The MAPH Community

The Master of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) is dedicated to supporting our students as whole people.  

We believe the foundation of intellectual life is a genuine, supportive social community. In order to build a community among each year’s MAPH cohort, we offer regular social events on and off-campus as well as planned outings to Chicago cultural offerings. Events have included trivia nights, bake-offs, picnics, hikes, outings to museums, plays, the opera, the symphony and sporting events.   

MAPH staff provide layers of support for students in both academic, career and community events. Students have access to office hours with any of our staff including MAPH mentors, the program coordinator, manager of student affairs, associate director, the faculty director, and our instructional professors.  

We start the year with our two-week intensive known as Colloquium both to start our core course and to get students familiar with the resources of the campus and the greater Chicago community. By the time the full academic year starts our students already know their favorite spot in our MAPH lounge or one of the many libraries and coffee shops on campus. 

There are many opportunities for MAPH students to take advantage of while in the program. MAPH offers paid internships during the year and after the program. Students can participate in student government through the Humanities Division Graduate Council, The International Graduate Student Advisory Board, the Dean’s Advisory Board, or mentoring opportunities through the Center for Identity and Inclusion or the Diversity Advisory Board.   

Academically, MAPH students participate in a wide range of workshops through the Council on Advanced Studies. These are a great way to see faculty and other graduate students present academic work in progress. MAPH also hosts our own academic conference for which students can apply to present. Students may apply to submit work to our journal Common Forms or to be an editorial fellow. MAPH also offers monthly career and academic talks to help students prepare for the PhD or for lively careers outside the academy. UChicago Grad offers a two career fairs, a graduate lounge space with snacks, and a range of academic and career programming. MAPH and Graduate Counsel offer opportunities to apply for funding to present at conferences. 

Of course, the campus has numerous lectures, concerts, plays and exhibits at multiple campus museums and gallery spaces makes the campus a place full of opportunities for involvement. The city of Chicago offers world class museums and cultural organizations offered free or at a discount to MAPH students through the UChicago Arts Pass. 

MAPH alumni become part of a thriving community. MAPH alumni come back for a range of events during the MAPH year and MAPH Alumni Mentors offer their contact information to current students who want advice on specific careers or graduate programs.  Alumni join a large LinkedIn MAPH group and receive weekly job postings curated specifically for MAPH graduates. 

Students are also encouraged to bring their own interests and projects to the MAPH community whether they are working on a creative thesis project and casting members of the MAPH community in a film or just sharing their secondary interests with other members of the cohort. Student driven activities have included:  

• Quarterly service projects 
• Reading groups 
• D&D groups 
• Film nights 
• Craft groups 
• Writing groups  
• Student films 
• Literary journals  
• Theatre performances