The Accelerated M.A. provides KU undergraduates who have majored in Philosophy an opportunity to complete the M.A. in Philosophy within a year of completing their bachelor’s degree. Talented students who are planning to continue their studies at the doctoral level or to continue to law school will receive a competitive advantage by acquiring a master's degree in half the time traditionally required for a terminal M.A.

More details regarding the Accelerated M.A. program can be found in the department's Graduate Handbook. 

Admission to Graduate Studies

Admission Requirements

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy. 

• Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.  

• English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required. 

Admission Requirements

1. Completion or progress toward completion of a Bachelor's in Philosophy degree from the University of Kansas
2. GPA of 3.5 in Philosophy
3. GRE is not required, though the department will consider GRE scores if submitted with application materials

For additional information, including relevant deadlines and a list of required supplemental documentation to be submitted with the online application, please visit the graduate page of the Philosophy website, or contact the department Graduate Program Coordinator.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete all of the following requirements for the Accelerated M.A. within one calendar year post-bachelor’s:

24 credit hours of graduate course work (500-level or above) in philosophy post-bachelor’s with a grade of B or higher. At least 15 of these hours must be in courses numbered 800 or above. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
PHIL 800	Proseminar (To be taken in the first year of study)	3
Two graduate-level courses (500 or above) in each of the following 3 areas
For courses that can count toward multiple areas, the semester course schedule will indicate which topic and distribution area(s) are relevant
History of Philosophy		6
PHIL 506	Chinese Thought
PHIL 557	Kant
PHIL 558	Seventeenth Century Philosophy
PHIL 559	Eighteenth Century Philosophy
PHIL 560	Nineteenth Century Philosophy
PHIL 570	Nietzsche
PHIL 582	Existentialism
PHIL 590	Phenomenology
PHIL 592	Contemporary Continental Philosophy
PHIL 605	The Philosophy of Plato
PHIL 607	The Philosophy of Aristotle
PHIL 608	Hellenistic Philosophy
PHIL 648	Theory of Knowledge
PHIL 650	Metaphysics
PHIL 654	Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 805	Plato
PHIL 807	Aristotle
PHIL 820	Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____
PHIL 824	Hume
Metaphysics and Epistemology		6
PHIL 620	Philosophy of Natural Science
PHIL 622	Philosophy of Social Science
PHIL 630	Philosophy of Mathematics
PHIL 638	Philosophy of Language
PHIL 648	Theory of Knowledge
PHIL 650	Metaphysics
PHIL 654	Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 666	Rational Choice Theory
PHIL 850	Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____
PHIL 860	Topics in Philosophy of Science: _____
PHIL 868	Topics in Philosophy of Language: _____
PHIL 872	Topics in Theory of Knowledge: _____
PHIL 877	Topics in Philosophy of Mind: _____
Value Theory		6
PHIL 504	Philosophy of Sex and Love
PHIL 662	Aesthetics
PHIL 666	Rational Choice Theory
PHIL 668	Political Philosophy
PHIL 670	Contemporary Ethical Theory
PHIL 671	Feminist Theories in Ethics
PHIL 674	Philosophy of Law
PHIL 676	Medical Ethics: Life and Death Issues
PHIL 850	Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____
PHIL 880	Topics in Ethics: _____
Additional Electives		3
PHIL 500	Studies in Philosophy: _____
PHIL 593	Marxism and Critical Theory
PHIL 600	Readings in Philosophy: _____
PHIL 610	Metalogic
PHIL 612	Modal and Non-classical Logics
PHIL 833	Nietzsche
PHIL 835	Frege
Total Hours		24

Final Examination: 

All Accelerated MA students must pass an oral examination conducted by a committee of three philosophy department faculty. The examination can include any material from the student’s M.A. program. In advance of their final semester of course work, the student will work with the Director of Graduate Studies to identify three faculty members to serve on the student’s examination committee. The specific format of the exam is then decided by the student and the committee, often in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. A frequently used option is for the student to select (and perhaps subsequently revise) a paper written for a class and to use the topic of that paper as the focus of the examination.  

Time Limits and Other Restrictions

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the first semester of graduate study in order to maintain eligibility for the program.  They will be subject to a formal mid-year review to ensure satisfactory progress towards completion of the degree.

A student who receives a bachelor’s degree in Spring or Summer begins the M.A. portion of the degree that Fall. The student must then complete all requirements for the Accelerated M.A. by the first day of classes the following Fall.

If a student does not complete the Accelerated M.A. requirements within one year post-bachelor’s, the student may petition the department for admission to the standard 30-hour M.A. In extraordinary circumstances, for example, serious illness, students may petition the department to remain in the Accelerated M.A. 

At the completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• communicate, in written and oral form, key aspects of (a) the history of philosophical thought, and (b) the major currents in contemporary debates across the different branches of philosophy.
• evaluate the cogency of argumentative discourse, provide reasons for this evaluation, and express these reasons clearly to a variety of audiences.
• argue clearly and persuasively for their position, recognizing its weaknesses and developing its strengths.
• recognize, examine, and critically assess normative standards of social relations, practices, and institutions, including a wide range of human activities depending on value judgments.
• demonstrate, in written and oral form, an understanding of key.
• identify and extract arguments from texts, evaluate the cogency.
• articulate an oral argument that clearly and persuasively presents.
• articulate an oral argument that clearly and persuasively presents.
• develop a written argument that clearly and persuasively.
• demonstrate understanding of and sensitivity to professional.
• identify, pursue, and develop argument and analysis.