- Faculty & Staff
- About
- Departments and programs
- Anthropology
- Applied Legal Studies
- Cognitive Science
- Criminology
- Economics
- English
- French
- French Cohort Program
- Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies
- Gerontology
- Global Asia
- Global Humanities
- Graduate Liberal Studies
- Hellenic Studies
- History
- Indigenous Languages
- Indigenous Studies
- International Studies
- Labour Studies
- Linguistics
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Public Policy
- Social Data Analytics
- Sociology
- Urban Studies
- World Languages & Literatures
- Students
- Research
- News
- Community
- Teaching
- FASS at Surrey
- Make meaning
- Next steps for new students (redirect)
- Convocation
Graduate Liberal Studies
The master of arts in graduate liberal studies addresses some of the greatest works of our intellectual and artistic heritage. Study the perennial concerns that have shaped our culture, and explore contemporary perspectives on traditional ideas and values. The graduate liberal studies program focuses on breadth of learning. By integrating knowledge from many traditional disciplines, we provide an intellectual grounding in a range of ideas and values that have shaped our culture.
The graduate liberal studies program is designed for working adults and part-time students. Seminars are scheduled during evening and weekend hours, and the degree can be completed over a period of three years.
Graduate liberal studies is for students from all professional and personal backgrounds interested in exploring ideas, knowledge and experience. The program will be of particular interest to people who have been away from formal academic work or whose education was primarily career-oriented.
The program includes core courses on thinking about Human Passion and The Capacity and Limits of Reason.
Other areas of study include the themes of self and society, tradition and modernity, science and human values, liberty and authority, religious and secular world views, and social realities—gender, class, race and nation.
Career Pathways
Graduate liberal studies alumni enjoy a variety of careers in their fields of interest, including but not limited to:
- Law
- Publishing
- Media work in broadcast journalism and print
- Marketing and communications
- Government policy analyst or researcher
- Visual and performing arts
- Government
- Business
“I was attracted to the Graduate Liberal Studies (GLS) program as a way to blend my creative pursuits and intellectual thinking. I started the program because there was that writerly aspect of me that wanted to find expression in an academic mode. I appreciate that GLS students are encouraged to draw on source material from their own lives and take on more than one topic in their studies.”
