Signum offers two for-credit graduate level programs and one scholarly continuing education program (not for credit). All graduate-level programs prioritize the harmonious juxtaposition of language and literature, encouraging students to explore connections between language and literature in interactive live classes, asynchronous discussion boards, and creative or scholarly assessments.
M.A. in Language and Literature
Our for-credit MA in Language and Literature is ideal for students who need a specific graduate credential and can complete the required components in our designated timeframe. MA students typically spend between two (full-time) and eight (quarter-time) years taking required and elective courses in language and literature and writing a thesis of approximately 15,000 words.
(Our for-credit courses are currently only available to students from AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, LA, ME, MA, MS, MO, MT, NE, NJ, NH, OH, OK, SC, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WY, and overseas.)
Graduate Diploma
Our for-credit Graduate Diploma is designed for individuals who need for-credit coursework or a formal certificate of learning without a formal degree. Students take five for-credit courses at their leisure and may choose between a general diploma or specialize with one in Tolkien Studies; Imaginative Literature; Classical, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies; or Germanic Philology.
(Graduate Diploma courses may be transferred to the M.A. in Language and Literature with approval from the Director of the Graduate School.)
Academic Mastery (AM) Program
Our non-credit Academic Mastery Program shares its faculty and many of the class subjects with the graduate program. However, it is designed to prioritize personal fulfillment over formal degrees, credits, or certificates. Students may complete classes at various paces, pause their studies to pursue independent tutoring, and enroll in as many (or as few!) classes as they wish, including taking a course multiple times in order to learn the content more deeply. Course materials and assignments will be as rigorous as our classes in our graduate program, but the AM program is more flexible in timing, expected classes, and program design.
Institutional Goals and Outcomes
Institutional Goals
- To equip our students to discover new approaches to humanities topics through interdisciplinary study.
- To foster in our students and community members the ability to enjoy, research, and discuss humanities subjects in meaningful ways, bringing depth and creativity to ongoing scholarly conversations.
- To encourage our students and community members to connect with other scholars and creatives in their specific fields of interest.
- To use technology to bring scholars and creatives together in a globally accessible humanities community.
Institutional Outcomes
- Maintain a globally accessible humanities community.
- Allow students to pursue the level of rigor appropriate to their own personal goals by offering both rigorous for-credit coursework and more casual continuing education opportunities.
- Limit institutional and student debt.