Design Your Own Degree!

At Antioch University you can pursue your master of arts degree and have a life. Students at AUM have been individualizing their graduate study in many liberal arts or social science fields for more than 30 years. The Individualized Master of Arts (IMA) offers qualified students a unique opportunity to pursue a graduate degree through an individualized, low-residency program while continuing to live and work in their home communities.

Achieve Your Goals

AUM is proud to offer master’s degrees that advance your professional credentials in a rapidly changing world. We offer concentrations in Social Sciences, Creative Writing and Philosophy. Students pursue their study online supported by three intensive on-campus residencies.

Discover Antioch Open Houses

Learn more about our IMA program by attending one of the Discover Antioch sessions at the AUM campus on June 12 and July 10 or schedule a virtual open house with an enrollment counselor.  You can talk with faculty and students and learn about how to pay for school. Register to attend at midwest.antioch.edu/discoverantioch!

Recent IMA Alumni Stories

Isabelle Dierauer, IMA Alum, Publishes First Book
Isabelle Dierauer is an international relations theorist holding an interdisciplinary studies MA in international relations and philosophy from Antioch University Midwest. Her first published book is: Disequilibrium, Polarization, and Crisis Model: An International Relations Theory Explaining Conflict. University Press of America, June 16, 2013. Read more

AUM graduate and adjunct faculty, Karina MIrsky, is featured on the Winter 2012 cover of Yoga International Magazine, and was recently interviewed by the Huffington Post for her work with people with disabilities. Karina received her Master of Arts degree in Individualized Studies, with a concentration in East-West Psychology, in 2009. She is the Director of Sangha Yoga in Kalamazoo, MI, and a faculty member of the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA. She also facilitates annual yoga retreats with True Nature Education in Costa Rica. Read More

Read the recent Detroit Free Press article about Antioch graduate Kevin Roberts who is using his IMA degree in ADHD Studies to help kids in suburban Detroit. Kevin also just published a new book.

Azuka’s story exemplifies the unique advantages of the Individualized Master of Arts program. Her IMA program design drew on aspects of political science, sociology, and education. Azuka primarily utilized the theoretical model of optimal psychology– developed by a leading authority in the field, Dr. Linda James Myers, who served as her mentor and one of her course instructors. Azuka explored the “connectedness of everything,” looking at more inclusive approaches of engaging people across racial and social class divisions. In the context of critical race theory, she investigated the concept of the other, and learned how social constructions of identities obscure decision-making based on power and privilege. Azuka now holds the position of Vice President
of Diversity, Inclusion, & Partnerships at COSI (Center for Science and Industry, Columbus,OH). Read More

Current IMA Student Stories

Ms. Vernetta R. Willett at the White House
Meet talented and passionate Vernetta R. Willett, student in the Individualized Master of Arts (IMA) Program at Antioch University Midwest, where she explores how music education enhances literacy development in Middle Schoolers. Ms. Willett shared with us her remarkable story of performing for President and Mrs. Obama at the White House in December 2012. Read more