MD/MALS DEGREE

MD/Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

A program of the Duke University Graduate Liberal Studies program and the School of Medicine

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) program offers the rigor of a graduate-level liberal arts education within an interdisciplinary context. For medical students, the value of this degree is substantial. The program enables students to expand their intellectual capacity in diverse areas of study (e.g., social sciences, history, policy, ethics, etc.) while exploring these subjects from many perspectives. MALS students hone their abilities to view issues and problems from a variety of points-of-view, gaining both intellectual and practical skills that make them more comprehensive thinkers and more effective problem solvers.

The objectives of a MALS degree are to extend students’ intellectual resources and range, promote openness to new ideas and ways of thinking, and facilitate the ability to identify connections and inter-relationships among seemingly disparate subject areas. To meet these objectives, Liberal Studies seminars are designed specifically for this program and open to MALS students only. In addition, MALS students may take other courses of interest in Duke’s Graduate School.

Requirements: Students design an individual course of study that brings together their intellectual interests and professional goals. Requirements include nine courses and a Master’s thesis (approved by both the Graduate Liberal Studies program and the School of Medicine).

Apply to the Graduate Liberal Studies Program on-line through the Graduate School. The application deadline for fall is May 15. For more information, please contact:

Donna Zapf, Ph.D.
Director, Graduate Liberal Studies
Box 90095
Durham, NC 27708-0095
919-684-3222
dzapf@duke.edu

or

David B. Matcher, M.D.
Box 3896 Medical Center
Durham, NC 27710
919-286-3399
dmatcher@duke.edu

When students in my MALS class focus on a challenging question, we find the boundaries between disciplines melting away. We move wherever we need to go to get answers. That is what scholarly inquiry should do all the time but seldom does.

Craufurd Goodwin
James B. Duke Professor of Economics