Program Overview

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Philosophy (M.A.)

Ohio University's Philosophy Department offers a program leading to a Master of Arts in Philosophy. Students receive a strong grounding in various fields of philosophy and write a master's thesis.

Program Overview

The department admits four to six students into the M.A. program each year. Small cohorts allow students to have substantial personal interaction with the faculty. This is a full-time program, and the normal time to completion is two academic years.

Program Mission

The M.A. program in philosophy is designed to assist those with undergraduate training in philosophy in beginning the transition to becoming professionals in the field. The program aims to produce promising candidates for either a) doctoral programs in philosophy or b) careers in which professional philosophical skills are valued.

Program Learning Objectives

The M.A. program is designed to ensure that candidates for the degree will have an opportunity to develop:

1. A historical perspective on the discipline
2. An understanding of many of the current issues in several key subfields
3. The skills associated with critical thinking, writing, and reading
4. The ability to conduct original research in philosophy

Admission Requirements

Complete applications must be received by the department by March 1 to receive full consideration for fall admission with departmental financial aid. All graduate applications, along with official transcripts, GRE score and application materials must be submitted electronically through the Graduate College.

Requirements & Application Materials

• Applications, along with official transcripts, should be submitted to Graduate College.
• A bachelor's degree with minimum grade point average (GPA) 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• Core undergraduate coursework: It is expected that students have taken at least 21 semester hours in philosophy. Students who have not had a course each in value theory, symbolic (predicate) logic, ancient philosophy, and modern philosophy must take courses in these areas during the first year in residence or as soon as possible.
• Three letters of reference. These letters should both address your past performance and assess your potential for success at graduate study in philosophy.
• A sample of original philosophical writing should be submitted with the application.
• A statement of purpose.

English Proficiency Requirement

Please review information about Ohio University's minimum English Language Proficiency requirements for graduate study.

Tuition & Fees

Tuition and fees are assessed based on the number of credit hours of enrollment, Ohio residency and program.

Financial Aid & Scholarship Information

The Philosophy M.A. program offers competitive tuition scholarships and graduate assistantships on the basis of merit, including previous academic performance and/or post-graduation professional experience.

Curriculum

The philosophy M.A. program prepares students to pursue Ph.D. programs or careers that value critical thinking, logic and reasoning skills, and writing and speaking skills are valued. Throughout the two-year program, students work closely with faculty to meet program learning objectives.

Graduate Student Research

Philosophy graduate students have the opportunity to complete research with support from faculty on a wide array of topics and interests. Students' thesis research extends past faculty research areas, further enriching the department.

Career Opportunities

OHIO's M.A. program in philosophy provides students with the foundation for doctoral studies in philosophy or other careers — such as law — where critical reasoning, writing, reading and speaking skills are prized.

Recent Ph.D. Placements

The program recently placed students into the following Ph.D. programs in philosophy:

• Bowling Green State University
• Florida State University
• Indiana University Bloomington (HPS)
• Johns Hopkins University
• Ohio State University
• Purdue University
• Saint Louis University
• Tulane University
• University of California, Irvine
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• University of Iowa
• University of Kentucky
• University of Missouri
• University of Rochester
• University of Utah