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Program Description
Degree Requirements
Admission Requirements
Qualifying Paper
Individualized Program
Independent Study
Course Offerings
Faculty
Student Resources
Master of Liberal Arts Program
811 Anderson Hall
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-1644 (phone)
215-204-9611 (fax)
Jayne K. Drake
Director, MLA Program
mla@temple.edu
215-204-7743 (phone)
Michael Szekely
Assistant Director, MLA Program
mszekely@temple.edu
215-204-6704 (phone)
Colleen Knapp
Administrator
colleen.knapp@temple.edu
215-204-1644 (phone)
Alpha Walker
MLA Coordinator
alpha.walker@temple.edu
215-204-1644 (phone)
The MLA Qualifying Paper must demonstrate students’ ability to write analytically on a topic of their choice, as well as to read, absorb, evaluate, and cite scholarly sources, and to develop and establish their own perspectives on the topic.
Most Qualifying Papers develop out of either a paper required for a graduate course or the students’ specialized subject area. They may also be written using Independent Study credits. (See the procedures for developing and having approved an Independent Study proposal.)
Whatever the case, the MLA Program requires that students work closely with a professor or other expert in the field whose approach is to the subject is compatible with the selected paper topic and who is willing to serve as the first reader of the completed Qualifying Paper. Students who are unsure about whom to select as a faculty or expert advisor must consult with the MLA Director.
Qualifying Papers must be submitted to the faculty or expert advisor / mentor no later than the end of week 8 in the semester in which students intend to graduate. (Please consult the on-line Graduate School calendar for the deadline dates for final submission of the Qualifying Paper.)
Qualifying Papers are evaluated by the faculty or expert advisor / mentor and a second reader designated by the Program Director. Should the two readers disagree on the quality of the work, a third reader will be assigned whose decision will determine the status of the Paper. Any Qualifying Paper that does not meet the Program standards will be returned to the candidate for revision and resubmission.
Should a Qualifying Paper be found to have been been plagiarized, the student will receive an "F" for the paper and an "F" for the course or Independent Study. The case will then be forwarded to the University Disciplinary Committee (UDC) for further action. For more information on plagiarism and academic honesty, please see Student Resources.
Form: Generally 20 to 30 pages in length, the approved Qualifying Paper must be submitted in duplicate on 8 ½ x 11 inch paper, typed double spaced, with each page numbered consecutively. Maintain a margin of 1 ½ inches on the left side of the page and ample margins elsewhere. Both copies of the approved Qualifying Paper must be submitted in a manila folder, unstapled and unfolded, to the MLA Program Office. The title page must include the following information in this order:
Accompanying the approved Paper must be the “MLA Qualifying Paper Evaluation Form,” which is to be completed by the faculty advisor / mentor and the second reader.
“The MLA Program has jump-started a segment of my life that nothing else could have. Becoming a part of the MLA Program has offered the opportunities to immerse myself in an atmosphere of continued learning, exploring and also an excitement associated with classroom dynamics. Applying to the MLA Program has been one of the most important and satisfying decisions of my life. Thanks MLA!”
Brenda Washington,Temple University employee