Interdisciplinary Graduate Education From UChicago
Grow your skills in strategy, leadership, and synthetic thinking
To lead an organization responsibly, to develop a new product or service, or to make a difference in your community, you need a strong foundation in the principles and practices of reasoned inquiry.
The University of Chicago online Master of Liberal Arts will allow you to engage with fresh perspectives in a transformative educational environment that’s driven by intellectual curiosity and open dialogue.
At a Glance: MLA Quick Facts
Exchange ideas with highly accomplished peers and eminent faculty in a program where nearly a third of students work in executive leadership positions.
Build valuable skills in synthetic thinking, critical thinking, communication, problem solving, and adaptability.
Pursue a general course of study or specialize through a concentration in Ethics and Leadership, Literary Studies, or Tech and Society.
Attend an optional, one-week residency on our storied Hyde Park campus.
Advance your education and career while working full-time with online class sessions in evenings and on weekends.
Access career support resources and our worldwide network of more than 193,000 alumni.
Extend your learning beyond the virtual or Hyde Park classroom through optional Travel Study opportunities around the world.
As a pioneer in distance learning at one of the world’s foremost higher education institutions, the UChicago MLA program brings together accomplished individuals from a wide range of personal and professional backgrounds. In MLA courses, you’ll exchange ideas with thought leaders and sharpen your arguments in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
18
Average years of professional experience
30 %
of students work in executive leadership roles
59 %
of students already hold at least one graduate degree
To get answers to your questions about the program and hear directly from an MLA student, sign up for a virtual information session.
Student Stories
The program more than met expectations. It taught me to ask better questions, dig deeper for answers, challenged me to consider perspectives outside my expertise, and connected me to a community of talented and curious individuals.
Sarah Hope Marshall
Meet Sarah
Founder and Principal, Profound Hope Industries
The MLA program helps you develop skills to better organize your thoughts, sharpen your points, and deliver a strong argument.
The UChicago MLA program allows me to transfer my real-world experience in scaling startups to the realm of academic thought and beyond, all while being a part of an exciting learning community that challenges my current notions and helps me grow as an individual and executive.
Waking up early in the morning here in Shanghai and immediately diving into the prescient geniuses of Weber or Kant, I am able to discover time-tested insights that help me think more clearly and make better decisions in this time of unpredictability.
Each deep conversation with my professors, each vivid discussion with my classmates, and each page of the books I read, help me to better articulate my worldview, and paint a vivid picture of the future destinations that I want to explore.
Fabiola Delgado
Meet Fabiola
Assistant VP for Finance and Chief of Staff for National Laboratories, University of Chicago
The liberal arts encompass both broad opportunities for personal development and avenues to gain expertise in specific areas that fit your interests or professional objectives. You can complete a general course of study or focus on the topics that you’re passionate about by selecting from these concentrations:
Take an interdisciplinary look at leaders and leadership strategies, interrogating the ethical implications of our choices and reflecting on your own leadership style.
Read some of the best writing that humanity has produced as you learn from faculty members who approach literature from a wide range of disciplinary standpoints.
We designed the online Master of Liberal Arts program to welcome individuals with a wide range of educational and professional backgrounds. We build diverse cohorts of students who bring a wealth of lived experiences and unique points of view into class discussions. You do not need to have earned a previous liberal arts degree to succeed in this program.
Admissions decisions are based on a holistic review of your application materials. To be considered for admission, an applicant must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university with any major. Standardized test scores (e.g., GRE or GMAT) are not required.
The online MLA features a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum that centers around open discussion of big ideas, led by the renowned faculty at one of the world’s premier research institutions.
Take core courses in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.
Prepare to apply concepts and methodological approaches from multiple disciplines to real-world problems.
Complete a thesis or special project on a topic of your choosing.
learning experience
The Online MLA Learning Experience
The UChicago MLA is not driven by traditional lectures or exams. Instead, you’ll engage in Socratic seminar-style discussions, sharing your thoughts in a respectful atmosphere dedicated to open inquiry.
Each course consists of weekly, synchronous sessions—scheduled on weekday evenings and Saturdays— in which you’ll talk in detail about the topics raised in the assigned reading. You’ll analyze ideas from a variety of sources, make persuasive arguments, and synthesize information in unique ways.
“Our Master of Liberal Arts students are accomplished professionals who refuse to rest on their laurels.
They’re dedicated to self-improvement and pushing their careers to even higher levels of achievement. They enter our program seeking to add layers of complexity and nuance to their thinking.”
Tim Murphy
Master of Liberal Arts Program Director
“Interdisciplinary collaboration opens up remarkable possibilities for confronting complex social
problems and building a better future. In our MLA courses, students gain a deeper understanding of the
world around them and the intellectual tools to make a meaningful impact.”
Omar McRoberts
Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago
“MLA students have found direct career benefits from this program. Learning to think in more creative, analytical and critical ways opened up their imaginations, taught them problem-solving skills, and nurtured an intellectual creativity that they were then able to bring back to their work.”
Mark Miller
Associate Professor of English, University of Chicago
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about our master’s degree in liberal arts that aren’t answered here? Find answers on our FAQ page
A Master of Liberal Arts is a graduate degree in interdisciplinary study; rather than specializing in a single field, students read and write across the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. At the University of Chicago, that means nine courses drawn from the four main academic divisions of the University—the humanities, the social sciences, the biological sciences, and the physical sciences—culminating in a thesis or special project on a subject of your own choosing.
Who is a Master of Liberal Arts for?
The Master of Liberal Arts is for anyone who values the liberal arts, whether to deepen their intellectual life, strengthen how they think and communicate as a professional, or both. It is for those who welcome the chance to explore fundamental questions alongside thoughtful peers and bring greater perspective, clarity, and judgment to a complex, technology-driven world.
Most of our students are midcareer professionals, though they range from those a few years out of college to retirees. Many hold senior or executive leadership roles, more than half already have a graduate degree, and about one in six holds a doctorate. MLA students have worked in fields as varied as business, education, health care, law, technology, and the arts.
Why do people pursue a Master of Liberal Arts?
Some want to grow as thinkers, communicators, and leaders; others are driven by intellectual curiosity—the desire to return to serious study, explore questions they have long wanted to pursue, or engage with ideas beyond their professional lives. With a broad interdisciplinary curriculum, an optional concentration, and a thesis subject of your own choosing, the UChicago MLA creates space to challenge yourself and expand your thinking.
How long does it take to complete the online Master of Liberal Arts program?
Most students finish in about two and a half years, though the degree can be completed in one year full-time or spread across as many as five, as it is designed with flexibility in mind. Classes meet once a week for three hours, on a weekday evening or Saturday morning, and students take one to three courses a quarter, choosing the pace that best fits their goals and schedule.
I already have a graduate degree. Does an MLA make sense for me?
The MLA is an ideal complement to a degree you already hold, connecting your specialized knowledge to the larger questions behind it. More than half of recent MLA students already held a graduate degree when they enrolled, and about one in six held two or more. PhDs in a wide variety of fields, MBAs, and JDs are among the most common.
Where a professional degree teaches what’s necessary to advance in a specific industry, the MLA addresses overarching questions about why organizations and communities function the way they do. In a world of dynamic, constantly evolving industries, where workers take on increasingly hyperspecialized roles, it’s important to have individuals who think innovatively, creatively, and critically.
Fabiola Delgado
