-level may be applied to the MA in Humanities.
4. Students will not be permitted to take any 500-level course that they have already taken at the undergraduate 400 level.
5. Upon completion of 36 graduate credits including a thesis or capstone project, students will be awarded the MA in Humanities.
6. For additional information on the MA in Humanities and the thesis and capstone project options required to graduate, please refer to the Graduate Catalog.