Arts & Letters.
Arts and Letters is a graduate liberal studies program designed with working professionals in mind. Through a diverse set of course offerings, students work on analytical and creative thinking while learning and synthesizing ideas. Coursework allows students to hone their writing and presentation skills. Our faculty mentors work with students to plan their course of study to take advantage of everything the New York City region has to offer. Our students put the humanities to work with internships and other means of experiential learning in the cultural capital of the world.
Now that I've graduated from the Arts & Letters program, I have connected with key members within the scholarly community surrounding my dissertation subject. I owe this to the scholarly transformation I experienced at Drew. I am now an authority of my subject and a part of a global conversation. ”
The Master of Letters gives you the option of either completing ten courses (30 credits) and a 50–75 page master’s thesis (3 credits) or taking an additional course in lieu of the master’s thesis to complete a total of 11 courses (33 credits).
Expand on the learnings found in the required course with Drew’s elective programs found in the Caspersen School or the Drew Theological School, which span interests as far flung as religion and literature to leadership and democracy. Customize studies to match interests, academic strengths and long-term career aspirations.
*Students in the Thesis track will substitute an elective course for a Master’s Thesis drawing on primary source research and engaging with relevant secondary literature.
View the Course Catalog for more details.
The program requires the completion of 12 courses, including two required seminars plus preparing and successfully defending a 150–220 page doctoral dissertation.
The entry seminar introduces students to the foundational disciplines within the program: Studies in Literature; Fine Arts and Media Studies; Historical Studies; Studies in Religion; Teaching in the Two-Year College and Writing. A team of professors from several fields of study fosters important dialogue in and outside of class.
Expand on the learnings found in the required course with Drew’s elective programs found in the Caspersen School or the Drew Theological School, which span interests as far flung as religion and literature to leadership and democracy. Customize studies to match interests, academic strengths and long-term career aspirations.
I imagined it might be difficult for me to break into nonprofit work, but the directors told me that my degree gave me indispensable curiosity, communication skills, research abilities and this willingness to do hard work to help and honor another life. I did not know that working in AIDS advocacy was the work that my Arts and Letters degree was preparing me for, but as it turns out, it has prepared me in unexpected and invaluable ways. ”
Director of Arts & Letters
Professor of Music
Dr. Leslie Sprout’s scholarship focuses on music, modernism, and national identity in twentieth-century France. Additional research interests include the film music of Arthur Honegger and the engagement of European composers with American popular music and jazz between the two world wars. Dr. Sprout’s work has been published in the Journal of the American Musicological Society, The Musical Quarterly, and the New York Times. Her book, The Musical Legacy of Wartime France (UC Press, 2013), received the 2015 Béla Kornitzer Book Award for best faculty book at Drew University. Her research has been supported by the Fulbright program, the American Musicological Society, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris.
For more information, see Dr. Sprout’s website
You can contact her at lsprout@drew.edu
Interested in reading more about Arts and Letters events, grants/fellowships/internships for students, and recent faculty/student publications?
Start Terms: Fall, Spring, Summer
Deadline: Rolling Admissions
Admission Requirements
- For master's program, bachelor's degree from an accredited institution
- For doctoral program, a master's degree in a humanities discipline from an accredited institution
- Completed Application Form
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
- Personal Statement
- Essay Response/Writing Sample
- Resume
- Two Letters of Recommendation
International applicants need to meet additional criteria. See our international admissions page for more information
• Fine Arts and Media Studies
• Historical Studies
• Literary Studies
• Studies in Religion
• Teaching in the Two-Year College
• Writing