St. John's College is the premier great books college in the United States. In the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts program, students earn a master's degree (36 semester hours)by studying the great books of the western tradition in four of five thematic groupings: Politics and Society, Philosophy and Theology, Literature, Mathematics and Natural Science, and History. Although, for convenience, the curriculum is divided into these five areas of study, it transcends disciplinary boundaries. The books studied in any one of these segments have important things to say about many different aspects of our life. In accordance with the St. John's College approach to education, all classes are conducted by discussion. Through sustained engagement with the works of great thinkers, and through the give and take of discussion with peers, students cultivate habits of mind that will last a lifetime: a deepened capacity for reflective thought, an ability to transcend the limits of their own horizons, an appreciation of the persisting questions of human existence, an abiding respect for the value of serious conversation, and a lasting love of inquiry. Students in the Liberal Arts program can start in any semester and complete the program in a number of patterns. Some students pursue the "fast track" and complete the program in four consecutive semesters, other students attend the fall and spring semester for two years, and many primary and secondary school teachers attend only in the summer and complete the program over four years. The Master of Arts in Liberal Arts program is offered on both the Annapolis and the Santa Fe campus.