Course Requirements

33 semester credit hours minimum

Coursework: 33 semester credit hours

Thirty-three semester credit hours of which twenty-seven credit hours are taken as organized graduate-level courses in History (PHIL), Philosophy (PHIL), Literature (LIT), and Visual and Performing Arts (VPAS).

Required Courses: 6 semester credit hours

• HUMA 6300 Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Arts and Humanities1
• ARHM 6310 Team-Taught Interdisciplinary Seminar

Distribution Requirements: 9 semester credit hours

• Students must take one course from each of three programs (i.e., one HIST or PHIL, one LIT, and one VPAS).

Electives: 18 semester credit hours

• 18 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level PHIL, PHIL, LIT, and VPAS courses

Professional Option

Students in the professional option must complete thirty-three semester credit hours of coursework. They are not required to complete a portfolio or meet the foreign language requirement.

Research Option

Students in the research option must complete thirty-three semester credit hours of coursework, fulfill a foreign language requirement, and complete a portfolio.

Foreign Language

The research option MA degree requires demonstrated proficiency in an approved foreign language. The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in the MA program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:

1. Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher (e.g., an undergraduate literature course in a foreign language) with a grade of B or better.
2. Completion of a graduate course taught in a foreign language or with more than 25% of its required readings in a foreign language.
3. An undergraduate major, graduate degree, or certificate in a foreign language.
4. Successful completion of graded coursework at a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
5. A degree in any discipline from a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.

The requirement can be satisfied during graduate study at UT Dallas in one of the following ways:

1. Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher at UT Dallas or elsewhere with a grade of B or better.
2. Successful completion of LIT 6380 Translation Workshop with a grade of B or better.
3. Successful completion of one of the following: HUMA 6330 French Workshop; HUMA 6331 Spanish Workshop; HUMA 6333 German Workshop with a grade of B or better.
4. Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas.

Portfolio

Two research papers or a creative project plus a scholarly essay originating in or completed for graduate courses are revised and presented in a portfolio for evaluation by a master's committee.

Graduates of the program seek positions such as teacher/educator, researcher, administrator, archivist, writer, museum curator, non-profit manager, and other positions in research or professional practice. Career settings may include higher education, non-profits, cultural and historical organizations, government agencies, international development organizations, publishing houses, museums and archives, business/corporate entities, and independent consulting.