Program Overview

Master of Arts in Philosophy

The Master of Arts in Philosophy program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis is designed for students interested in studying philosophy of mind, epistemology, philosophy of science, medieval philosophy, or metaethics. The program is suitable for students who did not major in philosophy as undergraduates.

Admission Requirements

The Department processes applications throughout the year. Students whose applications arrive after the February 28 deadline may be accepted without funding. The following items are required for the M.A. application:

• Transcripts of undergraduate study
• Writing sample, preferably around 15 pages
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal statement explaining one's interest in the program
• GRE scores (not required but strongly recommended)

Admission with an Assistantship

The Department awards several teaching assistantships per year, and occasionally faculty who have received grants hire students as their graduate research assistants. These TAships and RAship are competitive. Normally, an assistantship brings with it a full tuition remission and a $10,000 stipend.

Degree Requirements

To earn an MA in Philosophy, students must complete at least 30 hours (10 courses) of graduate-level coursework and write a thesis for an additional 3 credit hours. Two-thirds (24 credit hours) of the degree program, including the thesis, must be completed in residence at UMSL. Students must demonstrate a competence in logic, either by having passed the relevant course prior to admission or by taking PHIL 5561: Graduate Formal Logic.

Course Requirements

Students should, if at all possible, take the graduate Proseminar during the first Fall semester in which they are in residence. In addition, the courses taken are subject to two distribution requirements:

1. At least half the courses must be at the 5000 level
2. At least two courses (6 credit hours) must be from each of the following four areas: - Epistemology/Metaphysics/Philosophy of Mind/Philosophy of Language - History of Philosophy - Logic/Philosophy of Science/Philosophy of Cognitive Science - Value Theory (ethics, aesthetics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law)

Co-Op with Saint Louis University

The research interests of the UMSL Philosophy Department are complemented by those of the department at Saint Louis University, which has strengths in the history of philosophy as well as in philosophy of religion. To enhance students' opportunities for instruction and expertise, the two departments have worked out a cooperative arrangement that permits graduate philosophy students on each campus to take up to four courses at the partner institution.

Student Placements

Our graduates have gone to Ph.D. programs at various universities, including Arizona, Boston University, Colorado, Connecticut, CUNY, Duke, Illinois-Carbondale, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania, Rutgers, Saint Louis University, SUNY-Buffalo, Temple, Texas, UCLA, UC-Santa Cruz, Washington University-STL, and Wisconsin.

Benefits of the MA in Philosophy Program

The most compelling reason to study philosophy is to engage your curiosity and enrich your life. Students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. and seek an academic career in a college or university also benefit from first graduating from a strong M.A. program. Community colleges generally recruit their philosophy faculty from those who have earned M.A. degrees. A good M.A. program will provide many benefits, including a basic grounding in philosophy, increased familiarity with current debates in philosophy, and preparation and polishing of written work in philosophy that will be useful in the applications process for Ph.D. programs.