The department offers broad training in the major fields of philosophy. We are highly ranked in a number of fields, including philosophy of religion, Chinese philosophy, and aesthetics. We also have particular strengths in epistemology, philosophy of language, virtue ethics, political philosophy, and the history of modern philosophy.
We maintain an excellent teacher-to-student ratio and small class sizes. In addition to classes and seminars, the department offers a rich and lively community with an emphasis on informal interaction between faculty and students. The department has an active program of visiting speakers and we organize a wide variety of reading groups. University Libraries have large and comprehensive holdings in philosophy.
The MA requires either 30 hours of coursework. Student may either write a thesis of take the MA exam. The standard prerequisite is a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy, although in exceptional cases an applicant may be admitted with a Bachelor’s degree in another field if the applicant has completed substantial philosophy coursework. MA students take classes alongside PhD students and receive full faculty support and attention.
We are now offering some assistantships to MA students, which carry a stipend of $17,500, plus health insurance and a tuition waiver. MA students who are not funded may complete their degrees part-time and may begin their studies in either the fall or the spring.
You may be admitted to the PhD program either with an MA degree in philosophy or with only a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy. If you enter with an MA in philosophy, you may be granted up to 30 hours of coursework toward your PhD. This corresponds to two years’ worth of coursework as a full-time PhD student. If you are admitted with only a Bachelor's degree in philosophy, then you will be required to complete the full 51 hours of coursework (plus 39 hours of dissertation research) here in our program. In exceptional cases, an applicant may be admitted with a degree in another field if the applicant has completed substantial philosophy coursework.
Each of our PhD students receives an assistantship. For students entering with a BA, the assistantship is guaranteed for five years, assuming satisfactory progress toward the PhD. The department also has a strong record of placing our students in tenure-track positions.
See our Admissions and Requirements page for information about the admissions process and degree requirements.
All students admitted to the Ph.D. program are awarded a graduate assistantship, which is typically a half-time appointment (20 hours per week). Some M.A. students are awarded graduate assistantships. The application deadline for both the Ph.D. and the funded M.A. is January 15.
The 2023-2024 assistantship stipend is $20,000/year for students in the Ph.D. program and $17,500/year for students in the M.A. program. Tuition is waived up to the number of hours required for the degree. Some fees are waived for Graduate Assistants who enroll in at least 5 credit hours each Spring and Fall semester, provided they satisfy a few training and paperwork requirements.
All Graduate Assistants are eligible to receive free, single health coverage as a benefit of employment. An upgrade to a more comprehensive plan or the addition of a spouse and/or children to one’s coverage is available by paying an additional premium.
