In 1953, Wesleyan University began a venture in Master's-level graduate education that it called Liberal Studies. While other Master's degrees concentrated on a particular academic field or a profession, this new degree was distinguished by being at the graduate level and involving more than one academic discipline (interdisciplinary), with a foundation in the liberal arts and a schedule designed for working adults. The "liberal" motif recognized the traditional value of the liberal arts in enabling the mind to move freely in many spheres. Wesleyan's initiative was followed by others, including Dartmouth College, The Johns Hopkins University, St. John's College, Southern Methodist University, The University of Southern California, and The University of Oklahoma.

One hundred and twenty colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada now offer graduate Liberal Studies degrees designated as the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (M.A.L.S.), the Master of Liberal Studies (M.L.S.), or the Master of Liberal Arts (M.L.A.). Georgetown University's M.A.L.S. began in 1974. A year later Georgetown became one of the thirteen charter or founding members of the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs (AGLSP), which represents the special educational interests of those in the field of graduate Liberal Studies. The Doctor of Liberal Studies degree is built upon the philosophical foundation of the Master's program.