Master of Arts in Philosophy
The M.A. degree requires 30 hours of graduate course work. Coursework begins with a first-year proseminar and, in addition, must include 2 courses each from the department’s 3 research areas: Value Theory, Metaphysics & Epistemology, and History of Philosophy. Students have the option of writing an MA Thesis. All students finish the program with a comprehensive exam, either focused on the thesis, a final exam based on an integrated overview of coursework, or a qualifying paper.
More details regarding the 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 to the M.A. in Philosophy
Apply to the graduate program via the Office of Graduate Studies online application system.
Departmental application materials required:
- Resume/CV
- A Brief Personal Statement of Academic Goals
- A Writing Sample preferably a sample of philosophical prose approximately 10-15 pages in length
- Three letters of recommendation
- Copies of official transcripts
- OPTIONAL: Graduate Record Examination Scores (verbal, quantitative, analytical) KU GRE Code: 6871
Please contact the department Graduate Program Coordinator with any questions regarding admissions.
M.A. Degree Requirements
Students must receive a grade of B- or higher in all graduate philosophy course work and an overall GPA of at least 3.0 in philosophy. At least 15 of these credit hours must be in courses numbered 800 or above.
The department offers a thesis, final exam, and qualifying paper option to complete the program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| PHIL 800 | Proseminar (must be taken first year of study) | 3 |
| At least 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 | |
| Chinese Thought | ||
| Kant | ||
| Seventeenth Century Philosophy | ||
| Eighteenth Century Philosophy | ||
| Nineteenth Century Philosophy | ||
| Nietzsche | ||
| Existentialism | ||
| Phenomenology | ||
| Contemporary Continental Philosophy | ||
| The Philosophy of Plato | ||
| The Philosophy of Aristotle | ||
| Hellenistic Philosophy | ||
| Theory of Knowledge (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in History of Philosophy) | ||
| Metaphysics (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in History of Philosophy) | ||
| Philosophy of Mind (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in History of Philosophy) | ||
| Plato | ||
| Aristotle | ||
| Topics in the History of Philosophy: _____ | ||
| Hume | ||
| Metaphysics and Epistemology | 6 | |
| Philosophy of Natural Science | ||
| Philosophy of Social Science | ||
| Philosophy of Mathematics | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Theory of Knowledge (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in metaphysics and epistemology) | ||
| Metaphysics (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in metaphysics and epistemology) | ||
| Philosophy of Mind (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in metaphysics and epistemology) | ||
| Rational Choice Theory | ||
| Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____ (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in metaphysics and epistemology) | ||
| Topics in Philosophy of Science: _____ | ||
| Topics in Philosophy of Language: _____ | ||
| Topics in Theory of Knowledge: _____ | ||
| Topics in Philosophy of Mind: _____ | ||
| Value Theory | 6 | |
| Philosophy of Sex and Love | ||
| Aesthetics | ||
| Rational Choice Theory | ||
| Political Philosophy | ||
| Contemporary Ethical Theory | ||
| Feminist Theories in Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Medical Ethics: Life and Death Issues | ||
| Topics in Recent Philosophy: _____ (when and only when seminar focuses on a topic in value theory) | ||
| Topics in Ethics: _____ | ||
| Additional Electives | 3 | |
| Studies in Philosophy: _____ | ||
| Marxism and Critical Theory | ||
| Readings in Philosophy: _____ | ||
| Metalogic | ||
| Modal and Non-classical Logics | ||
| Nietzsche | ||
| Frege | ||
| Completion Option | 6 | |
| Students select one of the following degree completion options for a total of 6 hours: | ||
| Thesis (6 hours) | ||
| Master's Thesis | ||
| OR | ||
| Final Exam (6 hours total) | ||
Two PHIL courses 800+ level (from courses listed above) | ||
| OR | ||
| Qualifying paper (6 hours total) | ||
| Qualifying Paper | ||
One PHIL course 800+ level (from courses listed above) | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Final Examination/Defense:
All MA students must pass an oral examination conducted by a committee of three philosophy department faculty. There are three ways to satisfy the final examination requirement:
- Thesis Option: The decision about whether to write a thesis is standardly made early in the second year of the M.A. program, after consulting with appropriate faculty members to identify an advisor. The department recommends a length of 10,000-12,000 words as standard for an M.A. thesis. The student will complete an oral defense of the thesis in accordance with Graduate Studies policy. The oral examination is held during the student’s final semester of course work. While the examination focuses on the written thesis, the committee may pursue any philosophical issue deemed relevant for ensuring the thesis reflects a breadth of philosophical knowledge.
- Final Exam Option - 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.
- Qualifying Paper Option - Students who are earning the M.A. while enrolled in the Ph.D. program can satisfy the requirement with a final examination focused on the paper written in PHIL 901. The student will work with their PHIL 901 advisor to identify two additional committee members. Once the Qualifying Paper draft is approved by the advisor, it will be sent to the other committee members.
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Hours | Semester 2 | Hours |
| PHIL 800 | 3 | 500+ level Value Theory course | 3 |
| 800+ level History of Philosophy course | 3 | 500+ level Metaphysics and Epistemology course | 3 |
| 500+ level History of Philosophy course | 3 | ||
| 6 | 9 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Semester 1 | Hours | Semester 2 | Hours |
| PHIL 899 | 3 | 500+ level Metaphysics and Epistemology course | 3 |
| 800+ level Value Theory course | 3 | PHIL 899 | 3 |
| 500+ level elective | 3 | ||
| 6 | 9 | ||
| Total Hours 30 | |||
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- demonstrate, in written and oral form, an understanding of key aspects of (a) the history of philosophical thought, (b) competing ethical frameworks, including their history and application, and (c) major currents in contemporary debates in theoretical philosophy.
- identify and extract arguments from texts, evaluate the cogency of argumentative discourse, and provide reasons for this evaluation.
- articulate an oral argument that clearly and persuasively presents their position, situating the argument in a broader context and defending the argument against objections in ways that are made clear to a variety of audiences.
- develop a written argument that clearly and persuasively advocates for a philosophical position, deploying technical, historical, and contextual sources as required, and revise the argument as needed to address its recognized weaknesses and develop its recognized strengths.
- demonstrate understanding of and sensitivity to professional norms and obligations regarding how research is conducted, evaluated, and disseminated in presentations and publications.
- identify, pursue, and develop argument and analysis independently (under the supervision of an advisor, but not overly controlled by the advisor) that results in a novel contribution to the literature that advances scholarship on a particular issue of philosophical importance.