Good MA programs in continental philosophy

[platin]

Hi everyone, next year I will apply to MA programs in US. Since my major is not philosophy and I want to pursue phd in philosophy, i think getting an MA degree first would be better for me.

I am interested in continental philosophy, ethics and feminist theory. Which schools would you suggest? I have a friend studying at Loyola, do you think it is a good place to study before the phd?

[fürsichsein]

Hi everyone, next year I will apply to MA programs in US. Since my major is not philosophy and I want to pursue phd in philosophy, i think getting an MA degree first would be better for me.

I am interested in continental philosophy, ethics and feminist theory. Which schools would you suggest? I have a friend studying at Loyola, do you think it is a good place to study before the phd?

New School for Social Reserch.

[blin811]

On 5/2/2010 at 6:05 PM, platin said:

Hi everyone, next year I will apply to MA programs in US. Since my major is not philosophy and I want to pursue phd in philosophy, i think getting an MA degree first would be better for me.

I am interested in continental philosophy, ethics and feminist theory. Which schools would you suggest? I have a friend studying at Loyola, do you think it is a good place to study before the phd?

Which Loyola is your friend at? If Loyola-Marymount, I know they have placement information which is rare for MA programs (let alone ones in Continental Philosophy).

Some programs I heard good things about are Stony Brook MA, Duquesne, and WUSTL.

[platin]

On 5/5/2010 at 1:23 PM, blin811 said:

Which Loyola is your friend at? If Loyola-Marymount, I know they have placement information which is rare for MA programs (let alone ones in Continental Philosophy).

Some programs I heard good things about are Stony Brook MA, Duquesne, and WUSTL.

At Loyola university of Chicago

[kallistos]

Depends on if funding is an issue for you. If funding is an issue, then you'll presumably want to go to an institution that will give you some sort of stipend while you get the MA. A place like Miami of Ohio is excellent, from what I've seen. If funding is not an issue, then your best bet is to try to get into one of the top continental programs as an MA seeking student: BC or DePaul, for instance. If you'd like to get an MA in the Chicago area in a continental program, I'd advise DePaul first, and then either Loyola or Northwestern. Best of luck.

[Schema]

Hi -

Just my two cents -- first post here by the way -- I've been looking into MA programs in Chicago and Northwestern only offers an MA as part of their PhD program. Sadly, too, because it's convenient for me. I wasnt aware their program leaned Continental. Thanks for the info.

[Mr. David Jay]

Which Loyola is your friend at? If Loyola-Marymount, I know they have placement information which is rare for MA programs (let alone ones in Continental Philosophy).

Some programs I heard good things about are Stony Brook MA, Duquesne, and CSULA.

Duquesne doesn't have good funding, although you can get a MA from U Pitt for free, I believe, because of a joint program they have.

[dgobox]

Thread's a little old, but people will surely come to this topic in the future for next application season. As such, in addition to the programs that have already been mentioned, I want to add Memphis and Villanova. Cheers!

[Billy Dean]

Although I didn't include it in my own list of applications, I've heard good things about Brock University.

[Mr. David Jay]

LSU has a nice blend of continental and analytic, and some nice cross overs too. I'd recommend it especially if you like Heidegger.

[kgbanick]

New School for Social Reserch.

The best academics for a Continental education in the US, no doubt. But do not attend. The funding there is non-existent and they do not care about your funding. I urge anyone who is thinking about accepting an offer from NSSR to decline it, because you WILL be in untenable amounts of debt by the time you get your degree.

[parapraxis]

Villanova doesn't have a terminal MA in Philosophy, so cancel that suggestion (they have a "Liberal Studies M.A., where one can take a few phil. classes, but it's not the same thing, and there is no guarantee that will get you into a PhD). I'll recommend Boston College for the terminal MA (it worked for me), though life is tough as a BC MA-- the education you get makes it worth it. Barely though.

