Research and Graduate Studies
Graduate Studies
Graduate Programs in the College of the Liberal Arts offer students numerous masters and doctoral degree options, including several interdisciplinary dual-doctoral degree; connections to innovative centers and institutes; access to substantial financial aid; and use of the considerable intellectual and material resources of a world class research institution.
Several Liberal Arts departments are ranked among the top-twenty-five nationally. Our graduate programs today enroll almost 800 students in more than 20 different programs. Liberal Arts graduate students are a diverse group: 28 percent are international students, and over 17 percent are minority students. The College is committed to increasing the diversity of our graduate student body, to achieving high completion rates, and to ensuring outstanding career opportunities.
Faculty Research
Over the last few years, the College has significantly improved its ability to assist researchers and departments in obtaining and managing resources to support research. This page features links to help faculty, graduate students, and staff develop research programs of significance, facilitate the crafting and submitting of proposals, increase the chances of winning support, and assist in the management of grants and contracts.
Liberal Arts has a high quality research infrastructure in place. Individuals need not remember all the acronyms or specifics to access it. Scholars should talk to their heads or program directors and consult with the research office regarding plans for research. Along with colleagues heading other organized research units across the University (accessible from this site), Liberal Arts' research professionals are committed to working with faculty and staff to realize the strategic vision for Liberal Arts and the University.
We very much want to assist our researchers in Liberal Arts. Our increasing faculty strength and our investments in research infrastructure have led to more publications in top journals, more books published by leading presses, and more frequent citations-foretelling a rise in national reputation and esteem among our peers. In fact, many departments have improved their rank to within the top echelon in relation to other CIC institutions.
Most importantly, the research done at Penn State and in the College of the Liberal Arts has positive effects on the lives of people around the world, thus fulfilling the mandate and promise of a land grant university and the highest aspirations of scholarly work.
