Individuals with an undergraduate degree who are not in the program and who wish to sample a seminar one time only, however, may initiate an application process requesting permission to enroll in a specific seminar as a Special Student. The graduate seminars are not open to auditors. MALS students also are eligible to take courses in any of the 23 academic departments at Reed. The MALS degree requires the completion of nine units of course work. Exceptions to the above requirements must be approved in advance by the Committee on Graduate Studies.
All students enter the program on a probationary status.
After completing at least two simultaneous or consecutive courses at Reed, the student must submit to the Committee on Graduate Studies an application for admission to formal candidacy. The student may not enroll in additional courses until formal acceptance as a degree candidate or with prior approval from the program director. The program does not specify a minimum number of courses required in the field of principal interest. The student's total program, however, must lead to a clearly defined objective and must be approved by the Committee on Graduate Studies when the student applies for admission to candidacy. A faculty adviser and the director of the program will assist students in designing a course of study that will meet their particular intellectual interests while providing a broad academic base.