Our M.A. in Philosophy is a two-year program available to a limited number of students who will have completed the Bachelor's degree prior to beginning their graduate studies. We also offer a separate accelerated M.A. program to current philosophy undergraduates. Currently, the M.A. program is not offered online. All degree requirements must be completed in-person.
Admissions
The deadline for admission to the M.A. in Philosophy program is March 11 previous to the fall semester of entry. Applicants to the program are expected to have a solid undergraduate background in philosophy as a basis for advanced graduate study.
The M.A. in Philosophy is independent of the University of Arizona Philosophy Ph.D. program. Students completing the M.A. in Philosophy will be given no special consideration relative to other applicants if they choose to apply to the doctoral program.
To apply for the MA in Philosophy, you must:
- Meet the Admissions Requirements established by the Graduate College.
- Submit to the Department of Philosophy via the UA Graduate College online application site:
- Two letters of recommendation from professors with whom you have studied
- A writing sample
- A statement of purpose
- Transcripts (may be unofficial, but if admitted official transcripts will be required)
- Recommended: Having completed at least four Philosophy classes in two different areas.
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Find information on MA placement and completion rates
Current UArizona Philosophy undergraduates may also be interested in exploring our Accelerated M.A. Program.
Tuition and Funding
For general information regarding graduate degrees and tuition, please see Graduate College’s degree and tuition policies .
The M.A. program does not offer graduate assistantships or tuition waivers.
Requirements
The requirements for completion of an M.A. in Philosophy include attaining a 3.0 grade point average in ten three-unit graduate courses at or above the 500 curricular level for a total of 30 units. Typically, three of these courses will be graduate seminars numbered between PHIL 596A through PHIL 596Z, and the remaining seven courses will be graduate surveys numbered between PHIL 500 through PHIL 594. Of these ten courses, the students must take at least one from each of the following fields:
- Metaphysics or Epistemology
- Ethics, Political Philosophy, or Value Theory
- History of Philosophy
- Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind or Cognitive Science.
Thesis Option
The M.A. in Philosophy does not have a thesis requirement. You may, however, opt to write a thesis instead of taking one of the graduate seminars. For a petition to be successful, the student must secure a faculty member to supervise the thesis and two other faculty members to serve on the thesis committee and conduct an oral defense. In such cases, the thesis will be a paper of approximately 6,000-10,000 words.
Contact Us
For questions, please contact Director of Graduate Studies Professor Houston Smit.