Doctor of Liberal Studies degree candidates must earn 36 credits of coursework, pass both the written and oral sections of the comprehensive examinations, and successfully complete and defend a doctoral thesis, to earn the Doctor of Liberal Studies degree. Six to nine hours of transfer credit or advanced standing may be awarded as determined by the Liberal Studies Director in consultation with the Director of Doctoral Studies. Such credits must be from graduate-level academic work acquired at Georgetown University or other approved universities. Of the 36 credits, 12 will come from four required foundational courses. Students may select the remaining 24 credits from Liberal Studies courses developed for the Doctor of Liberal Studies degree; other Liberal Studies courses; selected graduate courses from other departments at the University; and Directed Reading/Tutorial courses.

DLS Class Profiles
Click on the year below to access the profiles of the current students of the Doctor of Liberal Studies
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009

Required Courses
Through the required foundational courses in the humanities, specifically philosophy, theology, history, art, literature, and the social sciences, the doctoral program establishes the intellectual and scholarly context needed to carry out serious interdisciplinary study and research. In the fall semester of the first year, all DLS students must enroll in "Introductory Colloquium: Liberal Studies as Perspective and Method" and the following spring, students take "The Rise of the Modern Spirit." In the fall semester of the second year, students take "The Challenge of Postmodernism," and in the spring semester of the second year, they take the last foundational course "Approaches to Art and Literature, and Historiography."

Schedule
Since this degree is particularly designed for non-traditional students who have professional and other responsibilities, all the required courses are offered in the evening. Electives from other departments may be offered at other times, in the day or evening.

Advising
Drawn from the faculty in the Liberal Studies Program, the Director of Doctoral Studies serves DLS students from their entry in the Program to the completion of their degree. Specifically, the Director of Doctoral Studies assists DLS students with all course selections; manages students' progress through the degree program; recommends to the Executive Committee two to three faculty members to assist in the preparation and reading of the student's Written Comprehensive Exam; and recommends three faculty members to constitute a Doctoral Thesis Committee for each candidate. In addition, the Director of Doctoral Studies advises the Director of the Liberal Studies Program on course/faculty selection for the doctorate.

Announcing Study Abroad Opportunities for Georgetown Liberal Studies Students

The School of Continuing Studies is pleased to announce the following Study Abroad opportunities for its students in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and Doctor of Liberal Studies programs. Three interdisciplinary Study Tours to Italy, focused on the Italian Renaissance, will offer students the opportunity to study the origins, development and influence of one of the major cultural transformations in Western civilization, while examining first hand some of it most important and enduring creations in the fields of art architecture and simultaneously gaining an in-depth understanding of the social, political, economic and religious dynamics of change that surrounded them.

Three Study Tours will be offered during the 2011-2012 academic year. With the permission of the student's Dean, each Study Tour may be taken as a four-credit core course in the B.A.L.S. program or a three-credit course in the M.A.L.S. or D.L.S. programs.

May 28 - June 8  -  Hilltowns of Tuscany and Umbria
June 11 - June 22  -  Verona, Venice, Ravenna, and the Po Valley
June 25 - July 2  -  The Florentine Renaissance: From Medieval to Modern

Each Study Tour will be led by Prof. Frank Ambrosio, associate professor of philosophy and director of the Doctor of Liberal Studies Program, and Ms. Deborah Warin, Director, The Renaissance Company, former Director of Continuing Education and lecturer at Georgetown University, and author of the forthcoming book, Battista Sforza and the Court of Urbino. Over the past 15 years, they have led more than 25 academic study tours together for Georgetown Liberal Studies students.**

Discounted rates are offered for students taking the Study Tour for credit and for LSP Alumni. Please see the attached documents for detailed information on Itinerary, Syllabus, Costs and Conditions, and Registration Forms. For further information, consult the office of the Undergraduate and Graduate Deans of Liberal Studies or contact Prof. Frank Ambrosio, ambrosif@georgetown.edu

** These Study Tours are not affiliated with Georgetown University's Charles A. Strong Study Center, Villa Le Balze, in Fiesole.