Concentration in Sociology: Cultural Studies

          "I wish I could find a program that I could complete during my free time."                    "I want a graduate education that I can readily apply to my workplace."                    "I want to enjoy my next degree and not feel pressured to compete with other students."                    "I don't have time to come to campus every week for classes, so my classes have to be designed for the distance learner."     

Students completing their MLS program in this concentration will have the following notation on their transcripts: "Liberal Studies (Social Sciences)." This concentration of the Masters of Liberal Studies (MLS) degree is delivered by the Department of Sociology and Social Work at Fort Hays State University at Hays, Kansas and focuses on "cultural studies." In addition to taking the 10 basic credit horus required of all MLS students, there are 18 credit hours of concentration that involve issues related to culture and subculture in the United States and other parts of the world. The final requirement is 3 credit hours called a culminating experience which is usually a long paper, sometimes called a thesis.

Examples of FHSU courses that could possibly be taken to fulfill the 18 hours of cultural studies are listed below. Please note taht some of these courses may be taught infrequently, and thus may not be available during most semesters. This means that students may not always be able to proceed through their program of study in a timely manner. In some cases, students may need to take approved graduate level cultural diversity courses from another university.

Comparative Cultural Anthropology (Sociology)

Comparative Societies (Sociology)

Sociology of Aging (Sociology)

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Childhood (Sociology)\

Spirituality andAging (Social Work)

The American Civil Rights Movement (History)

Sometimes we receive questions about whether the MLS will be adequate for teaching in a Community College or for admission into a Ph.D. program. Employers and admissions standards at universities differ. We encourage each student to investigate whether an MLS will take him/her where he/she wants to go. We shall be happy to answer any questions about our program, but the responsibility for determining if the MLS program is right for any given student lies with that student.

For general requirements about the MLS degree, you are encouraged to look on the Fort Hays State University web site or contact the Director of the program, Dr. Art Morin. He may be reached by calling the general university number 1-800-628-FHSU or by emailing him at amorin@fhsu.edu. For any questions about MLS concentration in sociology: cultural studies, please contact Dr. Keith Campbell at kcampbel@fhsu.edu

Once you have been admitted to this concentration, please follow the MLS Checklist and carefully read The MLS Student Handbook.