General Requirements

Entrance Requirements

  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • GRE Verbal + Quantitative = 1000 or higher (older scoring system) or 295 or higher (newer scoring system). Lower GRE scores may be considered depending on GPA, and students may be admitted to the program provisionally while awaiting GRE scores.

Requirements for Degree

  • Thesis Option: 24 hours of coursework + 6 hours of thesis credit (LIBA 8000) + Thesis + Oral Defense
  • Non-Thesis Option: 36 hours of coursework + Oral Defense and Portfolio Review.*
  • LIBA 7000 & LIBA 7900 are required courses for all MALA students
    (LIBA 7000 is offered each fall semester; LIBA 7900 each spring semester)
  • At least 1/2 of the coursework must be at the 7000-level
    (any non-7000-level courses must be at the 4000-level and taught by a member of LSU’s Graduate Faculty)
  • No more than 1/2 of the coursework may be taken in any one department

*Students on the non-thesis track will compile a portfolio consisting of three major research projects/essays from their time in the program, plus a brief introductory essay that ties the essays together and places them in the context of the student's overall course of study. The student will work with his/her major professor to determine the contents of the portfolio and the shape and nature of the introductory essay. The portfolio must be submitted to the student's master's exam committee (a major professor + two committee members) two weeks in advance of the student's master's exam. Portfolio review only required for students admitted after 07/01/2014.

Major Professor & Student Committee

Once a student decides on an area of major concentration, s/he must identify an appropriate faculty member with expertise in that substantive area who is willing to serve as the major professor.  Once that occurs the student should rely on that faculty member for advice concerning the appropriate courses to take, thesis mentorship, and so on.  Prior to having identified a major professor, the student should rely on the program director for direction.

Each student will need to recruit a three-person committee (the major professor and two additional faculty who are members of the graduate faculty) to serve as the student's graduate committee.  It is this committee that will evaluate the thesis (if the thesis option applies) or conduct the final examination of the student (if the non-thesis option applies) at the end of the program.  If the thesis option applies, the committee should be comprised of individuals whose expertise is germane to the subject matter of the thesis.  If the non-thesis option applies, the committee should be comprised of faculty members who are familiar with the student by virtue of his/her MALA coursework.

Financial Aid

MALA is an interdisciplinary program, not an academic department.  Hence, MALA itself does not have a budget for assistantships or financial aid.  Normal financial aid opportunities are available through the LSU Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships.

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View Admission Requirements

Contact information

Lauren Coats
Director, MALA Program
Associate Professor
Department of English
LSU
Baton Rouge, LA  70803
 lac@lsu.edu