Master
of Arts in Philosophy
In addition to its BA/MA and JD/MA programs,
the department offers a
program of study terminating in the MA. Candidates
for the MA must
successfully complete the language and logic
requirements, as well as a
master's thesis. Coursework shall consist of
eight courses, at least
five of which must be in philosophy. Considerable
flexibility in the
program of study is permitted so that the MA
can serve as a vehicle for
combining various interests (for example, aesthetics
with training in a
fine art; political philosophy with training
in law).
Academic Requirements
- Admission based on the BA. All applicants
must submit scores from
the Graduate Record Examination. The terminal
MA program is for full or
part-time students; however, students must
register for at least two
courses a semester until the course requirements
are completed (this
provision takes precedence over the GRS requirement).
Candidates for
the terminal MA will ordinarily not be considered
for admission to the
PhD program upon completion of the MA.
- Study
must be completed within three years after
the first
registration for study leading to the MA degree.
- No
financial assistance will be provided to MA
students.
- Course requirements: 8 courses,
at least 5 of which must be in
philosophy, and one of which may be in a language.
In all other
respects the student must satisfy the logic
requirement as defined for
the PhD program; and submit a master's thesis
(written under the
direction of a faculty member) which must be
defended in an oral
examination. The foreign language requirement
is contingent upon the
nature of the MA thesis. Only if it is needed
for the thesis must the
student demonstrate proficiency in the same
manner that a PhD student
does. If not needed, MA students do not need
to demonstrate proficiency
in a language other than English.
- Considerable
flexibility will be permitted here so that
the MA can
serve as a vehicle for combining various interests;
e.g., aesthetics
with training in a fine art, ethics or political
philosophy with law or
business, etc. Coursework must be planned in
consultation with the
student's faculty advisor.
- The requirements
with respect to incompletes or unsatisfactory
grades are the same as for the PhD program.
Concentration
in the Philosophy of Science
Within its Masters Degree program,
the Philosophy Department offers a concentration
in the philosophy of science. This curriculum
is designed for those who are seeking to understand
the conceptual foundations of the natural sciences
(physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences),
cognitive sciences, mathematics, medicine, psychology,
economics, and other social sciences. While philosophy
of science usually focuses on contemporary science,
in this program students are also afforded the
opportunity to study the history of science, as
well as issues at the interface of science and
religion. Students must fulfill the general Master
of Arts degree requirements of the Department
of Philosophy as well as the following core curriculum:
- a two semester graduate level course in philosophy
of science, the first being devoted to general
principles (PH 870: Seminar in Philosophy of
Science) and the second pertaining to current
debates in philosophy of science, such as those
about realism and anti-realism, explanation,
constructivism, and causation (PH 871: Contemporary
Issues in Philosophy of Science);
- a graduate seminar in a particular area
of philosophy of science, e.g., philosophy
of physics (PH 670), philosophy of cognitive
science (PH 665), philosophy of biology (PH
672), general epistemology (PH 860, PH 861),
philosophy of logic and mathematics (PH 667,
PH 674, PH 678), or philosophy of the social
sciences (PH 677);
- a course in the history of science that
may be offered either by the Department of
Philosophy (PH 687: Topics in the Philosophy
of Science), or any one of various courses
in the Department of History, Department of
Mathematics, or the Interdepartmental Program
in Neuroscience;
- a specific science course is not required,
but students are urged to enroll either in
the science literacy course offered through
the “Science, Philosophy, and Religion
Program” of the School of Theology, or
alternatively a graduate level course in the
natural or social sciences, mathematics, or
logic.
A student specializing in the philosophy
of science will take the same total number of
courses as will any other philosophy MA student.
Joint degrees
The Department of Philosophy also
offers a joint MA/PhD
program with the Department of Classical Studies
as well as a joint JD/MA
program with the Boston University School of Law. |
