Entertainment

First Beatles Scholar Graduates in Liverpool

By CBSNews.com CBSNews.com

June 5, 2012 / 4:27 PM EDT / CBS News

The Beatles in 1969, in what turned out to be their last photo session together. AP

LONDON (CBS/AP) A former Miss Canada finalist has earned her degree in John, Paul, Ringo and George.

Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy became the first graduate of a Liverpool university's groundbreaking degree program based on analyzing the Beatles' music and their impact on Western culture.

PICTURES: The Beatles Through the Years

Liverpool Hope University officials believe the master's program offers the first advanced degree based on the life and times of the Fab Four.

Zahalan-Kennedy joined the program when it started in 2009 and graduated Wednesday. She is one of 12 full-time students of the program - "The Beatles, Popular Music and Society."

The singer and actress said the course provided insight into the wide-ranging influence of the Beatles.

The course also deals with how the port city of Liverpool helped shape the group's identity.