Washington University in St. Louis Philosophy Department: Graduate Program

The Masters Program

There are two major routes to the MA in philosophy, marked by divergent tests of the student's expertise in philosophy:

A non-thesis program featuring a curtailed version of the formal pre-doctoral-candidacy requirements outlined for the doctoral program above, and
A thesis program that coincides with the non-thesis program in Orientation, Advising, and the Pro-seminar.

Orientation:

Every new student in the Masters program must participate in Orientation in order to be able to determine before classes begin, in consultation with the Graduate Student Advisor, which of the two programs is the more suitable, and so that the Advisor may then help plan an appropriate detailed program of study. As in the case of doctoral students, some diagnostic conferences and diagnostic exams will doubtless be useful in facilitating this planning.

Advising:

The advising system for the Masters is similar to that described under the doctoral program except in that the thesis director becomes the student's advisor should the thesis program be followed.

Pro-seminar:

Every new student entering the Masters program must participate in the Pro-seminar during his or her first semester in the program. (See description under the doctoral program).

The Non-thesis Masters Program

A student will be awarded the MA after successfully completing at least 30 credit hours of graduate level course work in philosophy (students enrolled in the PNP program must complete at least 27 credit hours of graduate course work in philosophy and 3 credit hours of PNP related work in either psychology or biology). The 30 credit hours of graduate course work required for a non-thesis M.A. must include one core course in analytic/continental philosophy, two core courses in the history of philosophy (one ancient and one modern), and one core course in value theory. A Masters Pass in the Exam in logical Technique or passing Phil 301 or Phil 405 with a B-level grade or above, and one Qualifying Paper, are also required. Other requirements may be designed by Graduate Advisor.

The Thesis Masters Program

A student will be awarded the MA after having successfully completed at least 24 hours of graduate level course work exclusive of Masters Research enrollments, and having written and defended a satisfactory Masters thesis. In consultation with the Advisor and the Department Chair, the student chooses a member of the Department to direct the thesis. After this faculty member has accepted the position of director, he or she--again in consultation with the Department Chair and the student--selects two other faculty members to serve on the thesis committee. This committee is responsible for approving for submission to the Graduate School the Title, Scope, and Procedure Form for the MA thesis, overseeing the progress of the student in writing the thesis, and conducting an oral examination of the student over the completed thesis.

The 24 credit hours of graduate course work required for a thesis M.A. must include one core course in analytic/continental philosophy, two core courses in the history of philosophy (one ancient and one modern), and one core course in value theory. A Masters Pass in the Exam in Logical Technique (or passing Phil 301 or Phil 405 with a B-level grade or above) and one Qualifying Paper are also required. Other requirements may be designed by Graduate Advisor.

In addition to the two major routes just outlined, students can also earn an MA in philosophy with a concentration in any of a variety of related fields. Requirements for such a degree, which include the writing and defense of a satisfactory thesis, are arranged on an individual basis.

A student who expects to receive the MA degree must file a document entitled "Statement of Intention to Graduate" at the opening of the semester in which one anticipates the awarding of the MA degree.