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Graduate Students

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Graduate Students
Graduate Students

Ready to take your education to the

next level?

The College of the Liberal Arts’ graduate programs offer a wide range of master’s and doctoral degree options within the humanities, languages, and social sciences.  

Our degree programs provide you with access to the far-reaching intellectual and material resources of a world-class research institution. We also offer several interdisciplinary dual-doctoral degrees, as well as connections to innovative centers and institutes and considerable financial aid options. And from our first-rate faculty and staff, you’ll get all the guidance you need while pursuing a degree that takes your career to the next level.  

Have questions? Please contact the home department of your program of interest.

Find a Program
Graduate student researchers in the Center for Language Science prepare to use electrophysiological recording of brain activity to learn about the inner workings of language with a special focus on bilingualism.
Graduate student researchers in the Center for Language Science prepare to use electrophysiological recording of brain activity to learn about the inner workings of language with a special focus on bilingualism.
Liberal Arts by the Numbers
870

Graduate Students

75
%

of our graduate students
go into academia

5/5 stars for overall campus climate in the 2022 Campus Pride LGBTQ-Friendly Campus Climate Index

40
%

of students identity as a member of a minority group

Most diverse college at Penn State University Park

Michael Garza (left) and Haley Parker (right) do coursework on their laptops and notebooks while sitting in a lounge in Moore Building.
Michael Garza (left) and Haley Parker (right) do coursework while sitting in a lounge in Moore Building.

Funding and Awards

As a graduate student in the College of the Liberal Arts, you’ll have several ways to get funding to support your education. They include teaching and research assistantships, the Liberal Arts Graduate Internship Program—which was conceived to connect students with various University units that can most benefit from your expertise, and several college and University awards that recognize achievements in research, teaching, and overall success. 

Career Diversity

The goal of the graduate career diversity initiative is to provide resources and education to graduate students in the College of the Liberal Arts about non-academic career opportunities, how to prepare for them, and factors to consider when looking for non-academic jobs. Graduate education can prepare you for many different career paths—research, teaching, government, nonprofit, or private-sector. 

A man sits at his desk while talking to someone across from him off camera.
A man sits at his desk while talking to someone across from him off camera.
Students in the Graduate Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion sit around a large conference table at an organization meeting
Students in the Graduate Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion sit around a large conference table at an organization meeting.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

The college is completely committed to fostering a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for our students, faculty, and staff. We realize diversity enhances the creativity and vitality of the college and helps us consider varied perspectives, invest in new approaches, and achieve excellence as community members and leaders in an ever-changing world.  

With those goals in mind, the Graduate Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion (GADI) was created to serve as a safe, welcoming space for building community, sharing knowledge, and advocating for policies that promote diversity and inclusion for students from underrepresented communities.  

Get Involved

In addition to the Graduate Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion, graduate students in the College of the Liberal Arts can get involved in numerous student organizations on campus.

Penn State’s Graduate and Professional Student Association represents and supports the interests of the University’s current and future graduate and professional student community.

Three students in a Spanish class sit on a bench outside Willard Building on a nice day.
Three students in a Spanish class sit on a bench outside Willard Building on a nice day.
#
23

in Sociology

#
26

in Psychology

#
27

in Criminology

#
27

in Economics

Out of 1,800 schools in the U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2022-23"
Future Students

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Beyond the Classroom

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Liberal Arts Experiences

Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and Belonging

CURRENT Students

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Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and Belonging

Graduate Students

Overview

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Rock Ethics researcher Yael Warshel's book receives second major accolade

Rock Ethics Institute research associate Yael Warshel is poised to receive a book award at the International Communication Association’s annual meeting for her pioneering work in the book “Experiencing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Children, Peace Communication, and Socialization.” Her book, a critical examination of peace communication interventions and their effects on children in conflict zones, has received international acclaim, with this being the book’s second major accolade.

University Libraries Open Publishing launches 'The Future of Foster Care'

Penn State University Libraries’ Open Publishing program recently launched a new Open Access monograph. “The Future of Foster Care: New Science on Old Problems,” edited by Yo Jackson and Sarah Font, is a collection of expanded conference proceedings from the 2019 conference of the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network, a national leader in research designed to influence public policy that better protects vulnerable children from abuse.

New book celebrates the life and work of 19th-century enslaved potter and poet

P. Gabrielle Foreman, Paterno Family Professor of American Literature and professor of African American studies and history at Penn State and a 2023 MacArthur Fellow, embarked on a decade-long creative endeavor that culminated in her recently released edited volume, “Praise Songs for Dave the Potter: Art and Poetry for David Drake.”

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WPSU uncovers the stories that unveil the triumph, grit, caution and legend that make up the history of the commonwealth in a new digital series titled “Past PA.”

Janet van Hell named Penn State distinguished professor

Janet van Hell, a longtime Penn State faculty member in the College of the Liberal Arts’ Department of Psychology and director of the Center for Language Science, was recently promoted to distinguished professor of psychology and linguistics.

‘Third space’ offers clearer insights into ancient and modern Chinese issues

Liberal Arts Professor of English and Asian Studies Xiaoye You’s new book on rhetoric in early imperial China offers insights into how ancient rulers built and maintained an empire, and what that may reveal about contemporary issues.

Center for Language Science hosts Language and Linguistics Day

Nearly 100 Centre County high school students visited Penn State’s University Park campus on April 12 to participate in the fourth annual Language and Linguistics Day hosted by Penn State’s Center for Language Science.

Annual substance use conference examines stigma, opioid crisis

The Penn State Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction recently hosted its fourth annual conference in the HUB-Robeson Center at the University Park campus. 

Penn State research team receives NIH grant to study HIV treatment messaging

An interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers have received a $442,750 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, to support a multi-faceted, three-part study that observes how gay and bisexual men search and find HIV prevention information — specifically information about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medicine that when taken as prescribed, is very effective at preventing HIV.

Three-part project probes, celebrates art, culture and history of Andean peoples

Two Penn State professors — one in history and the other in art history and anthropology — have collaborated on a three-pronged project that will spark conversation and awe about the art, culture, science and history of Andean peoples.

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