MA programs for applicants w/o phil background

[TimHe]

Hi all,

I am preparing to apply for an MA program this year or 2019. I had an undergrad degree in economics and a master one in logistics/industrial engineering. I have been working in a logistics company for 3 years since my graduation. In recent years, I became really passionate about philosophy and started reading a lot about it and going to philosophy meetups. I want to have a systematic education on it, so I think starting with an MA program is my best shot. I hope to eventually get a PhD in philosophy. 

My GPA is 3.7 for my grad degree and 3.6 for my undergrad. I don't have a Phil background. Is it still possible to get in a good program? Can you please give me some suggestions on choosing programs? Thank you so much for your help!

 

[maxhgns]

Of course it is.

Just make sure that the programs you apply to will offer you full funding--there's no sense doing an MA in philosophy if you have to pay for any of it. There are lots of very good MA programs out there. Determining which would be best for you depends to some extent on what your interests are, but since you don't have a background in philosophy I'd avoid the 1-year  programs, and concentrate on 2-year programs with a fair bit of coursework. Simon Fraser's is one of the very best in this respect, but you should also consider GSU, NIU, Milwaukee, Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria. There are lots more, but we'd need to hear a little more about where your interests lie.

[TimHe]

1 hour ago, maxhgns said:

Of course it is.

Just make sure that the programs you apply to will offer you full funding--there's no sense doing an MA in philosophy if you have to pay for any of it. There are lots of very good MA programs out there. Determining which would be best for you depends to some extent on what your interests are, but since you don't have a background in philosophy I'd avoid the 1-year  programs, and concentrate on 2-year programs with a fair bit of coursework. Simon Fraser's is one of the very best in this respect, but you should also consider GSU, NIU, Milwaukee, Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria. There are lots more, but we'd need to hear a little more about where your interests lie.

1

Thanks for the advice. Philosophy of mind, science, and ethics interest me the most. Another big reason I want to apply for an MA is to get a PhD afterward.

Are those fully funded programs more difficult to get in?

[machineghost]

It seems to me that GSU would be a good fit, especially their neurophilosophy track given your interests in science and phil mind.

[Duns Eith]

By "no philosophy background", do you mean that you don't have any philosophy courses whatsoever? Some might have a requirement like critical thinking or intro to logic. Of course, they might make them entrance requirements you can fulfill in the first year of your program, but you might wanna look at their specific admissions requirements.

[lyellgeo]

Yeah, it might depend whether you've taken philosophy courses (and if so how many) before. This is from the GSU website, in case it applies to your situation:

We sometimes have applicants who have never taken philosophy classes before (or have taken just one or two classes), having majored in some other field, but who have read philosophy on their own and have an interest in pursuing graduate studies in philosophy. We do not admit students in this sort of case: some prior academic background in philosophy is necessary for admission. However, these students are urged to enroll as postbaccalaureate students at Georgia State, or at another university or college if coming to GSU is inconvenient, in order to take additional undergraduate classes. ("Post-bacc" status students are students who already have a bachelor's degree and may take additional undergraduate classes but are not enrolled in a degree program.) With those classes, the student will be able to a have a philosophy writing sample, letters of recommendation from philosophy faculty, and a track record in philosophy, in order to be able to make a stronger application for our M.A. program. Students who are interested in pursuing this route should contact the Director of Graduate Studies in order to arrange a suitable course of study to prepare for graduate-level work.

[jelris]

LSU might be a good option for you. I got in with limited coursework in Philosophy as my undergraduate degree was in Modern Culture & Media and it is a funded program with some reasonable support for philosophy of science.

[TimHe]

On 1/14/2018 at 10:08 AM, machineghost said:

It seems to me that GSU would be a good fit, especially their neurophilosophy track given your interests in science and phil mind.

Thank you! I will look it up.

[TimHe]

On 1/14/2018 at 11:15 AM, Duns Eith said:

By "no philosophy background", do you mean that you don't have any philosophy courses whatsoever? Some might have a requirement like critical thinking or intro to logic. Of course, they might make them entrance requirements you can fulfill in the first year of your program, but you might wanna look at their specific admissions requirements.

I majored in economics. The courses closest to philosophy are economics ones about utilitarianism. I am from China originally, so course about karl marx's theories is a must if that counts

[TimHe]

On 1/14/2018 at 1:17 PM, lyellgeo said:

Yeah, it might depend whether you've taken philosophy courses (and if so how many) before. This is from the GSU website, in case it applies to your situation:

We sometimes have applicants who have never taken philosophy classes before (or have taken just one or two classes), having majored in some other field, but who have read philosophy on their own and have an interest in pursuing graduate studies in philosophy. We do not admit students in this sort of case: some prior academic background in philosophy is necessary for admission. However, these students are urged to enroll as postbaccalaureate students at Georgia State, or at another university or college if coming to GSU is inconvenient, in order to take additional undergraduate classes. ("Post-bacc" status students are students who already have a bachelor's degree and may take additional undergraduate classes but are not enrolled in a degree program.) With those classes, the student will be able to a have a philosophy writing sample, letters of recommendation from philosophy faculty, and a track record in philosophy, in order to be able to make a stronger application for our M.A. program. Students who are interested in pursuing this route should contact the Director of Graduate Studies in order to arrange a suitable course of study to prepare for graduate-level work.

Thank you so much! 

[TimHe]

On 1/14/2018 at 9:19 PM, jelris said:

LSU might be a good option for you. I got in with limited coursework in Philosophy as my undergraduate degree was in Modern Culture & Media and it is a funded program with some reasonable support for philosophy of science.

How do you like the courses of LSU? Is it a 2 year program? 

[jelris]

Yes, it is a 2 year program. I have enjoyed my coursework so far, however, my work is primarily in continental philosophy so I have had limited contact with the professors that you would be working with primarily. The program has good flexibility although there is a required seminar per semester. If you're interested, I would suggest you look up Pence, Roland, Protevi, and Sarkar on the LSU Philosophy website and see how your interests align.

[TimHe]

21 minutes ago, jelris said:

Yes, it is a 2 year program. I have enjoyed my coursework so far, however, my work is primarily in continental philosophy so I have had limited contact with the professors that you would be working with primarily. The program has good flexibility although there is a required seminar per semester. If you're interested, I would suggest you look up Pence, Roland, Protevi, and Sarkar on the LSU Philosophy website and see how your interests align.

Thanks for the advice. I'll look them up. 

[syn]

I would strongly recommend University of Missouri-St. Louis.  It's one of the top terminal MA programs according to Leiter, and they have $10k stipends for MA students, which is quite competitive.  Graduates have gone on to Rutgers, UCLA, ANU, WUSTL, and others.  The program specializes in mind, medieval, ethics, and epistemology, and it's also a good generalist department, too.  If you're interested I can get you in touch with the Director and Chair personally. 

[hector549]

As some others have suggested, to be competitive for top MA's, you'll usually need at least some formal exposure to philosophy. I can't speak to every MA program, but at my program, everyone has had at least some coursework in philosophy. Most people at my MA program have undergraduate degrees in philosophy. It's not a bad idea to take some courses to see if you like academic philosophy, it'll give you a chance to do some work that you might turn into a writing sample, and give you the opportunity to obtain letters of recommendation from philosophy faculty. It'll be exceedingly difficult/impossible to compose a philosophy writing sample if you haven't taken any courses.

Edited February 3, 2018 by hector549