Philosophy - Master of Arts (MA)

The MA in Philosophy is intended to provide students with:

• A solid foundation in all the core areas of philosophy, including its history, in preparation for more advanced and specialized work at the doctoral level.
• Philosophical training for those who intend to go on to work in interdisciplinary areas bordering with philosophy, such as cognitive science or applied ethics and public policy.
• An opportunity for those who wish to explore more advanced study of philosophy for personal enrichment and satisfaction.
• The education needed for teaching philosophy at the secondary-school level or at a community college.

We offer to MA students not only an outstanding education in philosophy but also all the benefits of being in a large, active, collegial department, with numerous colloquia, conferences, workshops, and reading groups in many areas of philosophy. MA students enroll in the same classes as PhD students, and are treated as full members of the graduate program.

Master's degree students do not typically receive guaranteed departmental funding, but in recent years most master's students have received teaching assistantships (TA-ships) in some of their semesters in the program. (TA-ships come with both a stipend and a tuition waiver.) MA students are encouraged to apply through the university for financial aid and university scholarships (for more information, see our Funding page). 

All domestic graduate students qualify for in-state tuition after just one year of residency in Colorado. Applicants admitted to the MA program who are not residents of Colorado or of any of the Western states might consider petitioning to defer their enrollment for one year, during which time they can establish residency in Colorado, in order to avoid paying out-of-state tuition.

The Department of Philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder is a member of the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), which means that students from the Western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) can enroll in our MA program at in-state Colorado tuition rates. Students need not demonstrate financial need to take advantage of this benefit. To be considered for the WRGP tuition rate, students simply apply directly to our program and identify themselves as WICHE WRGP applicants. WRGP students must fulfill all of our usual requirements for admission, meet all admission deadlines, and be selected for admission.

Students in the master's program must satisfy a variety of requirements, including the completion of coursework. The department has a diversified faculty that can supervise the writing of master's theses on a wide range of topics. There is also a popular non-thesis option for the MA.

Students considering both our PhD and MA program should apply to the PhD program. Applicants not accepted to the PhD will automatically be considered for the MA program. Those interested only in the terminal MA program should apply just to that program. Students applying to the MA program can expect to hear about admission some time in late March to early April.

Students wishing to pursue a master's degree in philosophy should note the Graduate School requirements in the master's degree requirements section and consult the MA Program page and the Graduate Admissions page of the Philosophy Department's website.

Bachelor's–Accelerated Master's Degree Program

Students may earn this degree as part of the Bachelor's–Accelerated Master's (BAM) degree program, which allows currently enrolled CU Boulder undergraduate students the opportunity to earn a bachelor's and master's degree in a shorter period of time.

For more information, see the Accelerated Master's tab for the associated bachelor's degree, Philosophy - Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor's–Accelerated Master's Program page on the Philosophy Department's website. 

Requirements

Degree Plans

Plan I: Thesis Option

The MA requires:

• 30 hours of approved graduate study at the 5000 level or above (philosophy courses taken below the 5000 level may be taken as PHIL 5810, with approval)
• demonstrated proficiency in the core areas of philosophy
• a successful thesis defense.

Four to six hours of the 30 credit hours must be thesis hours; the remaining 24 to 26 hours are for coursework credit hours (typically eight courses). At least 18 hours must be philosophy courses (PHIL 6940 and PHIL 6950 do not count).

No more than 9 hours of credit may be transferred into the program from other graduate programs. Students who enter the MA program already holding an MA degree may not transfer into the program any credits that applied toward the MA degree already held.

Students must demonstrate competence in the core areas of philosophy by passing, with a grade of B or better, one graduate or upper-division course in each of the following three areas: history of philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, and values.

Required Courses and Credit Hours

Thesis and Oral Defense

Each student must prepare a thesis plan acceptable to the chair of his or her thesis committee and proceed to write the thesis, working as closely as necessary with the chair. At the appropriate time, the committee will convene to hold a final oral defense of the thesis. A copy of the thesis must be furnished to each committee member at least two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the defense.

Plan II: Non-Thesis Option

The department will award a non-thesis MA to any student who has completed 33 credits of graduate-level coursework with a B+ average or better. Twenty-four hours of coursework must be in philosophy.

The student must also meet the standard logic requirement and take three credits in each of our three general areas: history of philosophy (ancient or modern, specifically); metaphysics and epistemology; and values.

Standard restrictions on the number of credits earned from special topics and from independent study apply.

Required Courses and Credit Hours

Plan(s) of Study