Getting a MALS

College graduations are in full swing.

I saw that a friend just graduated with a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies.

Good for him!

I had no idea what the degree exactly meant, however, so I investigated.

"Typically liberal arts graduate programs are designed to counter the trend in modern education toward specialization and toward a career focus, offering instead the opportunity to explore ideas, to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and learning for the joy of the intellectual challenge. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) is a graduate degree that aims to provide both depth and breadth of study in the liberal arts. It is by nature an interdisciplinary program, generally pulling together coursework from a number of the humanities and social sciences."

Obviously, the faculty at the colleges/universities offering this masters degree don't think the "trend in modern education toward specialization and toward a career focus" is a good thing.

It seems to me, however, that a high percentage of folks pursuing such a degree must either be independently wealthy, living on a trust fund and/or already have a high paying full time job.

My friend already has a good job.

I think it would be especially hard to be a parent financing your child in getting a MALS "for the sake of knowledge and learning for the joy of the intellectual challenge" without having at least fleeting thoughts as to "why am I paying for this?"