Successful completion of the Duke Graduate Liberal Studies (GLS) course of study leads to a Master of Arts degree. (This degree is sometimes referred to as a MALS -- Master of Arts in Liberal Studies -- degree.) This degree requires nine courses and a Master's Project for a total of 30 units of credit. Students may attend part time or full time. The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS) degree requires nine courses and a Master's Project for a total of 30 units of credit. Many students attend part-time, taking just one or two courses per semester, while continuing with full-time jobs or other responsibilities. Depending on whether or not they take courses during the summer, such students typically graduate in three to five years. (Six years is the maximum time allowed by the Graduate School.) Others attend full-time, taking three or four courses per semester. (Four courses per semester, or nine courses per year, is considered a maximum course load.) Such students typically complete the degree in one and a half to two years.