The Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs is the professional organization of academic programs providing graduate interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts and sciences. The Association provides a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among the administrators of programs granting degrees such as Master of Liberal Arts, Master of Liberal Studies, and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, among others, and to programs with related curricula and goals. The AGLSP promotes the core concepts and goals of Graduate Liberal Studies, fosters high standards in GLS programs, provides guidance for institutions considering initiating and improving such programs, and promotes public awareness of the programs.

The AGLSP is an international organization of more than 40 institutional members who share a common interest in graduate-level liberal education primarily serving adult, part-time students. Founded in 1975, the AGLSP represents a broad cross-section of higher education–from small liberal arts colleges to large, research-oriented universities in the public and private sectors. Read the AGLSP Constitution.

Mission

The Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs is a forum for the exchange of information and ideas among Graduate Liberal Studies programs, their students, their alumni, and all others with related intellectual and institutional goals. The Association promotes the concept and goals of Graduate Liberal Studies, fosters high standards in GLS programs, provides guidance for institutions considering initiating, sustaining, and improving such programs, and promotes public awareness of the programs.

The programs represented by the members of the Association offer graduate degrees and certificates that are interdisciplinary in nature and adhere to the values of liberal arts education. These programs provide an alternative approach to continued learning for students who seek broad, interdisciplinary paths to knowledge, usually in a flexible format that accommodates all students. Degrees commonly offered by GLS programs are the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS), Master of Liberal Studies (MLS), Master of Liberal Arts (MLA), Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (MIS), Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS), Master of Humanities (MH), Doctor of Liberal Studies (DLS), and Doctor of Liberal Arts (DLA).