Degree Title: Master of Arts

Program Name and Number: Philosophy - MA5241

Department/Unit: Department of Philosophy

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Terms of Entry: [Fall | Spring | Summer]

Program Mission: The M.A. program in philosophy is designed to assist those with undergraduate training in philosophy to begin 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 insure that candidates for the degree will have an opportunity to develop

1. an 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, and
4. the ability to conduct original research in philosophy.

Program Overview: Ohio University offers an M.A. philosophy program in the analytic tradition broadly construed.  The program is structured to ensure that students pursue both a) coursework in a variety of the core subfields of philosophy and b) more specialized study culminating in a piece of original research in the master’s thesis.  The department includes faculty with specialization in aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, history and philosophy of science (including philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of biology, and  philosophy of physics), the history of philosophy (including ancient and modern), metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of religion, and social and political philosophy; thus, philosophy M.A. students at Ohio University have the opportunity to pursue in-depth research in any of these subfields. The program also affords students the chance to develop as teachers of philosophy.  Each year all M.A. students participate in a seminar designed to provide mentorship on teaching.   Additionally, select students have the opportunity to teach introductory logic to Ohio University undergraduates.  In the first year of the program these students run a recitation section for an introductory logic class taught by a full-time faculty member, and in the second year they have the chance to teach their own section of introductory logic.

Opportunities for Graduates: The 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 and speaking skills are prized.

Link to Program: http://www.philosophy.ohiou.edu/Pages/graduate_program.html

Graduation Requirements: The Master of Arts in Philosophy is granted upon the satisfaction of the following requirements:

1. Completion of 33 semester hours of graduate level philosophy in addition to any course(s) taken to compensate for deficiencies in undergraduate preparation. Eighteen of these hours must derive from classroom courses at the 5000 level. PHIL 6850, 6901, 6902, and 6903 are additionally required as indicated in (2) and (3) below. The 33 hours must include at least one selection from each of the groups indicated below. Other course offerings may also count toward requirements at the discretion of the graduate chair.

•  Logic and Philosophy of Mathematics (5020 or 5170 or 5200 or 5270)
•  Ancient Philosophy (5180 or 5190)
•  Modern Philosophy (5280 or 5290 or 5380)
•  Value Theory (5300 or 5320 or 5340 or 5400 or 5420)
•  Epistemology, Science, and Metaphysics (5140 or 5160 or 5170 or 5500 or 5510)

2. Enrollment in 6903 Seminar, 6850 Forum, and 6901 Supervised Teaching in each semester they are offered while in residence.

3. Enrollment (especially in the second year) in a suitable number of hours of 6950 Thesis.

4. Submission of an acceptable thesis on an approved topic, and an acceptable defense of it during an oral thesis examination. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, a student may attempt a thesis defense no more than twice during his or her maximal six-year term of admission.

Culminating Experience: Working in close consultation with a faculty director, M.A. students are required to research, write, and defend a thesis in philosophy. The thesis, which normally is at least 10,000 words in length, is to be an original and substantial essay of the sort published in professional, peer-reviewed journals in philosophy.

Admission Requirements: Only students who have earned at least a 3.0 (B) GPA in their undergraduate courses will be admitted unconditionally into the graduate program in philosophy. 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. Applications, along with official transcripts and GRE scores, should be submitted to Graduate Studies. At least three letters of reference as well as a sample of original philosophical writing should be submitted with the application. All application materials must be received by March 1 to receive full consideration for fall admission with departmental financial aid.