Started in 2000, our M.A. program is especially suitable for those interested in studying philosophy of mind, epistemology, philosophy of science, medieval philosophy, or metaethics. We are happy to work with smart dedicated students who did not major in philosophy as undergraduates.
The Department processes applications throughout the year. Students whose applications arrive after the February 28 deadline may be accepted without funding; they may apply for funding for their second year during their first year; if they are accepted after the fall semester has started, they may begin the program during the spring.
The following items are required for the M.A. application:
Applications can be submitted online through the Graduate School.
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. There are also opportunities to earn additional money during the summer term and the winter intersession.
A complete application must be received by February 28 for consideration for an assistantship. In your cover letter, please indicate whether you want to be considered for an assistantship.
This page has links to everything you need, but if you have any questions, please consult the FAQ, or contact Lauren Olin at olinl@umsl.edu.
Fees for graduate coursework can be found on the Student Financial Services site. Graduate students who begin their UMSL careers as out-of-state students do not automatically acquire in-state status after a year's residency. The rules regarding these matters are in force throughout the UM system. Check residency information for the details of this policy. All students who are United States citizens are eligible for federal loans, either subsidized or unsubsidized.
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 here at UMSL.
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:
More information about the MA in Philosophy degree requirements
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. In any given semester, UMSL graduate students must take at least half of their courses at their home institution; they must also take all of their coursework in their first semester of graduate study at UMSL.
Our graduates have gone to Ph.D. programs at: 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. Read more about our student placements.
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.
Who should consider an M.A. program in philosophy? Three categories of students who ultimately want to get a Ph.D. and pursue an academic career might benefit from such programs: (i) students whose undergraduate major was not philosophy; (ii) students who majored in philosophy at universities with philosophy departments outside the mainstream of the profession; and (iii) students who majored in philosophy, have a solid grounding in the various areas of philosophy, but who studied philosophy at smaller colleges and universities, or at institutions with weak academic reputations students who fit into one of these categories may be more likely to have trouble getting into Ph.D. programs and may be good candidates to benefit from M.A. programs.
The Philosophical Gourmet goes on to list the following ways a strong M.A. program can serve students in these categories: "A good M.A. program will provide many benefits: it will allow a student to get a basic grounding in philosophy or expand the breadth of her existing knowledge; to develop increased familiarity with current debates in philosophy; to prepare and polish written work in philosophy that will be useful in the applications process for Ph.D. programs; and to get to know some established philosophers who can then provide meaningful letters of recommendation for Ph.D. programs." The Philosophical Gourmet ranks our terminal M.A. program among the best in the country.
For more information, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Lauren Olin, at olinl@umsl.edu.
