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Chairperson: James B. South, Ph.D.
marquette.edu/phil/grad.shtml
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts, students are admitted under Plan B (non-thesis option) but Plan A (thesis option) is also offered; Doctor of Philosophy
Note: Students in the social and applied philosophy specialization are admitted under Plan B only.
Specializations
Master’s: History of Philosophy, Social and Applied Philosophy
Doctoral: Ancient Philosophy, British Empiricism/Analytical Philosophy, Christian Philosophy, Early Modern European Philosophy, Ethics, German Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Phenomenology-Existentialism, Philosophy of Religion
Program Descriptions
The Philosophy Department's master's program in the history of philosophy and the doctoral program are based on the history of philosophy, ancient through contemporary, as the necessary experience for a mind critically able to face contemporary philosophical issues. The master's program in social and applied philosophy provides rigorous philosophical training for individuals who are interested in working in a variety of non-academic contexts or for pursuing further graduate studies.
Prerequisites for Admission
Applicants are expected to have 18 semester hours of undergraduate philosophy course work, six hours of which should be in survey courses (history of philosophy) for admission to the doctoral program or the master of arts program with a specialization in history of philosophy.
Application Deadline
Applicant files must be completed by Feb. 15 for admission consideration. Applications for admission received after this date will be considered as space permits.
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit, directly to the Graduate School:
- A completed online application form and fee.
- Official transcripts from all current and previous colleges/universities except Marquette.
- A statement of purpose outlining applicant’s achievements and intentions in philosophy.
- Letters of recommendation from at least three professors or professionals familiar with applicant’s academic work and/or academic background.
- GRE scores (General Test only).
- A sample of philosophical writing.
- (For international applicants only) a TOEFL score or other acceptable proof of English proficiency.
Joint Program of Study
M.A.-J.D. Degree
The Department of Philosophy, in conjunction with the Law School, offers a program of joint study leading to a master’s degree in philosophy and a juris doctor degree. Students seeking admission to the joint program must apply to both the Graduate School and the Law School and must meet the admission requirements for each. Students start this joint program as a law student. Upon completion of the law program, students will be officially admitted to the philosophy program for completion of the remainder of the joint program.
Joint program students complete 81 credit hours in the Law School, 21 credit hours in philosophy and nine credit hours in joint program courses.
To participate in the M.A.-J.D. program in social and applied philosophy or in history of philosophy, the law student must receive the prior written approval of the associate dean for academic affairs in the Law School and must comply with the regulations of the Graduate School. The student must have completed 27 credit hours at the Law School with a cumulative average of 3.000 before entering either master of arts program in philosophy. Students may seek admission to the joint program at any time, but must complete both programs in four years (six years for part-time students), in accord with Law School academic regulations.
In general, joint program students will pay tuition at the full-time (flat tuition) Law School rate while a full-time law student, regardless of whether or not they are taking additional graduate courses. Upon receiving the juris doctor degree, joint program students will pay Graduate School tuition at the per credit rate for graduate courses. Part-time law students will pay the per credit Law School rate for all courses.
Additional details about the M.A.-J.D. program are available on the Philosophy Department website at marquette.edu/phil/grad.shtml, at the Philosophy Department office or from the Law School Admissions office.
Edit "PHIL-MA"
Philosophy
The Department of Philosophy offers two master of arts specializations in the philosophy program: history of philosophy and social and applied philosophy.
(Plan A or Plan B master's)
Course work in either Plan A or B must include:
| PHIL 6605 | Plato | 3 |
| or PHIL 6610 | Aristotle | |
| PHIL 6620 | Augustine | 3 |
| or PHIL 6640 | St. Thomas Aquinas | |
| PHIL 6650 | Descartes | 3 |
| or PHIL 6655 | Hume | |
| or PHIL 6660 | Kant | |
| or PHIL 6662 | Hegel | |
| One course in the history of philosophy to be approved by the director of graduate studies | 3 | |
A master’s student may choose to be in either Plan A (thesis option) or Plan B (course option). Students are assumed to be in Plan B unless a formal request is made to and approved by the Graduate School.
In Plan A, the student must complete 24 credit hours of graduate-level course work and six credit hours of thesis work, pass a comprehensive examination and submit an approved thesis. Also, the student must have reading knowledge of French or German, or another foreign language approved by the department. At least 18 credits of the course work requirement must be in philosophy and must include the four core courses as outlined above. The comprehensive examination requires a critical knowledge of the philosophical classics and of contemporary philosophical literature.
In Plan B, the student must complete 30 credit hours of graduate-level course work and pass a comprehensive examination. No essay or foreign language is required for the Plan B master’s program. At least 18 credits of the course work requirement must be in graduate-level philosophy courses, including one course in ethics and the four core courses as outlined above. Up to six credit hours of upper division undergraduate courses approved for graduate credit may be counted toward this degree. Courses must be individually approved by the director of the graduate program. Plan B master’s degrees are considered terminal degrees by the Department of Philosophy.
(Plan B master's only)
| PHIL 6310 | History and Theory of Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 6960 | Seminar in Applied/Professional Philosophy | 3 |
| one of the following: | 3 | |
| Plato | ||
| Aristotle | ||
| Augustine | ||
| St. Thomas Aquinas | ||
| one of the following: | 3 | |
| Descartes | ||
| Post-Cartesian Rationalism | ||
| Hume | ||
| Kant | ||
| Hegel | ||
| PHIL 6965 | Practicum in Philosophy (may be taken for 6 credits OR 3 credits with an additional 3 credit philosophy elective) | 6 |
| Two electives from the graduate philosophy course offerings | 6 | |
| Two graduate level cognate courses from an outside philosophy | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
The cognate courses are to be approved by the student's adviser and the coordinator of the master of arts social and applied philosophy specialization. No comprehensive exam or foreign language is required for the Plan B master's program. Plan B master's degrees are considered terminal degrees by the Philosophy Department.
Philosophy
A doctoral student in the philosophy program must complete a program of study defined on an approved Doctoral Program Planning Form. Normally, the student must complete 60 credit hours of graduate-level course work beyond the baccalaureate degree, plus 12 credit hours of dissertation work. The student also must complete the foreign language requirements, display an understanding of the fundamentals of predicate logic demonstrated either by course work or by a department exam, pass qualifying examinations (written and oral) and submit and successfully defend a dissertation.
Course work must include:
| PHIL 6605 | Plato | 3 |
| or PHIL 6610 | Aristotle | |
| PHIL 6620 | Augustine | 3 |
| or PHIL 6640 | St. Thomas Aquinas | |
| PHIL 6650 | Descartes | 3 |
| or PHIL 6655 | Hume | |
| or PHIL 6660 | Kant | |
| or PHIL 6662 | Hegel | |
| One course in the history of philosophy to be approved by the director of graduate studies | 3 | |
With written approval from the department chair, up to 12 credit hours of required course work may be taken in other fields.
The doctoral candidate is expected to make use of research and reflection available in languages other than English. Two foreign languages are required. The program requires French or German and either French, German, Latin or Greek for the second foreign language. In exceptional circumstances, an alternative foreign language may be substituted for the above list.
On this page
- Degrees Offered
- Specializations
- Program Descriptions
- Prerequisites for Admission
- Application Deadline
- Application Requirements
- Joint Program of Study
- Philosophy
- Philosophy
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