[objectivityofcontradiction]

Man, this thread sure has had a lack of life. Just signed up for the grad cafe today. I'll be applying for entry into graduate school for the Fall of 2013. Still a ways away but figured I'd list the MA programs I've been looking at. I am looking to study continental philosophy, particularly German Philosophy (Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Nietzsche, the Frankfurt School). The schools I will be applying to for an MA are:

Warwick (UK)

Loyola Chicago

New Mexico

Marquette

New School

Stony Brook

Sussex (UK)

Nottingham (UK)

Toledo

Boston U

I think it's important for any one considering grad study in Phil to not forget to look at the programs overseas. The UK has quite a few programs that lean Continental, with Warwick being one of the best. I look forward to using this site and conversing with any one else pursuing graduate work in philosophy.

[Norman G]

Man, this thread sure has had a lack of life. Just signed up for the grad cafe today. I'll be applying for entry into graduate school for the Fall of 2013. Still a ways away but figured I'd list the MA programs I've been looking at. I am looking to study continental philosophy, particularly German Philosophy (Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Nietzsche, the Frankfurt School). The schools I will be applying to for an MA are:

Warwick (UK)

Loyola Chicago

New Mexico

Marquette

New School

Stony Brook

Sussex (UK)

Nottingham (UK)

Toledo

Boston U

I think it's important for any one considering grad study in Phil to not forget to look at the programs overseas. The UK has quite a few programs that lean Continental, with Warwick being one of the best. I look forward to using this site and conversing with any one else pursuing graduate work in philosophy.

Some of the schools on your list (Loyola for instance) do not provide any type of funding for their terminal MA program. IMO unless you have a great deal of cash, try to stay away from MA programs that don't offer any funding to students. There are great terminal MA programs that do offer funding to students, but they are normally at a school that doen't offer a five year Phd program.

All the best and good luck

[jshap10]

Man, this thread sure has had a lack of life. Just signed up for the grad cafe today. I'll be applying for entry into graduate school for the Fall of 2013. Still a ways away but figured I'd list the MA programs I've been looking at. I am looking to study continental philosophy, particularly German Philosophy (Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Nietzsche, the Frankfurt School). The schools I will be applying to for an MA are:

Warwick (UK)

Loyola Chicago

New Mexico

Marquette

New School

Stony Brook

Sussex (UK)

Nottingham (UK)

Toledo

Boston U

I think it's important for any one considering grad study in Phil to not forget to look at the programs overseas. The UK has quite a few programs that lean Continental, with Warwick being one of the best. I look forward to using this site and conversing with any one else pursuing graduate work in philosophy.

This is kind of a late response, but I graduated from BU with a bachelor's in philosophy this past May and would strongly encourage you to go there. I don't know about the funding situation, but I found the faculty in the department outstanding. I took Continental Rationalism (a grad level class) with Aaron Garrett in my last semester, in fact, and it was a great class--he's a fantastic professor. Also, from what I've seen and been told, the philosophy grad students have a great community with each other. All the graduate level courses I took were really great.

Edited February 8, 2012 by jshap10

[UnbearableNausea]

UC Boulder is in the top tier for feminist philosophy, but I echo the sentiment about unfunded MAs.

I forget who said this to me, but as unfortunate as it is, one should think twice about entering graduate school for philosophy if no program will offer you money to attend. Worse still, I think one should avoid going into debt to get a degree in philosophy, especially an MA, at all costs. This is because if you are unable to secure funding, regardless of your intelligence and quality as an applicant, there must be some reason (i.e. an incredibly strong pool of applicants, as if the case every single year) why programs do not consider you a competetive candidate. With that in mind, what is normally a brutal job market will become exponentially so given that programs did not consider you competitive enough to fund. Worst case scenario, you are left with an MA you put yourself in debt to obtain with which you cannot secure any form of employment, and likely will not translate into a paygrade bump in the non-academic job market.

All of this is CERTAINLY not to say that this is the boat you, or anyone on this forum for that matter, is in. Rather, a cautionary tale that has been passed on to me, so I thought I would contribute for what it's worth. I would say, faced with the decision of an unfunded MA or another year off trying to find the perfect program that will offer funding, I would hands-down take the latter. Even two more years. That way you are at least avoiding debt AND making some money, job experience, etc.