M.A. In Philosophy Requirements
Prerequisites
We do not insist that M.A. students have been undergraduate philosophy majors. However, the following four undergraduate courses are prerequisites for the graduate program. UTK course numbers are given in parentheses.
- Elementary Formal Logic (135) or a more advanced course in formal logic
- Elementary Ethical Theory (340) or a more advanced course in ethics
- History of Ancient Western Philosophy (320)
- History of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Philosophy (324).
While earning a Master's degree in philosophy from our department, there are two options available:
- to write a master's thesis in your last year of course work
- to write a comprehensive examination towards the end or just after completing all course work
If you choose the thesis option, your course work at UT must include:
- 24 hours of philosophy courses (a typical graduate course is 3 hours) 6 hours of thesis work (Philosophy 500)
- Of these 30 hours, 20 hours must be courses numbered 500 or higher
If you choose to write the final exam option, your course work at UT must include:
- 30 hours of philosophy courses
- Of the total 30 hours, 24 hours must be in courses numbered 500 or higher
...and there's a bit more....
Whether you write the thesis or the examination, there are specific course requirements to ensure that our graduates have studied widely in the discipline. We call these our "distribution requirements." Each of these four courses must be numbered 400 or higher:
- The Proseminar
- Two courses in ancient/medieval philosophy (e.g., Aristotle, Plato) or modern philosophy (e.g., Kant, Husserl-Sartre)
- One course in contemporary ELMS (epistemology, philosophy of language, metaphysics, or philosophy of science, e.g., Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Science)
- One course in value theory (e.g., Theories of Justice, Consequentialism)
More detailed information on this program can be found in the Graduate Handbook.
