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Program Description
Degree Requirements
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Qualifying Paper
Individualized Program
Independent Study
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Faculty
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Master of Liberal Arts Program
941 Anderson Hall
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Jayne K. Drake
MLA Program Director
jayne.drake@temple.edu
215-204-4699 - Phone
215-204-3731 - Fax
Catherine Staples
MLA Administrative Assistant
catherine.staples@temple.edu
215-204-1644 - Phone
215-204-3731 - Fax
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.
