A Master of Arts in Humanities program in a weekend format will be offered through Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles, beginning in September.

Constructed around three basic themes --- individual, community and world --- the program provides students with an opportunity to develop or refine skills of critical thinking and sound decision-making, acquire a better understanding of the increasingly complex and diverse world, and satisfy a personal passion for lifelong learning, officials said.

Taken over a two or three-year period, the 30-unit, 10-course program consists of three core courses; six elective courses in English, history, political science and cultural studies; and one culmination course. There are three semesters (spring, summer and fall), with classes spaced two or three weekends apart, and held at the college's downtown Doheny Campus.

"The weekend format is an innovative approach to adult learning that enables today's professionals, with their complex work schedules and daily family obligations, to become graduate students without compromising their other priorities," said Merrill Rodin, Weekend College dean.