Master of Arts in Philosophy

Advisor:
Marc Alspector-Kelly, Director of Graduate Studies
Room 3020, Moore Hall
marc.alspector-kelly@wmich.edu

The Master of Arts in Philosophy offers advanced study in the main subject areas and historical periods of philosophy.

Admission Requirements

In addition to satisfying the admission requirements of The Graduate College, applicants are expected

to have completed a minimum of twelve semester hours of undergraduate work in philosophy, including
a course in the history of modern philosophy, and
a course in symbolic logic, and
to have achieved a 3.0 or above overall grade point average in the applicant’s undergraduate philosophy courses.

Program Requirements

Non-Thesis Option

To complete the Non-Thesis Option for a Master of Arts in Philosophy, students must complete

At least 1 course (no less than 3 credit hours) in each of the three Concentration areas (the “breadth requirement”),
at least 3 courses (no less than 9 credit hours) in one of the Concentration areas (the “depth requirement”),
a minimum of 24 credit hours of 5000- or 6000-level courses in the Department of Philosophy, and
a minimum of 32 graduate credit hours. (With the authorization of the Department Graduate Advisor, students may count up to 8 credit hours of courses from other departments.)

Thesis Option

To complete the Thesis Option for a Master of Arts in Philosophy, students must complete

At least 1 course (no less than 3 credit hours) in each of the three Concentration areas (the “breadth requirement”),
at least 3 courses (no less than 9 credit hours) in one of the Concentration areas (the “depth requirement”),
a minimum of 24 credit hours of 5000- or 6000-level courses in the Department of Philosophy,
a minimum of 32 graduate credit hours. (With the authorization of the Department Graduate Advisor, students may count up to 8 credit hours of courses from other departments), and
6 credit hours of PHIL 7000. Please see Graduate Advisor for details.

Concentration Areas

The department offers graduate courses in philosophy in three Concentration Areas - Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, and Theoretical and Practical Ethics. Students must declare a concentration by the end of their first semester, but may, with departmental approval, change this at a later date. Students fulfilling their depth requirement in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind must take PHIL 6330 Metaphysics. Students with a Concentration in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science must take PHIL 6320 Theory of Knowledge. Students with a Concentration in Theoretical and Practical Ethics must take PHIL 6310 Ethical Theory.

Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind:

Courses that may, given the Proviso below, count for credit in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind are:

PHIL 5070 - The Continental Tradition in Philosophy Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5120 - Aesthetics Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5200 - Philosophical Applications of Symbolic Logic Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5400 - Philosophy of Mind Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5600 - Philosophy at Pre-College Levels Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5700 - Philosophical Topics Credits: 1-4 hrs.
PHIL 6000 - Colloquium Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6100 - Seminar in the History of Philosophy Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6200 - Philosophy of Language and Logic Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6330 - Metaphysics Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6500 - Philosophy of Religion Credits: 2-4 hrs.

Epistemology and Philosophy of Science

Courses that may, given the Proviso below, count for credit in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science are:

PHIL 5070 - The Continental Tradition in Philosophy Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5120 - Aesthetics Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5200 - Philosophical Applications of Symbolic Logic Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5250 - Decision Theory Credits: 4 hrs.
PHIL 5550 - Advanced Philosophy of Science Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5600 - Philosophy at Pre-College Levels Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5700 - Philosophical Topics Credits: 1-4 hrs.
PHIL 6000 - Colloquium Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6100 - Seminar in the History of Philosophy Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6200 - Philosophy of Language and Logic Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6320 - Theory of Knowledge Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6500 - Philosophy of Religion Credits: 2-4 hrs.

Theoretical and Practical Ethics

Courses that may, given the Proviso below, count for credit in Theoretical and Practical Ethics are:

PHIL 5070 - The Continental Tradition in Philosophy Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5120 - Aesthetics Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5340 - Moral and Philosophical Foundations of Health Care Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5440 - Practical Ethics Credits: 3 hrs.
PHIL 5600 - Philosophy at Pre-College Levels Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 5700 - Philosophical Topics Credits: 1-4 hrs.
PHIL 6000 - Colloquium Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6100 - Seminar in the History of Philosophy Credits: 2-4 hrs.
PHIL 6310 - Ethical Theory Credits: 2-4 hrs.

Proviso:

For courses listed under more than one Concentration, the faculty member and student will come to an agreement concerning which concentration a given course will fall under, determined by the course topic and content. Students may count a single, given offering of a course under only one Concentration. The following courses do not count for credit under any Concentration:

PHIL 5980 - Readings in Philosophy Credits: 1-4 hrs.
PHIL 7000 - Master’s Thesis Credits: 1-6 hrs.
PHIL 7100 - Independent Research Credits: 2-6 hrs.